Tenebre (1982)
A popular thriller novelist embarks to Rome for a media tour only to be entangled by a real mystery involving a serial killer that is taking inspiration from his latest best seller. TENEBRE was director Dario Argento's return to giallo after nearly a decade of experimenting; he climaxed with his masterpiece DEEP RED in 1975 and then went on to do darker horror subjects with the first two parts of "The Three Mothers" trilogy, the brilliant SUSPIRIA and the polarizing INFERNO. Intended to please his Italian fanbase who were then dissatisfied with his art diversions, this movie is a satisfactory work but not one of his absolute best. Argento often has his characters perform stupid things solely so the story can advance further, such as leaving luggage unattended or keeping their keys in the car's ignition. The main mystery is an interesting choice, helping later to inspire many a TV crime show to use it for an average episode, but if you have seen plenty of giallos before, you will be aware of its expected anticlimax before its not-really-shocking ending. Argento's story also tries to be an interesting meta-infused reaction to critics who lambasted his previous movies for their beautifully shot murders of beautiful women but he poisons it by inserting some straw mans into the text and then having them be shown as bitchy or devilish homosexuals. As come standard with Argento's peak works, the score supplied by Claudio Simonetti, the floating and menacing camerawork, and the expertly staged kills are what makes the film shine. The best moment of course has to go to the film's most censored scene, where a character seems to suddenly be directed by a Japanese samurai film director.
FINAL REVIEW: 3 / 5
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