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nasties" list. [50] Nevertheless, the ban lasted until 1999, when Tenebrae was
legally released on videotape with one second of footage removed in addition
to the previously censored five (the BBFC-censored footage was uploaded as a
video file, viewable on the distributors (Nouveax Pictures) website, in a
clear signal of changing times). In 2003, the BBFC reclassified the film and
passed it without any cuts. [20] In Germany, the release was strongly cut, and
reportedly seized by the authorities. [84] The film has since been released on
DVD in the US, mostly uncut save for approximately twenty seconds of
extraneous material. [85] Tenebrae received an initial DVD release in March
1999 from Anchor Bay Entertainment , with a re-release in May 2008. [86] [
better source needed ] The Anchor Bay release, though presented as "uncut" was
not the fully restored version of the film. A DVD German release by Raptor was
also missing about one-and-a-half seconds of material. [84] In June 2011,
Arrow Films issued a special edition on DVD, [86] [ better source needed ] but
although the image quality was far better than in previous DVD releases, this
version was "heavily lambasted" for carrying a transfer of the film that had
visible noise and "distorted audio". In 2013, Arrow released a Blu-ray edition
that corrected the audio and video problems. Additional corrections were made
to the transfer and released by Synapse Films in 2016, as a steelbook edition
limited to 3000 copies. [87] The Arrow & Synapse DVD and Blu-ray releases are
"completely uncut". [84] Later reception [ edit ] Tenebrae has since become
regarded as among Argento's best films by many fans and critics, with some
calling it his last great film. [20] [46] AllMovie refers to the film as "one
of Dario Argento's best thrillers". [88] In her 1994 book on the director,
Broken Mirrors/Broken Minds: The Dark Dreams of Dario Argento, Maitland
McDonagh maintains that Tenebrae is "in many respects ... the finest film that
Argento has ever made." [52] Richard Dyer, writing for the Directory of World
Cinema: Italy , describes the film as a "tease", one which is "perhaps the
apotheosis of one of the core pleasures of detective fiction: being outwitted,
wrong-footed, led up the garden path". Dyer believes that the degree of
lighting used in the film is unsurpassed. [89] Ed Gonzalez of Slant Magazine
said that Tenebrae "is a riveting defense of auteur theory, ripe with self-
reflexive discourse and various moral conflicts. It's both a riveting horror
film and an architect's worst nightmare." [90] Keith Phipps of The A.V. Club
noted "... Argento makes some points about the intersection of art, reality,
and personality, but the director's stunning trademark setpieces, presented
here in a fully restored version, provide the real reason to watch." [91]
Almar Haflidason, in a review for BBC Online , opined, "Sadistically beautiful
and viciously exciting, welcome to true terror with Dario Argento's shockingly
relentless Tenebrae ." [79] Tim Lucas in Video Watchdog said, "Though it is in
some ways as artificial and deliberate as a De Palma thriller, Tenebrae
contains more likeable characters, believable relationships, and more emphasis
on the erotic than can be found in any other Argento film." [11] Gordon
Sullivan of DVD Verdict wrote, " Tenebre is a straight-up giallo in the old-
school tradition. It may have been filmed in 1982, but it comes straight out
of the '70s tradition. We've got all the usual suspects, including a writer
for a main character, lots of killer-cam point of view, some crazily over the
top kills, and approximately seventy-two twists before all is revealed ... For
fans of Argento's earlier giallo , this is a must-see." [92] Not all the
recent critical reaction to Tenebrae has been positive. Geoff Andrew of Time
Out thought that the film was "unpleasant even by contemporary horror
standards". [93] John Kenneth Muir, author of Horror Films of the 1980s ,
considers the film to be far inferior to Suspiria , but acknowledges that it
was so "unremittingly gory" that it justified its US title of "Unsane". [74]
John Wiley Martin, although evaluating the film as a "technically mesmeric"
one, felt that thematically it was a "disappointingly retrograde step" for
Argento. [94] Christopher Null of Filmcritic.com called it a "gory but not
particularly effective Argento horror flick", [95] while Dennis Schwartz of
Ozus' World Movie Reviews dismissed it as "trash". [96] Gary Johnson, editor
of Images , complained, "Not much of Tenebre makes much sense. The plot
becomes little more than an excuse for Argento to stage the murder sequences.
And these are some of the bloodiest murders of Argento's career." [97] In
2004, Tim Lucas re-evaluated the film and found that some of his earlier
enthusiasm had dimmed considerably, noting that, " Tenebre is beginning to
suffer from the cheap 16 mm-like softness of Luciano Tovoli's cinematography,
its sometimes over-storyboarded violence (the first two murders in particular
look stilted), the many bewildering lapses in logic ... and the overdone
performances of many of its female actors". [72] Legacy [ edit ] Coming at the
tail end of the giallo cycle, Tenebrae does not appear to have been as
influential as Argento's earlier films. Douglas E. Winter, however, has
commented that Tenebrae ' s Louma crane sequence has been stylistically
influential, pointing to its use in Brian De Palma 's The Untouchables (1987).
[44] In addition, towards the end of the film, with Neal supposedly dead, the
camera faces Detective Giermani directly. When he stoops to pick up some
evidence from the floor, Neal is revealed to be standing behind him, their
silhouettes having perfectly matched in the shot. Alan Jones cited Tenebrae as
the first film to use this specific type of camera blocking , and believes it
to have been copied and referenced deliberately by later filmmakers. [24] One
such example, discussed as an unacknowledged "steal" from Tenebrae , is De
Palma's "surprise reveal" of John Lithgow standing behind a victim in Raising
Cain (1992). [25] [98] Robert Zemeckis 's What Lies Beneath (2000) also
contains a similar moment, although Zemeckis has denied familiarity with
Italian films. [99] The final death scene in Tenebrae – where Neal is
accidentally impaled by a sculpture – is directly referenced in Kenneth
Branagh 's Hitchcockian murder mystery Dead Again (1991). Kim Newman maintains
that Branagh's film imitates the sequence so entirely – with Derek Jacobi
being pierced by the sculpture – that Branagh must have included the reference
deliberately. The next moment, where Nicolodi screams repeatedly in the rain,
was cited by Asia Argento (Nicolodi's daughter with Dario Argento) as the
moment that inspired her to become an actress. [57] See also [ edit ] List of
Italian films of 1982 References [ edit ] Footnotes ^ "Tenebrae (1982)" .
Archivio del Cinema Italiano On-Line . ^ Tenebre (1982) - Dario Argento \|
Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related \| AllMovie , retrieved 7
June 2023 ^ "How Dario Argento's Classic 'Tenebrae' Was Inspired By His
Stalker" . Collider . 12 August 2022 . Retrieved 7 June 2023 . ^ "The Quietus
\| Film \| Film Features \| 30 Years On: Tenebrae Revisited" . The Quietus .
Retrieved 7 June 2023 . ^ a b c d e Newman & Jones 2011 , chapter 9 ^ a b c d
e f g h i j k l m n o p q Jones, Alan (27 June 2011). Dario Argento's Tenebrae
(DVD booklet). Arrow Films . ^ a b Gardner, Kurt (1 September 2020). "Giallo —
The Distinctly Italian Genre" . ArtScene SA . Retrieved 7 June 2023 . ^ a b

