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Originally Posted by fortunato

well, actually, the problem with that is that in the HDC sub-genre list "giallo" and "slasher" were in the same category (only listed under "slasher"). i actually had a problem with this and asked ___v___ where i should include any gialli that i wanted to nominate. they ended up going in the "slasher" category, so i can see why this was confusing to you. gialli and slashers definitely have a close relationship but, in the big picture, are very far apart. they may both include sensational murders and beautiful women, but giallo films tend to focus on imagery and composition where slashers focus on characters and story (obviously there is cross-over between these, but i just mean in a general sense). you definitely can't watch a giallo expecting a slasher. what would happen is what has happened to you with tenebre. i really think that if you went into it knowing what to expect you would have liked it more. you may want to give it another chance at some point, perhaps after watching some more of argento's work.

that's more or less a long-winded way of saying "tenebre is definitely not a slasher film."

hope that sheds at least a little light on the subject for you.

Excellent point. And taken, too.:)

To spare future horror fans from confusion, I will make a little amendment to that Slasher sub-genre.

As for this discussion, first of all, I think Tenebre is a fine piece of art from the Argento stable. He made it after the earlier Argento giallos - Deep Red, Suspiria, Inferno - became trendsetters. Now, in regards to appreciating giallo movies (or gialli), you have to think of them as pieces of art, sort of like a painting. Josh summed it up nicely..

I think of Gaillo as a picture book rather then a novel. It's nice to look at, and to feel, but there's not any surface-subject.

Most parts of a giallo won't make much sense, because it isn't supposed to. Anyone who watched Suspiria for the very first time will agree with me. Also, a traditional giallo is usually a whodunnit, and Argento made Suspiria and Inferno more interesting by adopting a supernatural angle to both of them.

But with Tenebre, he returned to the classic murder mystery angle (the more traditional giallo) with a jaw-dropping climax. Each murder sequence in Tenebre, as in most giallos, is presented as a masterpiece of a professional painter. The bright, vivid and colorful use of graphics, the wacky and very heavy background music accompaniment, the atmosphere which literally dripped throughout the movie...are all fine examples of Argento at his finest form.

Also, if anyone has noticed the contrast, most parts of Tenebre are shot in extremely bright conditions - daylight, brightly well-lit rooms and hallways (which is a tad different from some of his earlier movies)...Argento said that he deliberately wanted to use "realistic lighting' for this movie, to add a more realistic, scary touch...which sort of went against the real meaning of the title, Tenebre. Also, a murder sequence in the latter part in which a totally bright, white wall is suddenly splashed with oozing, brightly crimson red. Now THAT's a really lovely touch...

The movie was made purely as an export to Hollywood. Most of it was shot in English, except for Nicolodi and a few others who got their lines dubbed (and badly at that!) When released here initially, it sank. Re-released as Unsane, it attracted strong negative criticism. It was only after getting a proper DVD and VHS release in the late 90s that Tenebre attracted its now-famous cult following. (I don't blame you if you have seen an earlier heavily-edited version of Tenebre, because that one is totally nonsensical) Many people blamed Argento for being sexist, and the inherently sexual aberration theme of the movie only added to the argument (remember the childhood flashback from the movie, about the incident on the beach?)

In short, Tenebre is a beautiful and breathtaking movie. Most Argento movies have plot-wise flaws, and this one is no different, but it more than makes up for that with some dazzling murder sequences and fine cinematography, and some really special heavy-synth music by Simonetti and crew. (especially after they had disbanded as Goblin by the time this movie was made)

I still think that Suspiria is the man's finest work yet, and I can give plenty of reasons for that (for all the die-hard Tenebre fans), but I wont prolong this post further...I ll just show one solid reason for my reasoning - the climactic sequence of both movies. Compare them yourself and then ask...which one stands up for repeated viewing today?;)