Tenebre

My Horror Challenge 2023: Giallo! #3 Banging soundtrack, beautiful women, gory kills: this movie is sleazy as hell and I am here for it alllll. There's a moment near the beginning of the movie, between Peter Neal (thriller author and our protagonist, played by Anthony Franciosa) and his agent in Italy, Bullmer (played by the legend John Saxon), and they're talking about Bullmer's new hat, and how Peter can't understand why it doesn't fall off. It's a nothing of an exchange, but it's so charming, so human and really quite funny. I mention it because it's a perfect example of the kind of humour Argento injects into his films; it's incidental and could be considered unnecessary, but its a vital touch of levity and dare I say reality to such unrealistic surroundings. The score is once again perfection. I'm quickly realising that the music in Gialli is e v e r y t h I n g. Composed by three former members of the band Goblin, the soundtrack brought them back together due to their relationship with Argento (the band had previously scored Suspiria and my previous Giallo watch, Deep Red). It makes me want to listen to nothing but electronica-synth-rock while I go about my daily life. The cinematography might be the best I've seen in a Giallo so far. The single 3 minute long shot around the apartment is stunning, and I had to look into it more just to find out how they did it. Turns out the crane they used for the shot had to be imported from France, was the first time it was ever used in Italian cinema, and the shot took 3 days to film. Amazing. What makes Tenebrae for me, however, is the final 20 minutes. It's a balls-to-the-wall relentless bloodbath that left me speechless. Without spoiling too much, Daria Nicolodi's scream has stuck with me long after the movie ended. In fact, the more I let Tenebrae sit with me the more I love it. Definitely my favourite so far.