nasties" list. [50] Nevertheless, the ban lasted until 1999, when Tenebrae was

legally released on videotape with one second of footage removed in addition

to the previously censored five (the BBFC-censored footage was uploaded as a

video file, viewable on the distributors (Nouveax Pictures) website, in a

clear signal of changing times). In 2003, the BBFC reclassified the film and

passed it without any cuts. [20] In Germany, the release was strongly cut, and

reportedly seized by the authorities. [84] The film has since been released on

DVD in the US, mostly uncut save for approximately twenty seconds of

extraneous material. [85] Tenebrae received an initial DVD release in March

1999 from Anchor Bay Entertainment , with a re-release in May 2008. [86] [

better source needed ] The Anchor Bay release, though presented as "uncut" was

not the fully restored version of the film. A DVD German release by Raptor was

also missing about one-and-a-half seconds of material. [84] In June 2011,

Arrow Films issued a special edition on DVD, [86] [ better source needed ] but

although the image quality was far better than in previous DVD releases, this

version was "heavily lambasted" for carrying a transfer of the film that had

visible noise and "distorted audio". In 2013, Arrow released a Blu-ray edition

that corrected the audio and video problems. Additional corrections were made

to the transfer and released by Synapse Films in 2016, as a steelbook edition

limited to 3000 copies. [87] The Arrow & Synapse DVD and Blu-ray releases are

"completely uncut". [84] Later reception [ edit ] Tenebrae has since become

regarded as among Argento's best films by many fans and critics, with some

calling it his last great film. [20] [46] AllMovie refers to the film as "one

of Dario Argento's best thrillers". [88] In her 1994 book on the director,

Broken Mirrors/Broken Minds: The Dark Dreams of Dario Argento, Maitland

McDonagh maintains that Tenebrae is "in many respects ... the finest film that

Argento has ever made." [52] Richard Dyer, writing for the Directory of World

Cinema: Italy , describes the film as a "tease", one which is "perhaps the

apotheosis of one of the core pleasures of detective fiction: being outwitted,

wrong-footed, led up the garden path". Dyer believes that the degree of

lighting used in the film is unsurpassed. [89] Ed Gonzalez of Slant Magazine

said that Tenebrae "is a riveting defense of auteur theory, ripe with self-

reflexive discourse and various moral conflicts. It's both a riveting horror

film and an architect's worst nightmare." [90] Keith Phipps of The A.V. Club

noted "... Argento makes some points about the intersection of art, reality,

and personality, but the director's stunning trademark setpieces, presented

here in a fully restored version, provide the real reason to watch." [91]

