JULIE DARLING (1983) (Code Red Blu-ray Review)

JULIE DARLING (1983) 

Label: Code Red
Rating: R
Duration: 100 Minutes 
Audio: English DTS-HD MA Mono 2.0 (No Subtitles) 
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1)
Director: Paul Nicholas
Cast: Anthony Franciosa, Sybil Danning, Isabelle Mejias, Paul Hubbard, Cindy Girling


Trashy 80's thriller Julie Darling (1983) opens around the breakfast table with teenager Julie (Isabelle Mejias, Meatballs III), her too-doting father Harold (James Franciosa, Tenebre) and her mother Irene (Cindy Girling, Meatballs), it becomes evident within seconds that mom and daughter do not see eye to eye, with the mother getting upset because Julie is putting three heaping tablespoons of Quick chocolate powder into her morning glass of milk, but the brat Julie just smiles at her father and he overrides mommy, and mom about loses it all together when Julie's pet python crawls up her leg a few minutes later  beneath the breakfast nook. Thus the stage is set for a twisted and delightfully trashy thriller from the director of WIP classic Chained Heat (1983). 

While father and daughter are off on a hunting trip mommy dearest asks the local grocery delivery beefcake Weston (Paul Hubbard, Funeral Home) to dispose of the phobia-inducing python , and when the teen disocivers her snake is AWOL she gets very angry, and a few days later when her mom is attacked by that same delivery guy Julie hesitates to shoot him after catching him in the act and the mom dies from a knock to the skull during the struggle. It's perverse the way that the teen almost shoots him but when she realizes this is her opportunity to be free of her she hold back, very twisted, and Julie couldn't be happier, she even let's the guy go, only too happy to have her beloved daddy all to herself without her mother's meddling. Working against her newfound happiness is that daddy was having a fling on the side and marries his mistress soon after mum's demise1 Enter super-vixen Sybil Danning (The Howling II: Your Sister's A Werewolf) as new step-mom Susan who brings an adolescent son along with her, drawing the ire of the deadly daughter Julie.

Poor Julie is having none of this, after she spies her father lovingly tucking the young boy into bed she gets down right murderess - attempting to snuff the boy out in refrigerator during a game of hide and seek! But that's not the weird stuff, she watches her dad get it on with his new bride - this is where it gets WEIRD - and she imagines herself in her step-mom's place having sex with her father! It's right there on screen, the teenage daughter having sex with her father and moaning like a cat in heat! Crazy stuff, this film is so damn perverse and trashy. Afterwards the scheming Julie tracks down the perp who killed her Mom after deciding not to finger him during a police line-up for the crime,  and blackmails her way into having him take out her new rival for father's affections, but not all goes as planned and we get some fun shenanigans in the final run of the flick. 

As previously stated this is a super trashy thriller,  Isabelle Mejias is pretty great I think in the role, she's young but is so damn conniving and jealous, a real schemer, and she puts it across on screen very well. James Franciosa is his usual self, a bit saccharine sweet with a TV soap-opera delivery, I don't know him from all that much aside from Argento's Tenebre but he doesn't seem to have a wide range, but he worked for me. Sybil Danning does what she does best, dropping her top to deliver her top-shelf assets for a prolonged sex-scene, she sells it but Franciosa is floundering in the scene. Danning also delivers some good acting chops, making it very clear what her opinion of Julie is and how she won't stand for any of her shenanigans, she gets a meaty-enough role and I loved the comeuppance at the end. The finale is a wonderful lurid cornucopia of voyeurism, teen-scheming and fun double-crossing - I loved it. There's even a twist to the twist at the end, and the revelation that Julie would sacrifice her only "friend" towards her own goal is delightfully awful. 

Audio/Video: Julie Darling (1983) arrives on single-disc Blu-ray from Code Red in 1080p HD framed in 1.78:1 widescreen. The image looks good, grain is nicely managed, there's some nice fine detail and texture, colors are strong. There is some print damage to contend with, running vertical emulsion scratches, a few hairs and frame damage but none of it I found to be ruinous to the viewing, this I looks quite nice in HD. 

