Tenebre (1982)
Tenebre (1982)
Plot.
Where to Watch.
Currently Tenebre is available for streaming online, rent, buy or watch for free on: Shudder, Shudder Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Shudder Apple TV Channel, Hoopla, Plex, Screambox Amazon Channel, Night Flight Plus, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, Fandango At Home, Microsoft Store, Kanopy, Plex Channel
Streaming in:🇺🇸 United States
This Movie Is About.
Cast & Crew.
Anthony Franciosa
Peter Neal
John Saxon
Bullmer
Daria Nicolodi
Anne
Giuliano Gemma
Detective Germani
Christian Borromeo
Gianni
Mirella D'Angelo
Tilde
Veronica Lario
Jane McKerrow
Ania Pieroni
Elsa Manni
Eva Robin's
Girl on Beach
Carola Stagnaro
Detective Altieri
John Steiner
Christiano Berti
Lara Wendel
Maria Alboretto
Isabella Amadeo
Bullmer's secretary
Mirella Banti
Marion
Ennio Girolami
Department Store Manager (as Enio Girolami)
Marino Masé
John
Fulvio Mingozzi
Alboretto, the porter
Giampaolo Saccarola
Coroner (as Gianpaolo Saccarola)
Beth Charkham
CastingDirector
Ippolita Santarelli
Prostitute
Dario Argento
Narrator (Italian version) / Murderer's Hands (voice) (uncredited) / Story / Screenplay / Director
Lamberto Bava
Elevator Repairman #1 (uncredited) / First Assistant Director
Michele Soavi
Maria's Boyfriend / Man Walking with Girl on Beach (uncredited) / Second Assistant Director
Giuseppe Bassan
Production Design
Saverio Mangogna
Production Secretary
Enrico Lucherini
Unit Publicist
Carlo Du Bois
Production Accountant
Diego Della Valle
Shoe Design
Ferdinando Caputo
Production Accountant
Francesca Roberti
Script Supervisor
David Block
Colorist
Roberto Priori
Assistant Editor
Piero Bozza
Assistant Editor
Vanda Caprioli
Other
Barbara Canevari
Assistant Costume Designer
Giuseppe Tinelli
Camera Operator
Maurizio Piano
Assistant Camera
Mario Moreschini
Key Grip
Roberto Marsigli
Assistant Camera
Francesco Giulivi
Gaffer
Remo Cartocci
Grip
Francesco Bellomo
Still Photographer
Giovanni Corridori
Special Effects
Romano Pampaloni
Sound Mixer
Giancarlo Laurenzi
Boom Operator
Mario Dallimonti
Sound
Massimo Anzellotti
Sound Effects
Luciano Anzellotti
Sound Effects
Aldo Taloni
Set Dresser
Cesare Piccini
Assistant Property Master
Giuseppe Pagnotta
Property Master
Osvaldo Monaco
Property Master
Massimo Garrone
Assistant Set Decoration
Antonella Caputo
Assistant Production Design
Giuseppe Mangogna
Production Manager
Cesare Jacolucci
Production Manager / Production Supervisor
Media.
Details.
Release DateOctober 28, 1982
StatusReleased
Running Time1h 41m
Filming LocationsEuropa, Italy
Genres
Last updated:
Wiki.
Tenebrae (lit. '"darkness"', also known as Tenebre) is a 1982 Italian giallo film written and directed by Dario Argento. The film stars Anthony Franciosa as American author Peter Neal, who – while in Rome promoting his latest murder-mystery novel – becomes embroiled in the search for a serial killer who may have been inspired to kill by his novel. John Saxon and Daria Nicolodi co-star as Neal's agent and assistant respectively, while Giuliano Gemma and Carola Stagnaro appear as detectives investigating the murders. John Steiner, Veronica Lario, and Mirella D'Angelo also feature in minor roles. The film has been described as exploring themes of dualism and sexual aberration, and has strong metafictional elements; some commentators consider Tenebrae to be a direct reaction by Argento to criticism of his previous work, most especially his depictions of murders of women.
After Argento had experimented with pure supernatural horror with 1977's Suspiria and 1980's Inferno, Tenebrae represented the filmmaker's return to the giallo subgenre, which he had helped popularize in the 1970s. Argento was inspired by a series of incidents which saw an obsessed fan telephone the director to criticize him for the damaging psychological effects of his previous work. The telephone calls culminated in death threats towards Argento, who channelled the experience into the writing of Tenebrae. The director also wanted to explore the senselessness of killings he had seen and heard about while staying in Los Angeles in 1980, and his feeling at the time that true horror came from those who wanted "to kill for nothing".
Shot on location in Rome and at Elios Studios, Tenebrae utilized mostly modern-looking locations and sets, allowing Argento to realize his vision that the film reflects a near-future with a diminished population; the director filmed none of the historical landmarks that usually featured in films set in Rome. Employing director of photography Luciano Tovoli, Argento also intended that the film simulate the stark, realistic lighting featured in television police shows at the time; production designer Giuseppe Bassan created supporting environments that were cold and austere, with sharp angles and modernistic spaces. Several former members of Italian rock band Goblin provided Tenebrae's music, a synth-heavy score inspired by rock and disco music.
Tenebrae was a modest success in Italy; it reached theatres with little controversy after Argento made cuts to one of the most violent scenes. However, in the United Kingdom, it was added to the infamous list of "video nasties" and banned from sale until 1999. The film's theatrical distribution in the United States was delayed until 1984 when it was released in a heavily censored version under the title Unsane, which received a mostly negative critical reception. The original version later became widely available for reappraisal, and has come to be considered one of Argento's best films by many fans and critics.