Tenebrae [1983] [DVD]

Argento's best film, in my opinion, is Deep Red, because it is there that Argento finds the perfect balance between detective fiction, Hitchcockian suspense, and the lurid, over-the-top gore of the Italian Giallo series. Tenebrae continues the formula developed in Deep Red - as well as other classic Argento, like The Bird With The Crystal Plumage and The Cat O' Nine Tails - but also adds a strong element of self-referential, self-reflexivity. Argento had always thrived on alluding back to his earlier work... I mean, look at the references to The Bird With the Crystal Plumage in Deep Red, or the continuation between Suspiria and Inferno. Here however, it's not enough for the director to give us a lengthy set-piece involving a crazed dog that seems to want to reference the death of the blind man in Suspiria, or the lingering shots of the killer's leather gloves (an Argento trademark), we instead have a director who is using the script to not only deconstruct his own image and persona, but also, to deconstruct the film it's self.

So, Tenebrae is a thriller about a writer of thrillers who, whilst on a promotional tour in Italy for his new book (...also called Tenebrae), finds himself the focus of a deranged serial killer, who is offing his victims according to the grisly murders found in the very same author's work. This gives Argento the storyteller the excuse to comment on the notion of storytelling, and even in two scenes, answer his own critics through the opinion of his central character. Of course, the film doesn't necessarily have to be enjoyed as a self-reflexive experiment (though it's probably best if you do), with Argento also having a great deal of fun in devising these bizarre scenes and scenarios, whilst simultaneously orchestrating this grandiose, gore-filled Giallo with a bold approach to cinematography, montage and music.

Like Bird With The Crystal Plumage and Deep Red, the besieged author is forced to turn amateur sleuth in order to catch the killer before the killer gets to him. What makes Tenebrae a little more interesting however, is that aforementioned streak of self-reflection and a major twist on perspective that easily rivals the great revelation towards the end of Deep Red, with Argento once again playing with the notions of subjective memory, perspective, and the idea of sight and sightlessness. The detective story central to the plot is as enjoyable as those found in other Argento works of the same era, whilst there's some extraordinarily inventive murder scenes, brilliantly photographed within the broad-light of day to go against the usually dark or nocturnal settings associated with this genre. One of the film's most talked about death scene involves a lengthy crane shot from the killer's perspective that runs right the way across the roof of the house, stopping only momentarily to glance back and forth through the various windows, before slipping in through one of the skylights. There's also the great scene when the author and his young assistant keep watch on a possible suspect, only for that very same suspect to later turn up with an axe through the head.

However, for those watching the film to enjoy the subtle plotting and self-aware construction of the script, there's a number of amazing discussions scenes between the author and the requisite chief-of-police, who discuss the literary crime classics in relation to pulp horror, whilst also adding a further dimension to an already multi-faceted film. For example; there's a scene in which the author is questioned about his book's sexism and the idea of a character being a 'social deviant' (the in-film-journalist's description of one of the book's homosexual characters) are both criticisms thrown at Argento's work, whilst in a later scene, the detective tells the author that he guessed the killer's identity on page 30... a subtle allusion to the twists and turns scattered throughout Tenebrae it's self.

As with a lot of Argento's work, the performances aren't all peerless, a fact not helped by the Italian's insistence on dubbing their work in post-production, although, that said, there's some admirable moments, particularly from Anthony Franciosa as the author, Peter Neal, Argento's former muse Daria Nicolodi as his assistant Ann, and b-movie stalwart John Saxon as Neal's publisher, who may, or may not, be a part of the whole conspiracy. Of course, at the end of the day, the film is all about the writhing narrative, the mystery element in relation to the killer and their motive, and the endlessly fascinating ways in which Argento dispatches his various victims. The style or Tenebrae is less over-the-top than some of his other films, particularly Suspiria and Deep Red, with the director here going for something that's rooted in a more obvious reality, which I suppose gives a more believable streak to the work of a director so rooted in visual and thematic abstraction.

The ending of the film is a satisfying one, with Argento literarily paining the walls red with blood, whilst offering a plausible and greatly rewarding climactic reveal that is sure to delight those familiar with his previous works. As an experiment in self-aware, self-reference, the film is more intelligent and certainly less smug than the blockbuster Scream films, whilst the whole film hinges around a famous quote from Conan Doyle - "when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." - which adds yet another layer to the film, allowing the audience to go back and re-interpret the hints, ciphers and elements of self-reflection, bubbling away beneath the surface of lurid gore.