The English language DTS-HD MA Mono 2.0 audio is strong and powerful, limited in it's range but coming through with some nice presence without being overpowering. NO subtitle options are available on this disc. 

Code Red carryover all the extras from their 2011 DVD release, we get a brief intro from Danning and Mejies, the latter of who warns against watching it, which I though was funny. We also get a commentary from each and interviews as well, and again Mejias picks apart the film at every chance, everything from the bad script to the cheesy exploitation elements - it makes fro a fun commentary and interview! You can see director David DeCoteau reflected in the gklass of a door in the Danning interview.
 
Special Features:
Intros from stars Isabelle Mejias and Sybil Danning (1 min) 
- Audio Commentary with Star Sybil Danning moderated by David DeCocteau
- Audio Commentary with Star Isabelle Mejias,
- Interviews with Sybil Danning (21 min) 
- Interview with Isabelle Mejias (16 min) 
- Code Red Trailers:  Nightfall, Acapulco Gold, Mind Ripper, and The Terror Within II. 

Julie Darling (1983) is a perverse and sleazy thriller, Isabelle Mejias is wonderfully over-the-top in a Bad Seed sort of way, add to that some sleazy incestuous weirdness, and you have a nicely lurid thriller for fans of killer-teen exploitation. The movie can be picked up at www.roninflix.com for about $23 and free shipping! 

Blu-ray Review: TENEBRAE (1982) Arrow Video SteelBook™

TENEBRAE (1982)
Limited Edition SteelBook™ Blu-ray 

Label: Arrow Video
Region Code: B
Rating: 18 Certificate
Duration: 101 Minutes
Video: 1080p Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio: Optional Original English and Italian Mono PCM 2.0 with Optional English subtitles for Italian audio and English SDH subtitles for English
Director: Dario Argento
Cast: Anthony Franciosa, Christian Borromeo, Mirella D’Angelo, Veronica Lario, Ania Pieroni, Eva Robins, Carola Stagnaro, John Steiner, Lara Wendel, John Saxon, Daria Nicolodi, Giuliano Gemma, Mirella Banti, Ippolita Santarelli
Tagline: Terror Beyond Belief

After the supernaturally charged horror of Suspiria (1977) and Inferno (1980) Dario Argento returned to the proto-slasher whodunits which made hom famous, Tenebrae (1982) is a video nasty that updated the classic Giallo blueprint for the 1980's with even more Argento-style, gore and Italian beauties.

Peter Neal (Anthony Franciosa, Curse of the Black Widow) is a best-selling American horror novelist along the lines of Stephen King with throngs of devoted readers. At the start of the movie Neal is en route to Italy to promote his latest murder mystery 'Tenebre'.  There he is joined in by his publicist Bullmer (John Saxon, Black Christmas), his assistant Anne (Daria Nicolodi, Shock) and a young second assistant Gianni (Christiano Borrormeo, House on the Edge of the Park)

Shortly before his arrival in Italy a gorgeous (and slutty) young woman Elsa (Ania Pieroni, The House by the Cemetery) is caught shoplifting 'Tenebre' from a department store, she avoids a charge of petty theft by arranging to meet with the store manager at her home for something most assuredly promiscuous. Off the hook she walks home and is groped by a bum who chases her home where she slams his hand in the security gate just barely escaping his grasp. Once "safely" inside Elsa's attacked by a razor-wielding maniac who crams pages from 'Tenebre' down her throat causing her to choke on the pulpy pages as she's razor-slashed with a nice ropy spray of arterial spray. We're just experiencing the first kill and it's pretty evident that Tenebrae is something quite special.

