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''Tenebrae'' (also known as ''Tenebre'') is a 1982 Italian ''giallo'' thriller film written and directed by Dario Argento. The film stars Anthony Franciosa as American author Peter Neal, who – while in Rome promoting his latest murder-mystery novel – becomes embroiled in the search for a serial killer who may have been inspired to kill by the novel. John Saxon and Daria Nicolodi co-star as Neal's agent and assistant; Giuliano Gemma and Carola Stagnaro appear as detectives investigating the murders. John Steiner, Veronica Lario and Mirella D'Angelo also feature. The film has been described as exploring themes of dualism and sexual aberration, and has strong metafictional elements; some commentators consider ''Tenebrae'' to be a direct reaction by Argento to criticism of his previous work, most especially his depictions of murders of beautiful women. After Argento had experimented with pure supernatural horror with 1977's ''Suspiria'' and 1980's ''Inferno'', ''Tenebrae'' represented the filmmaker's return to the ''giallo'' horror subgenre, which he had helped popularize in the 1970s. Argento was inspired by a series of incidents which saw an obsessed fan telephone the director to criticise him for the damaging psychological effects of his previous work. The telephone calls culminated in death threats towards Argento, who channelled the experience into the writing of ''Tenebrae''. The director also wanted to explore the senselessness of killings he had witnessed and heard about while staying in Los Angeles in 1980, and his feeling at the time that true horror came from those who wanted "to kill for nothing".〔 Shot on location in Rome and at Elios Studios, ''Tenebrae'' utilised mostly modern-looking locations and sets to help Argento realise his intent that the film reflect a near-future with a diminished population; the director filmed none of the historical landmarks that usually featured in films set in Rome. Employing director of photography Luciano Tovoli, Argento also intended that the film simulate the stark, realistic lighting featured in television police shows at the time; production designer Giuseppe Bassa created supporting environments that were cold and austere, with sharp angles and modernistic spaces. Several former members of Italian rock band Goblin provided the ''Tenebrae''s music, a synth-heavy score inspired by rock and disco music. ''Tenebrae'' was a modest success in Italy; it reached theatres with little controversy after Argento made cuts to one of the most violent scenes. However, in the United Kingdom, it was added to the infamous list of "video nasties" and banned from sale until 1999. The film's theatrical distribution in the United States was delayed until 1984, when it was released in a heavily censored version under the title ''Unsane''. In its cut form, ''Tenebrae'' received a mostly negative critical reception, but the original, fully restored version later became widely available for reappraisal; it is considered by some to be one of Argento's best thrillers. The film critic and author Maitland McDonagh said that it was "in many respects ... the finest film that Argento has ever made". ==Plot== Peter Neal, an American writer of violent horror novels, is in Italy to promote his latest work, ''Tenebrae''. He is accompanied by his literary agent, Bullmer and his assistant, Anne. Neal is unaware that he has also been followed to Rome by his embittered ex-wife, Jane. Just before Neal arrived in Rome, Elsa, a young female shoplifter, was murdered with a razor by an unseen assailant. The murderer sends Neal a letter informing him that his books have inspired him to go on a killing spree. Neal is soon contacted by the police in the form of Detective Giermani and his female partner, Inspector Altieri. More killings take place. Tilde, a beautiful lesbian journalist, is murdered at her home along with her lover Marion. Maria, the young daughter of Neal's landlord, is later hacked to death with a axe after discovering the killer's lair. Neal notices that TV interviewer Christiano Berti has an unusually intense interest in his work. That night, Neal and his Italian assistant Gianni watch Berti's house. Gianni approaches the house alone to get a better view and sees an assailant hack Berti to death with an axe. However, Gianni is unable to see the murderer's face. He returns to Neal to find the novelist has been knocked unconscious on the lawn. Giermani discovers that Berti was obsessed with Neal's novels, and believes the killings will stop now that Berti is dead. However, Bullmer, who is having an affair with Jane, is stabbed to death while waiting for his lover in a public square. Gianni is haunted by the thought that he missed the importance of something he saw at Berti's house. He returns to the house and suddenly remembers that he had heard Berti confessing to his attacker: "I killed them all, I killed them all!" Before Gianni can share this detail with anyone, he is strangled to death from the back seat of his car. Jane sits at her kitchen table with a pistol when a figure leaps through her window and hacks off one of her arms. The wound sprays blood over the kitchen walls before Jane falls to the floor. The killer continues to hack at her until she is dead, at which point Neal is revealed to be the murderer. Upon learning the details of Berti's sadistic murder spree, Neal recovered a previously repressed memory involving his murder of a girl who had sexually humiliated him when he was a youth in Rhode Island. The memory torments Neal and inflames his previously repressed lust for blood, driving him insane. Inspector Altieri arrives at the house and Neal kills her. Giermani and Anne arrive soon afterwards; when Neal sees that he cannot escape, he slits his throat in front of them. Finding the telephone out of order, Giermani and Anne go outside to report the incident from the car radio. Giermani returns to the house and is murdered by Neal, who had faked his own death. Neal waits inside for Anne to return, but when she opens the door, she accidentally knocks over a metal sculpture that impales and kills Neal. The horror-stricken Anne stands in the rain and screams repeatedly. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Tenebrae (film)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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