While most Dario Argento films were available in the U.S., they were never the best versions. Through tape trading, I was able to see the uncut versions of his classic masterpieces, even though they’d been dubbed down quite a few times, leaving a fuzzy picture. There were a few exceptions, like when I got a tape copied from a Japanese LaserDisc, and the quality was pretty great. One of those instances was with Tenebrae (1982).
I eventually ditched my bootleg for the Anchor Bay DVD, replaced by an imported Blu-ray from Arrow Video. Now we have the version to end all versions with the Synapse Films 4K release.
Peter Neal (Anthony Franciosa) is an American writer in Rome promoting his latest novel. Shortly after his arrival, bodies begin to turn up, brutally murdered, and all of them are killed in the name of his writing. Detective Germani (Giuliano Gemma) works closely with the writer since he’s being sent letters after each death. The killer is always one step ahead, but why are they killing, and what do they have against Neal? The questions are being asked, but will they get answers before it’s too late?
Tenebrae has always been at the top of my list regarding Argento films. I’ve always loved the cast, the brutality of the murders, and the twist later in the picture. The 4K upgrade really delivers the goods with a crisp image and colors that pop. I anticipated my favorite sequence in the film when Veronica Lario’s character, Jane, is killed, and it’s everything I hoped it would.
The score from Claudio Simonetti, Fabio Pignatelli, and Massimo Morante is fantastic. They reunited for Argento after Goblin had split to do the score, and it ranks among their best. It has been quite a few years since I’ve revisited the film, and I have to say, it still really holds up.
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Tenebrae is a two-disc set with a 4K UHD presentation in Dolby Vision. It features restored English and Italian language audio and subtitles. There are commentaries, a feature-length documentary on the genre and how it has evolved, an interview with actor John Steiner, another with Maitland McDonagh, plus several other features ported over from other releases. Both discs contain the same content, but if you’ve never owned a copy of the film, this is the version you want.
The stunning picture and thumping soundtrack give viewers an all-new and unique experience viewing the film. It’s one of my personal favorite Argento films for a reason, and Synapse just reminded me why.
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