When Neal's arrives in Rome he discovers that someone has shredded his suitcase, seems like someone has it out for him, too. We lead to believe that it could be his ex-wife Jane (Veronica Lario) who we saw observing him at the airport in New York before his departure, red-herrings are no stranger to this particular brand of whodunit. Arriving at his hotel Neal receives a letter under the door from the killer indicating that 'Tenebre'  has inspired his blood lust. Alarmed he phones the authorities.  Enter Detective Giermana (Guiliao Gemma, The Opponent) and his partner Inspector Altieri (Carola Stagnaro, Opera) who question the author about the note and a possible connection between the author and the earlier murder. The dynamic between Neal and the detective is quite similar in nature to Argento's previous whodunits The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) and Deep Red (1975), where a visiting artist/writer type travelling abroad is immersed in a murder mystery, as both suspect and sleuth, and the rapport between the two is pretty entertaining. Sure enough Neal becomes entrenched in sleuthing the mystery which puts those around him  in great danger as a black gloved razor-slasher goes about massacring "filthy, slimy perverts" from the face of existence.

Tenebrae (1982) is often remembered for cinematographer Luciano Tovoli' (Suspiria) acrobatic camerawork, particularly an elaborate gorgeous crane shot that ascends one side of a villa while peering through it's windows, continuing over the rooftop and down the opposite side revealing the black-gloved killer breaking into a first floor window. Once inside he dispatches of two young and quite gorgeous women,  the journalist Tilde (Mirella D'Angelo, Caligula) who earlier had a confrontational interview with the author, and then her slutty lover Maria (Lara Wendel, Zombie 5: Killing Birds). Both kills are iconic and have been used on numerous releases as cover art, it's great stuff.

No one in proximity to the author is safe, even his hotel manager's daughter Maria (Lara Wendell, Zombie 5: Killing Birds) whom after a spat with her boyfriend (Michele Soavi, The Church) wonders unwittingly into the killer's lair while running for her life from a vicious doberman pincer, which was perhaps the most agile canine I've ever seen on film, you just gotta see it. She quite improbably stumbles not only into the murderer's home but he has conveniently left the key in the backdoor. Inside she discovers photo and mementos from the killings when the murderer returns home, having forgotten the key 'natch, displeased by her presence he hacks the young woman into pieces with an ax.

Throughout the film the killer is prone to surreal flashbacks of being sexually emasculated by a woman on a beach who in-effect mouth-rapes him with fetishistic red high heels, it's very odd stuff. Perhaps odder still is that the the woman is portrayed by transgender-actress Eva Robins (Masacra), who was born a male but due to a rare syndrome developed feminine characteristics during puberty, just weirdness on-top of more weirdness.

During an interview with TV reporter Christiano Berti (John Steiner, Cut and Run) it becomes apparent that the interviewer has an unhealthy obsession with the writer and later Neal recognizes a familiar turn of phrase in a letters from the murderer which the reporter mentioned in conversation. Neal and his young assistant sleuth Berti's home and when separated the assistant witnesses the reporter take an ax to the face, scared witless Gianni then discovers Neal unconscious on the ground knocked unconscious by the killer, neither having seen his identity.

An investigation of the home reveals that Berti was indeed obsessed with the author and was the killer. Assuming the murder-spree has ended things fall back into some variation of normality, until Neal's publicist Bullmer - the sorely under-used John Saxon - is stabbed to death in broad daylight in a public square, who the killer could be now is anyone's guess. That's really all I can say for fear of ruining the film for those whom haven't seen it, it only gets better, just trust me.

That final moments of the film are breathtaking, beginning with the dismembering of an arm that ignites a legendary geyser of arterial spray painting a stark white wall a deep blood red, truly a vision of morbid beauty that sets off a chain of events that never fails to satisfy upon repeat viewings. Tenebrae ends in a crazed, bloodcurdling scream that is the perfect punctuation to such a stylish, gory and classic Giallo entry.

Tenebrae is my favorite of the non-supernatural Argento films despite some serious logic and narrative flaws. The film is more or less a traditional Argento whodunit made at the height of the early 80's slasher craze and Argento accordingly amps up the gore to suit the current tastes. It must be said that Argento really piles on the misdirection here, it's actually a bit of a cheat but damn if I don't love it. Argento's borrows from a few of his previous movies, notably The Bird with the Crystal Plumage cribbing not only the scenario of a writer caught up in a murder plot but also a finale prominently featuring a strange piece of sculpture.

