Tenebrae: Standard Edition – Synapse Films (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1982
Director: Dario Argento
Writer: 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

Release Date: September 26th, 2022
Approximate Running Times: 101 Minutes 3 Seconds (English Language Version), 101 Minutes 2 Seconds (Italian Language Version)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD)/Region Free (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $49.95

"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!" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD), 4.75/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "New 4K restoration from the original camera negative."

Tenebrae original version comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 85.5 GB

Feature: 72.6 GB

Tenebrae original version comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 40 GB

Feature: 29.5 GB

This new restoration of Tenebrae is easily the best this film has ever looked on home video. Where previous releases ranged from good to great, they never had access to the original camera negative, which was used for this transfer. And the result is a stunning revelation that feels like watching Tenebrae for the first time. That said, color saturation, image clarity, contrast, shadow detail, and compression are all solid, and grain always looks organic.

Note: This release shares the same source that was used for Arrow Video’s 4K UHD.

Audio: 5/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Included with this version are two subtitle options: removable English for the Italian language track and removable English SDH for the English language track.

Both of these audio tracks are in excellent shape, and fidelity-wise, the differences are minimal. Dialog always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, ambient sounds are well-represented, and these tracks sound robust when they should.

Extras: 

Extras on the 4K UHD with the original version of Tenebrae include Italian promotional materials (9 images), German promotional materials (38 images), Spanish promotional materials (8 images), Japanese promotional materials (16 images), US promotional materials (3 images), miscellaneous images (9 images), International theatrical trailer (3 minutes 14 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), Japanese theatrical trailer (2 minutes 9 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), an archival introduction by actress Daria Nicolodi (13 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with non-removable English subtitles), an archival featurette containing interviews with screenwriter/director Dario Argento, actresses Daria Nicolodi and Eva Robins, cinematographer Luciano Tovoli, composer Claudio Simonetti and assistant director Lamberto Bava titled Voices of the Unsane (17 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with non-removable English subtitles), an archival interview with Maitland McDonagh, author of Broken Mirrors/Broken Minds: The Dark Dreams of Dario Argento titled Out of the Shadows (12 minutes 20 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actress Daria Nicolodi titled Screaming Queen (16 minutes 5 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with non-removable English subtitles), an archival interview with screenwriter/director Dario Argento titled The Unsane World of Tenebrae (15 minutes 14 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with non-removable English subtitles), an archival interview with composer Claudio Simonetti titled A Composition for Carnage (10 minutes 5 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), “Unsane” end credits sequence (1 minute 51 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), alternate opening credits sequence (2 minute 14 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actor John Steiner titled Being the Villain (16 minutes 22 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a feature-length documentary charting the genre from its beginnings to its influence on the modern slasher film titled Yellow Fever: The Rise and Fall of the Giallo (89 minutes 24 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English and Italian with non-removable English subtitles for Italian), an audio commentary with authors and film critics Alan Jones and Kim Newman, an audio commentary with Dario Argento expert Thomas Rostock, and an audio commentary with Maitland McDonagh, author of Broken Mirrors/Broken Minds: The Dark Dreams of Dario Argento titled Out of the Shadows.

Other extras include removable cover art and a slipcover.

Included with this release is a Blu-ray that has the same content as the 4K UHD included as part of this combo release.

Summary:

“When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Throughout his career, there have been several occasions where Dario Argento has ventured away from the giallo genre. Most notably, his one-two punch of supernatural themed horror films, Suspiria and Inferno. In 1982, exhausted from the experience of making Inferno, he would step away from what was to be the conclusion of the ‘Three Mother’s’ trilogy and return once again to the genre of the giallo genre with Tenebrae (a Latin/Italian term which means darkness or shadows).

Reportedly, one of the inspirations behind Tenebrae was a real-life stalker that Dario Argento encountered while working on a proposed film in Los Angeles in the early 1980’s. Two other notable inspirations include Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s "Sherlock Holmes" and Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s The Red Shoes.

When I first encountered Tenebrae, I was not that impressed with the film. Years later and after many subsequent viewings, I have come to the conclusion that first impressions are not always to be trusted. If ever there was a film that demanded multiple viewings, it would be Tenebrae.

From a narrative standpoint, Tenebrae does not stray too far away from the blueprint that Dario Argento established with The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. And just like Deep Red, one of Dario Argento’s most revered films, Tenebrae uses flashbacks and memories from the killers’ point of view. And while red herrings are one of the most important plot devices in any giallo, no Dario Argento film before or since has ever piled on as much misdirection as Tenebrae does.

From a visual standpoint, there is rarely a moment in which this film does not artfully flaunt its acrobatic camerawork and intricately laid out compositions. A few of the more memorable moments include a young girl who is being terrorized by a ferocious dog and somehow ends up at a killer’s lair. A 2 1/2 minute crane shot that ends with a pair of brutal killings; the first one, a woman whose t-shirt is sliced by a razor before her throat gets sliced; the other, her lesbian lover, who is chased around before finally having her own jugular sliced, then her head crashes through a window. And let’s not forget the blood-soaked finale that includes a woman’s arm being severed and the blood spraying from her severed limb across the wall.

One area where many of Dario Argento's films fall short is his cast and their performances. Headlining this cast in the role of this film’s protagonist, a bestselling novelist named Peter Neal, is Anthony Franciosa (Hatful of Rain). He gives a well-rounded performance that stands out as one of the strongest to ever grace a Dario Argento film. Reportedly, one of the actors being considered for the role of Peter Neal was Christopher Walken. The supporting cast features many recognizable faces, like John Saxon (Enter the Dragon) in the role of a sleazy agent, Giuliano Gemma (Day of Anger) in the role of the lead detective assigned to the murders, John Steiner (Salon Kitty) in the role of a neurotic television personality, Lara Wendel (Satan’s Wife) in the role of the young girl who is terrorized by a dog, and Daria Nicolodi (Deep Red) in the role of Peter Neal’s assistant. And, while the majority of the cast are excellent in their roles, this film’s most underwhelming performance comes from Daria Nicolodi, who was reluctantly cast in the role that she ultimately ended up with. The most surprising performance comes from an actress named Veronica Lario, who has been cast in the role of Peter Neal’s girlfriend, Jane. Though this role does not have much dialog and is limited to a few key scenes, it is by far and away the most memorable character that appears in this film. It should not come as a surprise that this is the role that Daria Nicolodi wanted to portray. At least she gets the final scream.

Synapse Films had previously released Tenebrae as a limited edition. This new standard edition release does not have this content: the Unsane version of Tenebrae, a fold-out double-sided poster, six double-sided postcard-sized lobby card reproduction artcards, a booklet, and different packaging.

Tenebrae gets an exceptional 4K UHD upgrade from Synapse Films, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a VLC player and lossless PNGs.

 Written by Michael Den Boer