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Tenebre

Tenebre

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Low budget Slasher At Its Best!
Review: This is one of the most superb gorefest. Tenebre is about a writer who wrote a book entitled, Tenebre. A killer is making the murder scenes in the book real!The good murder scenes will keep the viewrs' eyes on the screen!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Artistic Mayhem
Review: Dario Argento's "Tenebre" is a reminder of what genre films can be when guided by genuine artistic vision. The plot, which is well-constructed, has the benefit of an able cast bringing it to fruition. I doubt that Anthony Franciosa has ever been better as an author who finds himself embroiled in a murder mystery that seems lifted from his latest book. Guiliano Gemma, John Saxon and Daria Nicolodi provide charming and well-cast support. What truly raises this film above the average however, are the stunning images of mayhem that Argento constructs. His camerawork is sumptuous! If you've never sampled his work before, "Tenebre" is an excellent place to begin.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Anchor Bay version NOT UNCUT! REPEAT! NOT UNCUT!
Review: First and foremost, I must warn all TRUE Argento fans (and of this movie) that despite what Anchor Bay says (and prior reviews), this print of "Tenebre" is NOT uncut! Sure, it is the most complete print available retail on a prerecord tape, but this version is STILL missing full scenes and pieces of dialogue! Don't be fooled by the running time! This is also true of Anchor Bay's releases of other Argento classics such as "Demons" and "Phenomena". They are still cut! Anyways, "Tenebre" is still a good film, cut or not. If I could give it 3 1/2 stars I would (slightly better than 3 stars). The problem with the film is its pace. It is significantly slower than most of his other superior efforts, and the film suffers slightly. But there are certainly factors that redeem this film. As always, great camerawork is present. Also, the music by Goblin is great, one of their greatest soundtracks. And yes, it is quite gory and brutal (what did you expect)? This film is not for the weak of heart! The ending is especially brutal, with a savage axe dismemberment (thank god Anchor Bay at least kept this beautiful scene of Argento savagery and bloodletting intact). All things considered, "Tenebre" is a rather uneven, but technically accomplished and enjoyable film by the master.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A MASTERPIECE IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD!
Review: Well, Tenebrae is finally on DVD, and this transfer is beautiful, the boys at Anchor Bay have outdone themselves with this masterpiece of the horror genre. Dario Argento is truly one of the best horror directors that we have had the pleasure to experience, I sncerely believe that Tenebrae is one of the most terrifying, gripping and suspenseful horror films to ever grace the genre. I would in every way, call it Psycho's equal. Disturbing, surreal, beautiful and engrossing in every way, Argento's Tenebrae is a 5 star classic.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Shocking and Brutal but Fun
Review: The perfect example of how a suspence film can also tie itself in to the "slasher" film genre without either watering down the gore nor dumbing down the suspence. Argento's Tenebre is a masterfully directed film presented in this great VHS edition by Anchor Bay. With a few extras included on the VHS and with great picture and sound clarity, this uncut version of the film is a must see for those with a strong stomach. Producers and directors of such modern "suspence" films as 1999's "The Bone Collector" and any of the "Scream" films could learn a lot from the likes of Argento. Well done !