It can certainly be said that Argento's famous eye for horror certainly has a taste for gorgeous European women inducing Ania Pieroni, Mirella D'Angelo and Lara Wendell, there's no shortage of appealing women in various states of undress, it's worth noting is that this is one of Argento's more erotic-fueled outings. Unfortunately, longtime Argento collaborator and scream queen Daria Nicolodi gets a bit she does what she can with the part, but it's not much.

The fluid cinematography of Luciano Tovoli (Suspiria) is among the best of any Dario Argento film, it's gorgeous. Unlike any of Argento's previous films Tenebre is bathed in swaths of bright light, even the night shots are lit brightly, it's a striking choice.

Italian prog-rock band Goblin do not appear on the soundtrack per se having disbanded in 1980 but three of the band members (minus the drummer) appear as Simonetti-Pignatti-Morante on the score. The ensuing electronic-synth-rock fusion is fantastic and is an integral part of the movies success, it just wouldn't be the same film without it, fitting it like a black glove.

Lastly, we have some quality special effects from Giovanni Corridori whose worked with the Italian greats including Sergio Leone, Luigi Cozzi, Mario Bava, Argento and Lucio Fulco, the blood work onscreen is outstanding.

Blu-ray: Arrow Video's new limited edition SteelBook™ of Dario Argento's Tenebrae (1982) features a brand-new 1080p hi-def transfer of the film presented in it's original widescreen aspect ratio (1.85:1). The new transfer is fantastic with vivid colors and natural looking skin tones, details are crisp and there's a nice grain structure, it's definitely worth the upgrade.

Audio options include both Italian English Dolby Mono PCM 2.0 with optional English subtitles. Both are very nice with no noticeable distortions, a very clean presentation. I prefer the English dub myself, as many of the cast performed their dialogue in English. The score comes off a bit high in the mix at times threatening to bury the dialogue from time to time but I love the Simonetti-Morante-Pignatelli score, the main theme is a particularly infectious slice of music.

Arrow carry over all of the High Rising Productions extras from the previous DVD/BD edition beginning with a brief introduction from Italian scream-queen Daria Nicolodi. There are two commentary tracks, the first with film critics and authors Alan Jones and Kim Newman is blossoming with facts, tidbits and insight. It's very casual and they often fall out of sync with the film while going off on interesting tangents. It's an entertaining listen as they drop trivia nuggets such as Argento's first choice for the Peter Neal character was Christopher Walken (Dead Zone), it's quite a treat for fan of the film. The second commentary from Argento expert Thomas Rostock is a more academic and the the audio levels are very low making it a chore to sit through at times.

Onto the featurettes we start with Screaming Queen! Daria Nicolodi remembers Tenebrae (16:06) a candid interview with the scream queen who discusses her disappointment with the role she was offered in the film, the climactic series of blood curdling screams, her unhappiness with the English dubbing of her voice and the ensuing censorship of the film when starlet Veronica Lario became the Italian Prime Minister's wife.

The Unsane World of Tenebrae: An interview with Dario Argento (15:15) features the director describing the film as an answer to critics who perceived him as a misogynist, his frightening real-life inspiration for the film, working through his dark impulses through film making, and his collaboration with Michele Soavi (Stage Fright, Cemetery Man) following the departure of longtime assistant director Lamberto Bava (Demon, Demons 2).

A Composition for Carnage: Claudio Simonetti on Tenebrae (10:06) features Goblin composer addressing why Argento chose not to use the music of Goblin on Inferno (1980), the electronic-rock fusion score and the censoring of the film's artwork in Germany.

Goblin: Tenebrae and Phenomena Live from the Glasgow Arches (16:38) is a solid live performance from Goblin, very very cool. I thought it odd that the screen behind them is projecting scenes from Dawn of the Dead (1978) which they scored for the Italian export instead of either of the Argento scores they're performing.

New to this SteelBook™ edition is a brand new Interview with Maitland McDonagh, author of Broken Mirrors/Broken Minds: The Dark Dreams of Dario Argento (12:20) a smart dissection of the movie and it's themes, addressing claims of misogyny, the score and the unusual setting/style of the film.

