Remi Andre

This is part of my “Watching every Dario Argento movie, ever” category. Here I go through all the movies written and directed by Dario Argento, and provide you with the pleasure of reading my views on them!

After two supernatural thrillers, Argento went back to his giallo roots with 1982’s Tenebre (original title: Tenebrae). The movie, surrounding an author being stalked by a killer, was, apparently, inspired by a real life situation the director had gone through. If this is true or not is still a bit of a question mark, but never the less gives Argento quite a bit of room to have some fun with his public persona.

Tenebre is a good thriller, and stands out for having a couple of the better actors in Argento’s line of movies in Anthony Franciosa and the always excellent John Saxon. (Note that I’ve yet to see the recently released Giallo, starring Adrien Brody.) Franciosa, particularly, shines as the lightly befuddled author caught in the middle of the murder mystery. He seems genuinely perplexed why anybody would take a page out of his books (literally during one particularly gruesome scene) and copycat his murders-in-print. This is definitely Argento’s best leading man since David Hemmings.

As for the soundtrack, it might just be Goblin’s best. So good, in fact, that Justice “re-imagined” it multiple times for their Cross album. And of course, it is the incredible crane shot which to this day is jaw-dropping.

I mean, wow… Argento has committed three over the top amazing shots so far in his career, and it is obvious why this is considered the first. (The two others can be seen in Opera and Nonhosonno.)

Tenebre is definitely top tier Argento, with its twists and turns, thundering soundtrack, and technical mastery.

Which leads us to my ranking…

1. Inferno
2. Suspiria
3. Deep Red
4. Tenebre
5. Four Flies on Grey Velvet
6. The Cat o’Nine Tails
7. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage