Italian horror master Dario Argento elevates the giallo genre to new heights with 1982’s TENEBRAE, a darkly humorous and notoriously grisly murder-mystery that many consider to be one of his finest works. American mystery author Peter Neal (Anthony Franciosa, Death Wish II) comes to Rome to promote his newest novel, Tenebrae. A razor-wielding psychopath is on the loose, taunting Neal and murdering those around him in gruesome fashion just like the character in his novel. As the mystery surrounding the killings spirals out of control, Neal investigates the crimes on his own, leading to a mind-bending, genre-twisting conclusion that will leave you breathless! Co-starring John Saxon (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Daria Nicolodi (Phenomena), John Steiner (Caligula) and featuring beautiful cinematography by Luciano Tovoli (Suspiria), this stunning 4K UHD (2160p)/Blu-ray (1080p) combo set includes hours of extras.

For thoughts on Tenebrae, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/tgmHjkh1298?si=SKEBJqmnpC1EBCFk&t=300]

Video Quality

Synapse Films presents Tenebrae with a jaw-dropping 2160p transfer in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio sourced from a 4K restoration of the Original Camera Negative and graded in 4K HDR/Dolby Vision. The careful application of Dolby Vision for increased color output is a treat due to the degree of nuance it brings to this picture. The new restoration features some colors in the production design and articles of clothing that stun with their presence on screen. This disc handles every deftly curated choice from Argento with ease. Black levels are favorable with nothing in the way of crush present, and highlights are virtually flawless with no evidence of blooming. Argento returns to the genre that made him famous with a keen eye for visuals which this transfer realizes faithfully. This presentation never lacks something to marvel over.

With the base of the transfer, you will not find anything in the way of print damage. When it comes to the encoding, there are absolutely no jarring digital anomalies such as compression artifacts, banding or any other such nuisances. This restoration is respectful to the original look of the film with the added resolution making elements seem more natural. The grain resolves favorably with no fluctuations detected at any point. The level of detail and clarity uncovered here is stunning with the perfect amount of natural film grain intact. The texture on display in the costumes and within the setting is an unfettered joy. The makeup effects blend naturally which brings the disturbing kills to the forefront with grotesque clarity. Synapse Films has delivered a first-rate transfer for a gem of the Giallo genre.

Audio Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of the film comes with DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio tracks in Italian and English, each of which represents the film well for fans. While most may instinctively go with the Italian track, it should be noted that some of the cast members do speak their English-language dialogue within the film if you are curious. The environment of the airport and other key areas create a din of sound that creeps through to provide some excellent ambient details. Dialogue comes through clearly without being overwhelmed by the sound effects or score.

All of the various sounds in the mix seem accurately rendered so that nothing ever feels off. There are moments of struggle that add some intensity without becoming a sonic mess during the altercation. The memorable music from Claudio Simonetti brings a very buoyant mood to the proceedings that is represented well in the mix. Everything is presented with a strong fidelity with only the occasional instance when sync slips ever so briefly. This presentation is mostly free of any hiss or other age-related wear-and-tear. Synapse Films has done right by fans with the audio presentation.

Special Features

English Version (1:41:03) and Italian Version (1:41:01)

Audio Commentaries: This disc offers a trio of terrific tracks with film historians who deliver informative commentary tracks in which they discuss how this classic fits into the career of Dario Argento, the initial performers the director wanted for certain roles, the shooting locations, the performers who were assembled, the direction of Argento and much more. There is plenty of unique information in each track, but they inevitably have quite a bit of overlap.

- Audio Commentary #1: Film historians Alan Jones and Kim Newman
- Audio Commentary #2: Author Maitland McDonagh
- Audio Commentary #3: Film historian Thomas Rostock

Yellow Fever – The Rise and Fall of the Giallo: A terrific 90-minute documentary directed by Callum Waddell which features interviews with an array of film historians, filmmakers and more experts who help detail the full spectrum of the Giallo experience. This is great for newcomers who want a crash course on the genre.

Being The Villain: A 16-minute interview with actor John Steiner in which he discusses his early career, colorful anecdotes about Orson Welles, his breakthrough with the public, how he was treated by Dario Argento, working in Italy and more.

Alternate Opening Credits Sequence: A two-minute look at alternate footage for the opening moments of the film.

Unsane End Credits Sequence: A two-minute look at the end credits of the Unsane cut of the film featuring Kim Wilde’s “Take Me Tonight” accompanying the scroll.

Archival Featurettes:

- Voices of the Unsane: A 17-minute archival featurette provides interviews with director Dario Argento, cinematographer Luciano Tovoli, composer Claudio Simonetti, assistant director Lamberto Bava, and actresses Daria Nicolodi and Eva Robins. There are some welcome insights into the production of the film, how this compares to other work from Argento and more.

- Out Of The Shadows: A nearly 13-minute archival interview with author Maitland McDonagh who dives deep into how this film fits into the career of Dario Argento, how the film comments on the filmmaker’s previous work and more.

- Introduction by Daria Nicolodi: A 13-second introduction from the star.

- Screaming Queen: A 16-minute archival discussion with actress Daria Nicolodi who delves into her feelings about Argento diverting from the Three Mothers trilogy, getting involved with Tenebrae, how she felt about her character, her work in the theater, memories of the ensemble, the English dub of her performance and more.

- The Unsane World of Tenebrae: A 15-minute interview with writer-director Dario Argento in which he discusses where he was at during this point in his career, his thoughts on the film as a response to certain criticisms, his experiences during production, his relationship with the performers, his frequent collaborators and more.

- A Composition of Carnage: A ten-minute piece with composer Claudio Simonetti who discusses reuniting with the director on Tenebrae, the different tone of this picture, creating work appropriate for the feature, the impact of the film on the audience and more.

Promotional Materials: This disc includes the International Trailer, Japanese Theatrical Trailer, Italian Promotional Materials, German Promotional Materials, Spanish Promotional Materials, Japanese Promotional Materials, US Promotional Materials, and Miscellaneous Images.

Final Thoughts

Tenebrae finds Dario Argento returning the to genre which made his name, yet the filmmaker is not content to thoughtlessly jump back into the fray for a quick buck. While returning to Giallo filmmaking, the auteur wanted to respond to certain criticisms that had been lobbed at him and his early output. The result is a thoughtful and clever bit of business that ranks near the top of his best movies. There are still many things to critique within this one, but it works as a larger piece of Argento’s filmmaking identity as well as simply a thrilling, twisty tale. Synapse Films has released a Standard Edition 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring an unbelievable A/V presentation and a stellar amount of special features. Argento fans will be thrilled by this release. Highly Recommended

Tenebrae (Standard Edition) is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Synapse Films has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.