This is a very sweet SteelBook™ edition of a true Dario Argento classic from Arrow updated with an exclusive collector’s booklet featuring writing on the film by Alan Jones plus an a new interview with cinematographer Luciano Tovoli and an appreciation of the film by director Peter Strickland, illustrated with original posters and lobby cards. What you do not get are the four reversible art options and the fold-out poster that accompanied the previous Arrow DVD and Blu-ray.

Special Features: 
- Limited Edition SteelBook™ packaging featuring original artwork
- Newly remastered High Definition digital transfer of the film
- Presented in High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD
- Optional original English and Italian Mono Audio tracks (uncompressed PCM Mono 2.0 Audio on the Blu-ray
- Optional English subtitles for Italian audio and English SDH subtitles for English audio for the deaf and hard of hearing- Audio Commentary with Argento experts, journalists and writers Kim Newman and Alan Jones
- Audio Commentary with Argento expert Thomas Rostock
- Introduction by Daria Nicolodi (0:11)
- Screaming Queen! Daria Nicolodi remembers Tenebrae (16:07)
- The Unsane World of Tenebrae: Interview with Dario Argento (15:14)
- A Composition for Carnage: Claudio Simonetti on Tenebrae (10:06)
- Goblin: Tenebrae and Phenomena Live from Glasgow Arches (16:38)
- Original Trailer (3:14)
- Brand new interview with Maitland McDonagh, author of Broken Mirrors/Broken Minds: The Dark Dreams of Dario Argento (12:20)
- Exclusive collector’s booklet featuring writing on the film by Alan Jones, author of Profondo Argento, an interview with cinematographer Luciano Tovoli and an appreciation of the film by director Peter Strickland, illustrated with original posters and lobby cards

Verdict: Tenebrae (1982) is one of Dario Argento best watches and it only gets better with each watch. It's stylish, blood-spattered and there's more than an eyeful of Italian beauties whom are of course butchered in gloriously depraved manner by an unseen, black gloved razor-slasher. 4.5 outta 5

DVD Review: TENEBRAE (1982)

TENEBRAE (1982)


Arrow Video
Region 0 PAL 
Rating: 18 Certificate
Duration: 97 mins
Video: 16x9 Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio: Dolby Digital English 2.0 Stereo, Dolby Digital Italian 2.0 Mono
Director: Dario Argento
Cast: Anthony Franciosa, Daria Nicolodi, John Saxon
Tagline: Terror Beyond Belief


TENEBRAE found Dario Argento returning to his Giallo roots following two supernaturally charged horror films; SUSPIRIA and the less commercially succesful INFERNO. Argento defied expectations that a third film completing a supernatural trilogy would come next, it would be another 27 years before the travesty that was MOTHER OF TEARS would be foisted upon on, but he instead chose TENEBRE, a video nasty that updates the classic Giallo blueprint for the slasheriffic 80s with more kills, more gore and more naked Italian beauties... dying, of course.

Peter Neal (Anthony Franciosa, CURSE OF THE BLACK WIDOW) is a best-selling American horror novelist along the lines of Stephen King with throngs of devoted readers. He  travels to Italy to promote his latest wildly popular novel, the murder mystery 'Tenebre' and is joined in Rome by his publicist Bullmer (John Saxon, BLACK CHRISTMAS), his assistant Anne (Daria Nicolodi, DEEP RED) plus a second assistant Gianni (Christiano Borrormeo, HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK)

Shortly before his arrival in Italy a gorgeous young woman Elsa (Ania Pieroni, THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY) is caught shoplifting his novel from an upscale department store, she avoids a charge of petty theft by arranging to meet with the store manager at her home later that night for something assuredly promiscuous. She walks home that afternoon and is accosted by a street person who chases her to her villa. She slams his hand in the security gate escaping his grasp. Once "safely" inside Elsa's attacked held a razor held to her throat as by an unseen, black gloved assailant who tears pages from the 'Tenebre' book and crams pages of Peter Neal's novel 'Tenebre' into her throat and while she chokes on the pulpy pages her throat is razor-slashed with a nice ropey spray of the red stuff.