Almar Haflidason, in a review for BBC Online , opined, "Sadistically beautiful

and viciously exciting, welcome to true terror with Dario Argento's shockingly

relentless Tenebrae ." [79] Tim Lucas in Video Watchdog said, "Though it is in

some ways as artificial and deliberate as a De Palma thriller, Tenebrae

contains more likeable characters, believable relationships, and more emphasis

on the erotic than can be found in any other Argento film." [11] Gordon

Sullivan of DVD Verdict wrote, " Tenebre is a straight-up giallo in the old-

school tradition. It may have been filmed in 1982, but it comes straight out

of the '70s tradition. We've got all the usual suspects, including a writer

for a main character, lots of killer-cam point of view, some crazily over the

top kills, and approximately seventy-two twists before all is revealed ... For

fans of Argento's earlier giallo , this is a must-see." [92] Not all the

recent critical reaction to Tenebrae has been positive. Geoff Andrew of Time

Out thought that the film was "unpleasant even by contemporary horror

standards". [93] John Kenneth Muir, author of Horror Films of the 1980s ,

considers the film to be far inferior to Suspiria , but acknowledges that it

was so "unremittingly gory" that it justified its US title of "Unsane". [74]

John Wiley Martin, although evaluating the film as a "technically mesmeric"

one, felt that thematically it was a "disappointingly retrograde step" for

Argento. [94] Christopher Null of Filmcritic.com called it a "gory but not

particularly effective Argento horror flick", [95] while Dennis Schwartz of

Ozus' World Movie Reviews dismissed it as "trash". [96] Gary Johnson, editor

of Images , complained, "Not much of Tenebre makes much sense. The plot

becomes little more than an excuse for Argento to stage the murder sequences.

And these are some of the bloodiest murders of Argento's career." [97] In

2004, Tim Lucas re-evaluated the film and found that some of his earlier

enthusiasm had dimmed considerably, noting that, " Tenebre is beginning to

suffer from the cheap 16 mm-like softness of Luciano Tovoli's cinematography,

its sometimes over-storyboarded violence (the first two murders in particular

look stilted), the many bewildering lapses in logic ... and the overdone

performances of many of its female actors". [72] Legacy [ edit ] Coming at the

tail end of the giallo cycle, Tenebrae does not appear to have been as

influential as Argento's earlier films. Douglas E. Winter, however, has

commented that Tenebrae ' s Louma crane sequence has been stylistically

influential, pointing to its use in Brian De Palma 's The Untouchables (1987).

[44] In addition, towards the end of the film, with Neal supposedly dead, the

camera faces Detective Giermani directly. When he stoops to pick up some

evidence from the floor, Neal is revealed to be standing behind him, their

silhouettes having perfectly matched in the shot. Alan Jones cited Tenebrae as

the first film to use this specific type of camera blocking , and believes it

to have been copied and referenced deliberately by later filmmakers. [24] One

such example, discussed as an unacknowledged "steal" from Tenebrae , is De

Palma's "surprise reveal" of John Lithgow standing behind a victim in Raising

Cain (1992). [25] [98] Robert Zemeckis 's What Lies Beneath (2000) also

contains a similar moment, although Zemeckis has denied familiarity with

Italian films. [99] The final death scene in Tenebrae – where Neal is

accidentally impaled by a sculpture – is directly referenced in Kenneth

Branagh 's Hitchcockian murder mystery Dead Again (1991). Kim Newman maintains

that Branagh's film imitates the sequence so entirely – with Derek Jacobi

being pierced by the sculpture – that Branagh must have included the reference

deliberately. The next moment, where Nicolodi screams repeatedly in the rain,

was cited by Asia Argento (Nicolodi's daughter with Dario Argento) as the

moment that inspired her to become an actress. [57] See also [ edit ] List of

Italian films of 1982 References [ edit ] Footnotes ^ "Tenebrae (1982)" .

Archivio del Cinema Italiano On-Line . ^ Tenebre (1982) - Dario Argento |

Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related | AllMovie , retrieved 7

June 2023 ^ "How Dario Argento's Classic 'Tenebrae' Was Inspired By His

Stalker" . Collider . 12 August 2022 . Retrieved 7 June 2023 . ^ "The Quietus

| Film | Film Features | 30 Years On: Tenebrae Revisited" . The Quietus .

Retrieved 7 June 2023 . ^ a b c d e Newman & Jones 2011 , chapter 9 ^ a b c d

e f g h i j k l m n o p q Jones, Alan (27 June 2011). Dario Argento's Tenebrae

(DVD booklet). Arrow Films . ^ a b Gardner, Kurt (1 September 2020). "Giallo —

The Distinctly Italian Genre" . ArtScene SA . Retrieved 7 June 2023 . ^ a b