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Mind games from the master stylist: top-drawer Argento
Review: While fans may be divided over the relative merits (or not) of Dario Argento's recent output, there's no denying the sheer visceral power of his earlier accomplishments. TENEBRAE contains some of the most genuinely frightening material in Argento's entire filmography, and some of the best performances too. Anthony Franciosa is quietly convincing in his role as an American writer in Rome, targetted by an obsessive killer who's been modelling a series of murders on scenes from the author's latest book; and the hugely underrated John Saxon provides a memorable turn as Franciosa's shady literary agent (his final scene is a small masterpiece of observation, brilliantly edited). The rest of the cast is less sure-footed, perhaps because these veteran European actors - including Daria Nicolodi and Giuliano Gemma - aren't entirely comfortable performing in English, though the entire cast play second fiddle to the director's bravura execution of the outlandish scenario. Argento takes great delight in toying with the audience's expectations and misdirecting them with clever bits of visual trickery, whilst punctuating the narrative with a series of horrific 'exclamation marks' (such as Veronica Lario dying in a spectacular welter of gore), culminating in a truly shocking finale. What's more, he indulges his trademark eccentricities without obscuring the plot or the characterisations, and the film takes its place alongside "Deep Red" (1975) as one of the enduring giallos of the 20th century. A triumph. The non-anamorphic transfer is razor-sharp and correctly framed at 1.85:1, and the Dolby Digital soundtrack is a rare example of a stereo remix which actually improves on the original mono version - I almost suffered heart failure during one particular sequence when the soundtrack sprang one of its nasty little surprises! There's a trailer, an audio commentary by the director and members of his creative team, and saints be praised, the disc even includes the original Italian soundtrack - but WITHOUT English subtitles... As many fans may already be aware, the Anchor Bay edition is incomplete, despite repeated claims to the contrary on the DVD packaging and during the audio commentary. Due to circumstances beyond anyone's control, this print is missing 30 seconds of non-essential footage, comprised of five shots scattered throughout the course of the film. As such, the DEFINITIVE version of "Tenebrae" has yet to be released on home video. But don't let that put you off - Anchor Bay's code-free DVD represents a significant improvement over all previous video versions and offers more than enough compensation for its (minor) shortcomings. Besides, wait till you see what happens whenever you select an option from the DVD menu - it'll leave a great big silly grin on your face for HOURS...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: TENEBRAE --- Terror beyond belief!
Review: TENEBRAE is a stylized thriller by the master of horror, Dario Agento. Following the American mystery writer, Peter Neal, TENEBRAE is an entertaining horror masterpiece that mixes elements of humor and romance into its macabre plot. Released as UNSANE in the US and cut by more than 10 minutes, TENEBRAE is here in its full, uncut glory from Anchor Bay Entertainment. I give it three thumsbs up, if that's possible. Make sure to check out DEEP RED and INFERNO being released in March, 2000.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Argento's (Almost) Uncut Masterpiece.
Review: Originally released domestically on video in a heavily edited version titled UNSANE, this Argento masterpiece is finally available in a widescreen, (almost) uncut version running 10 minutes longer than UNSANE. [Japanese laserdiscs include about one or two seconds of violence not present in the domestic video release.] The incredible crane shot, where the camera creeps along and up a building into the apartment of the killer's next victim, has been restored, as well as the shocking, well-staged blood-spattered dismemberment axing.

Many of the usual Argento elements are present: plenty of red herrings are tossed into the story to conceal the killer's identity, dream-like flashbacks may or may not supply clues to the mystery, and there are elaborate, sometimes disorienting camera angles and remarkable visual imagery that are inherent in all of Argento's work.

Sure, some of the dialogue is stilted, and some of the acting is a bit wooden (it's seems that Daria Nicoldi's voice may have been dubbed (or perhaps it's just some stiff acting)), but for me this never detracts from the suspense or beauty of the film. If you like beautifully lensed giallos with some graphic violence and mounting suspense, and can forgive some bad performances and dialogue, then you'll probably enjoy TENEBRAE.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Tenebrae: Stunningly Beautiful, Yet Shockingly Grotesque
Review: I believe "Tenebrae" to be Argento's best movie, even better than the beautiful and strange "Phenomena". By the end of the film, you leave shocked, and with a whole new outlook not only on "Tenebrae", but on all other Argento films. It starts out like any other Argento flick, but when the end hits, the whole entire movie is intensified. Sure, the acting and dialogue is poor, but all the suspense and style make up for it. The best murder scene in the movie is one of the best I've ever seen. It's very bloody, and the blood isn't evben used that well, it's almost as if it's made to look trashy and unartful, but once I thought about how the intense feeling from the gore mixes with the classy Hitchcock-esque suspense, I realized that the scene creates unbelievable ammounts of setup tension that makes the very end so great. Tenebrae is a great film, so if you don't mind all the gore, you should enjoy it immensely.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Cinematically important
Review: As a film maker I cannot express how interesting it is to hear Argento talking about his own creations. Many critics, film historians and even audiences have never really taken Argento seriously, which is a real shame for them. Tenebrae is a beautifully crafted film, and although not as feverish as Suspiria or Inferno, the viewer still feels as if they are stuck in a really horrible dream. Argento is a worldclass director with a frighteningly voyeristic style. I found the scene where the girl finds out that she is in the murderers house and has to run away from the guard dogs so incredibly exploitative and nasty that i couldn't keep my eyes off it, just like when average people pass a car accident on the street. The ending just blows you away. I love this film and I really want Inferno, Suspiria and deep Red on DVD too.


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