Upon Neal's arrival in Italy he discovers that someone has shredded some of his luggage, seems like someone has it out for him, perhaps his ex-wife Jane (Veronica Lario) who we saw observing him at the airport in New York before his departure to Rome. Neal arrives at his hotel where he almost immediately receives a letter slid under his room's door from the killer indicating that Neal's novel has inspired his blood lust. Alarmed by the letter Neal calls the authorities. Detective Giermana (Guiliao Gemma, THE OPPONENT) and his partner Inspector Altieri (Carola Stagnaro, OPERA) arrive on scene and question the author about the note and the earlier killing of Elsa whose mouth was stuffed with pages from his book. The dynamic between Neal and Geirmana is very much like what we've seen previously in Argento's THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE and DEEP RED, a visiting artist/writer travelling abroad is immersed in a murder mystery, as both suspect and sleuth,  the two have a great dynamic. Sure enough Neal becomes entrenched in sleuthing the mystery which puts him and those around him in peril at the mercy of a black gloved killer with a penchant for razor-slashings and axe-murders who's massacring those he deems "filthy, slimy perverts" from the face of existence.

TENEBRAE is often remembered for it's acrobatic camerawork, particularly anelaborate continuous tracking shot, sorta of a precursor to David Fincher's PANIC ROOM, that ascends one side of a villa, peering through it's windows, over the rooftop and down the opposite side revealing the black-gloved killer breaking into a first floor window setting up two iconic kills as the murderer dispatches the lesbian journalist Tilde (Mirella D'Angelo, CALIGULA), who earlier had a confrontational interview with the author, and then her slutty lover Maria. 

No one close to Neal is safe, even his landlord's daughter Maria (Lara Wendell, ZOMBIE 5: KILLING BIRDS) whom after a spat with her boyfriend (Michele Soavi, THE CHURCH) wonders unwittigly into the killer's lair while running for her life from a vicious doberman pincer, which was perhaps the most agile canine I've ever seen on film. She quite improbably stumbles not only into the killer's home but comes directly upon a door that's the killer's errantly left the key in. Inside she discovers photo and mementos from the killings when the murderer returns home, having forgotten the ket 'natch, and hacks the young woman to pieces with an axe.

Throughout the film the killer is prone  flashbacks of being sexually emasculated by a woman on a beach, mouth-raped in effect with fetishistic red high heels, it's very odd stuff. Perhaps odder still is that the actress portraying the woman is Eva Robins' (MASACRA) birth name is Roberto Coatti, a transsexual of sorts born a male but due to a rare syndrome developed feminine characteristics during puberty, she's still acting to this day, that's something you don't hear about everyday.

During an interview with TV reporter Christiano Berti (John Steiner, CUT AND RUN) it becomes apparent that Berti has an unhealthy obsession with the writer's life and later Neal recognizes familiar phraseology in the killer's letters and something Berti had spoken to him during the interview. His curiosity peaked he and the you second assistant Gianni stake out Berti's home in an attempt to sleuth the mysterey. When the two separate Gianni witnesses Berti's death at the hands of the still unseen axe murderer, scared witless Gianni discovers Neal unconscious on the ground having been knocked unconscious by the killer.

Detective Giermana's investigation further finds evidence that Berti was obsessed with Neal and that he is indeed the killer. Assuming the murder-spree ended things fall back into some routine of normality, that is until Neal's publicist Bullmer is stabbed and killed in broad daylight while standing in a public square, now all bets are off. That's really all I can say for fear of ruining the film for those whom haven't seen it, it only gets better, trust me. 


That finale of the film is breathtaking, beginning with the dismembering of an arm that ignites a bloody geyser of arterial spray painting a white wall blood red, it is a thing of morbid beauty that sets of a chain of events that never fails to satisfy upon repeat viewings. The film ends in a crazed, bloodcurdling scream that is the perfect punctuation to such a stylish, gorey giallo-slasher.

