What's so great about Tenebre?
 

So while we're on the topic of Argento, I just recently watched Tenebre (I was inspired by V's Top 100 Sub-Genre Horror Movies List).

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My first impression: What's so great, wonderful, and iconic about Tenebre?

• I found it to be incredibly derivitive of any and all slashers that have come before (Halloween, Black Christmas, Psycho).
• The music was overpowering to the point of being obtrusive yet funny, comic, and parody, as opposed to dramatic or moody.
• The writing and acting were terrible.
• The sound - Again, I felt as though I was watching a poorly-dubbed foreign film.
• Contrived - The ending, as well as some of the plot devices (the reveal of the killer as well as the girl being conveniently driven into the killer's domain) seemed incredibly incongruous, abstract, random, and out of context; but not in a good way.

So I know that there are some Argento fans out there and I know that there are fans specifically of Tenebre (hence why and how it made it into V's top 100 list). My question is, Why? What am I missing? How and why is this movie an important volume in horror movie history?

What do you like about this film, personally? And, in a more acedemic sense, what makes this movie iconic?

I heard how great this movie was a few years ago.So I bought a copy VHS copy of it off the web.I was so excited to see this film.Well when it finally got here the first thing I did was put it in.I found my self bored through out most of the movie.I felt it lacked suspense and as Chrono said the acting and writing was horrible.I watched it that one time and have never viewed it again, nor plan to.

Apparently you need a serious education in gialli cinema.

Yeah, I actually fell asleep during the film. The suspense just... wasn't there.

"Education" as in pedagogical learnings that tout and explain all that is meritable and important in Giallo cinema (also its influences and archetypes that lead to what I consider weaknesses, but might be considered strengths in other schools of thought)

OR

"Education" as in exposure to this particular genre so as to know what to expect?

Well, if you're talking about the latter, I believe that it was obvious in this post (and I know that I've appealed to HDC before with the same) that I have very little exposure to Italian Arthouse Horror and that one of my current goals is to rectify that.

If you're referring to the former definition of "Education," the actual purpose of this thread is to claim utter ignorance on my part and appeal to the venerable HDC Italian Horror Masters Experts for guidance in watching this genre of film. And, also, on a more microcosmic level, open a discussion about Tenebre in particular.

SO, Bub, in deference to what seems to be your apparent education in Giallo Cinema, please enlighten us.

...

And with the smarminess aside, this is obviously a call to Rod, V, Jenna, Doc, and others who have talked about Italian Horror before. I'd like to hear more. I feel like there's something I'm missing. :)

Giallo is singular, Gialli is plural. It's Gialli cinema.

Secondly, Tenebre is by far the best work of Argento. I dare say its a notch above Suspiria, and makes a strong claim of being the best giallo ever made. It's a perfect little mystery with its healthy dose of colorful deaths and and vivid, starkly created imagery, accentuated by a very odd yet fascinating background score by Claudio Simonetti.

Plotwise, it is the most coherent Argento till date. It doesn't leave much stuff to the imagination ala Suspiria or Inferno, and neither does it border upon the supernatural overtures of the two. The flashback sequences add the surreal imagery for which Argento films are famous for, and several shots set in bright daylight and clammy, yet brightly-lighted rooms show that Argento does not forget the essence of Tenebre, which means "darkness" in Latin.

Goblin provides a deep, resonating, carnival-esque heavily dependent on synthesiser score to Tenebre, and they compliment each murder sequence perfectly. And each murder has vividly supportive FX done by Corridori, which makes them seem grotesquely real and unflinchingly brutal.

The only real flaw with Tenebre is the dubbing, especially of Daria Nicolodi. The Italian version must be a real rocker, with Nicolodi in all her resplendent form, but for the English-speaking world, it's a damper. Argento usually does not go for long characterisation, and that is amply evident by plenty of cameos here.

To appreciate a giallo, you must first understand it's style. Gialli are never meant to have much of a substance, because they are examples of stylish and chic film-making. Argento's giallos, especially the early ones like L' Uccello dalle piume di cristallo (The Bird With The Crystal Plumage), Il gatto a nove code (Cat O'Nine Tails), Profondo rosso (Deep Red), Suspiria, Inferno, all contain the charismatic Argento - vividly bright imagery and extremely bizarre soundtracks marking each murder sequence to it's entirety and adding generous doses of surrealism to the experience.

To admire Argento and his work, you have to be empathetic.

Honestly, I am not sure there is anything you are missing....;) Argento is NOT for everyone. I always recommend that horror fan's see his films, but I never count on them liking them.

Let me explain; Argento is one of my favorite filmmakers. I love his work, even many of his not so great films. Tenebre is one of my favorite films. But you can't necessarily watch his films like you might watch other films. There are always plot holes, and problems with the stories, his endings are often weak. But these things....aren't important. And I realize that sounds....odd. But its true. Argento is very much a VISUAL experience, and the music is there to enhance what you are seeing on screen. to enhance HOW you are seeing the scene. The music can be overwhelming here, but trust me, it is there for a reason, as music is in any film, and it does work.

Tenebre, like Bub already mentioned, is actually a more coherent film for Argento, but at the same time you still have those problems with plot, and story, etc. Its the way the film is shot that makes it so great, the visual flair, the death scenes. No one does a death scene like Argento.

Hopefully, this will help you understand why I LOVE the movie. If not, please continue your "education" ;) when it comes to Italian horror, because there are some truly brilliant and interesting films to choose from.

Its my favorite Argento flick and I agree on it being his best work. I really hate Suspiria apart from the amazing death scenes (I thought it was an amazing film when I first saw it but now its just really average after getting into Bava's films).
Sleepless is really good too and its a return to his traditional Gialli cinema roots.

Tenebre is my favorite Argento film.

I love it for the music, the style, the fashions, the camera moves the comedy (John Saxon's character is really funny) and the bad dubbing.

Gialli and Spaghetti Westerns are inextricably linked. Most directors who worked in one genre also worked in the other and that's where the "bad dubbing" bit comes in. The casts in these films are from USA, Italy, Germany, Spain, France, etc and each actor would, typically, speak in their own language. So, typically no live sound is recorded and every line of dialog is dubbed in post...sometimes well, sometimes poorly.

As for the "derivative nature" this was Argento revising the style he invented back before Halloween, Black Christmas, ect (John Carpenter is an Argento fan who has told me that Suspiria had an incredible impact on him).

So, for me, it's all about style. The starkness of the set. The flashy/trashy costume design. The amazingly vivid spray of red across a blank white wall. The use of sculpture and architecture to create mood and subtext and the pure Italian-ness of it all.

Yeah, there isn't a lot of logic, but I find the atmosphere compelling and that dog chase sequence is scary as shit. It was one of he primary influences on our screenplay GIALLO...coming soon to a theater near you!!

Tenebre's more of a straight giallo than other Argento movies, and Argento excels at Lovecraftian and postmodern gialli more than straight ones. He did so much with the genre that I think Tenebre was perhaps a little less inspired than his other work. If you want to compare gialli to westerns, I would call Opera and Inferno the work of a Sergio Leone, but Tenebre's pure John Ford.

maybe more like Pickinpah - it's got a bleak ending and a LOT of blood;)