TENEBRAE is absolutely my favorite non-supernatural Argento film, despite some obvious flaws in it's logic and narrative, but it's an Argento film, these things are to be expected. The film is more or less a traditional Argento giallo made at the height of the early 80's slasher craze and Argento accordingly amps up the body count and further gorifies the kills. As for the killer's identity it must be said that Argento really piles on the misdirection here, it's a bit of a cheat to be fair. I didn't catch it first time around and even now after many repeated viewings I can't say that it's clued all that much, so it's a bit of a cheat but damn if I don't love it. It also quotes from several of Argento's own films, notably THE BIRD WITH THE PLUMAGE cribbing not only the writer caught up in a murder mystery but also a climax involving a strange piece of sculpture.  


It can certainly be said that Argento's famous eye for horror extends to memorable European beauties; Ania Pieroni, Mirella D'Angelo, Lara Wendell, there's no shortage of gorgeous women here and most are in various states of undress, it's worth noting is that this is one of Argento's more erotic-fueled outings. Sadly, longtime Argento collaborator and former lover Daria Nicolodi gets a bit part here but her rapport with Franciosa is fun, she does what she can with what she's given.

The fluid cinematography by Luciano Tovoli (SUSPIRIA, DRACULA 3D) is among the best of any Argento film before or after. Unlike any of Argento's previous films Tenebre is bathed in cold, bright light, there's few shadows in which for the killer to hide, even the night shots are extremely well lit, and the result is a stark modern atmosphere (for it's day, anyway) shot on location in the modern areas of Rome, the settings certainly lack that museum quality aesthetic of say DEEP RED or any of the director's earlier works which prominently feature old world Europe.


Italian pro-rock band GOBLIN do not appear on the soundtrack in name having disbanded in 1980 but three band members (minus the drummer) appear as Simonetti-Pignatti-Morante on the score. The ensuing electronic-synth-rock fusion is simply brilliant and is nearly inseparable from the film, it just wouldn't be the same film without it, fitting it like a black glove.

Lastly, some very good special effects work from Giovanni Corridori whose worked with the Italian greats including Sergio Leone, Luigi Cozzi, Mario Bava, Argento and Lucio Fulco, good bloody effects, painfully realizstic and quite bloody.

DVD: Arrow's presentation of TENEBRE looks quite good in 16x9 enhanced widescreen (1.85:1). The colors are vivid, flesh tones look good though it's a bit soft and the contrast appears to have been boosted to some degree, results are varying in that regard, it's a very bright film and at times the contrast seems askew and some fine detail is lost. It's not ruinous but noticeable, that said it's a step-up from the R1 Anchor Bay release. The Arrow release tends to favor greens and yellows while the Anchor Bay disc leans towards blue. At the bottom of this review you can find screen grabs comparing the Arrow Video Region 0 and Anchor Bay Region 1 DVD's.  

Audio options include both Italian mono and English Dolby Digital stereo with optional English subtitles. Both are quite good with no noticeable hiss or snap, crackle and pop, it's a very clean audio presentation. I prefer the English dub myself, many of the film's stars performed their dialogue in English.  The score comes off high in the mix at times but I love the score to such a degree that I wouldn't dare complain.

As usual Arrow Video in association with High Rising Productions have given this Argento classic a healthy dose of the bonus content to further enhance your viewings beginning with an introduction from Italian starlet Daria Nicolodi. There are two commentary tracks, the first with film critics and authors Alan Jones and Kim Newman is blossoming with facts, tidbits and insight. It's very casual and they often fall out of sync with the film while going off on tangents. It's quite a good listen as they drop factoids like Argento's first choice for Peter Neal was Christopher Walken (DEAD ZONE), that won interesting, it's a very good listen and a real treat for Argento fans. The second commentary from Argento expert Thomas Rostock is a much more academic track and that combined with the fact that the audio levels are very low for the track made it a chore to sit through for me personally, I didn't even finish it for this review, but on the next watch most I'll most definitely give it a listen. Screaming Queen! Daria Nicolodi remembers Tenebrae (16:07) is a fun though too brief interview with the scream queen, by far my most favorite Argento featurettes are the interviews with Daria, she' so candid about everything, Argento, the films, her joy and disappointments, good stuff. This time around she speaks to her disappointment with the role she was offered, the climactic series of blood curdling screams, her unhappiness with the English dubbing of her voice in nearly all her films and the censorship of the film in the 90's when starlett Veronica Lario became the Prime Minister's wife. The Unsane World of Tenebrae: An interview with Dario Argento (15:14) features the maestro referencing the film as his answer to critics whose perception of him as a misogynists colored the film, his real-life inspiration for the film, working through his dark impulses through filmmaking, why he returned to the Giallo following the supernatural films SUSPIRIA and INFERNO and taking on Michele Soavi following the departure of longtime assistant director Lamberto Bava. A Composition for Carnage: Claudio Simonetti on Tenebrae (10:06) features the usual appearance of Goblin/Daemoni composer Claudio Simonetti who expands on why Argento chose not to use GOBLIN on INFERNO, why GOBLIN don't appear in name on the TENEBRAE soundtrack, the film's particular electronic-rock fusion and the censoring of the film's artwork in Germany. The last feature is Goblin: "Tenebrae" and "Phenomena" Live from the Glasgow Arches (16:38) which is a solid live performance from GOBLIN, very very cool. Funnily, the screen behind them is playing scenes from Romero's DAWN OF THE DEAD (which they scored for the Italian export) instead of either of the film's they're performing songs from. As usual I give high marks to High Rising Productions for original bonus content.

For comparison's sake I've included the extras from Anchor Bay's R1 DVD below. The disc earns major points for including a commentary with Dario Argento and composer Claudio Simonetti plus the English language 5.1 surround sound mix. On the downside, the featurettes are relatively short and insubstantial  aside from Voices of the Unsane (17:13) an interview with Daria Nicoldi, who again I must say is always my favorite Argento cinema interview.

So, let's say you own the R1 Anchor Bay edition, you want to know if the Arrow Video edition is worth the upgrade, right? Image wise it's a close call with the edge going to Arrow despite what appears to be some brightness boosting, audio goes both ways. Arrow has both English and Italian audio with optional English subtitles but the Anchor Bay offers up a decent 5.1 but with no subs, not even for the Italian audio. If you're an extras whore like I am it's gotta be the Arrow Video edition but that 5.1 and Argento commentary would still gnaw at me, then again there's no subs... Arrow wins. Then again I own them both, win-win!

Arrow Video Special Features:
- Audio Commentary with Argento experts, journalists and writers Kim Newman and Alan Jones
- Audio Commentary with Argento expert Thomas Rostock
- Introduction by Daria Nicolodi
- Screaming Queen! Daria Nicolodi remembers Tenebrae (16:07) 16x9
- The Unsane World of Tenebrae: Interview with Dario Argento (15:14) 16x9
- A Composition for Carnage: Claudio Simonetti on Tenebrae (10:06) 16x9
- Goblin: Tenebrae and Phenomena Live from Glasgow Arches (16:38) 16x9
- Original Trailer (3:14) Letterboxed
- Original art by Rick Melton
- 4 Sleeve art options with original and newly commissioned art work
- Double-sided fold-out poster
- Exclusive collector’s booklet featuring brand new writing on Tenebrae by Alan Jones, author of Profondo Argento

Anchor Bay's R1 Special Features:
- Audio Commentary with writer/director Dario Argento, composer Claudio Simonetti and journalist Loris Curie
- Voices of the Unsane (17:13) 16x9
- The Roving Camera Eye of Dario Argento (4:27) 16x9
- Creating Sounds of Terror (2:07) Letterboxed
- Alternate End Credit Music  (2:16) 16x9
- Trailer (3:15) 16x9
- Dario Argento Bio

VERDICT: TENEBRAE is simply one my favorite Dario Argento Giallos. It's stylish, bloody and there's more than an eyeful of Italian beauties whom are of course butchered in gloriously depraved manner by an unseen, black gloved murderer, when it comes to Giallo it just doesn't get any better than this. If this DVD isn't on your cinema shelf I'm here to tell you there's a gaping hole right inbetween Roman Polanski's THE TENANT and James Cameron's TERMINATOR that this should fill quite nicely. 

DVD COMPARISON

TOP: ARROW VIDEO R0

VS.

BOTTOM: ANCHOR BAY R1