Arrow Films, out now

Dario Argento’s notorious 1980s horror thriller gets the Arrow special treatment.

For me, there’s something surreal about seeing Tenebrae in such a vivid, crisp new transfer, probably due to the inferior viewing experience that I’d suffered from for so long. Let me explain. When Argento’s 1982 movie was released in UK cinemas in 1983, it was shorn of a handful of seconds of its most extreme gore. This version was then released on VHS, before being withdrawn from public viewing as one of the ‘Video Nasties’ as part of the Video Recordings Act 1984. Accordingly, my exposure to the film at the time was a third generation copy which made it hard to see what was going on in the dark scenes. Flash forward to 2003 and the film finally being released uncut on home entertainment in the UK, and now in 2022 as the latest in Arrow’s series of Argento 4Ks, and the gore has never been so crimson.

This uncut print is scanned from the original camera negative, and my goodness the HDR absolutely zings. From a red phone in the airport to scarlet killer stilettos and the most strawberry jam of arterial spray, there’s nothing muted about this colourful release. The story is a whodunnit of preposterous contrivances and twists, as author Anthony Franciosa works with police to track down a murderer who has been inspired by his works. Narratively, it’s bonkers, but this is Argento at his goriest, with razors and axes slashing and hacking their way through the cast.

Exclusive to this special edition is a 4K disc of the US release, which was retitled Unsane. It’s 10 minutes shorter (most of the gore is trimmed) and makes the story even more unlikely, though it does have the addition of a Kim Wilde song (Take Me Tonight) over the end credits instead of the popular theme by former members of Goblin – Simonetti, Morante and Pignatelli!

The sizable crop of extras from Arrow’s previous Blu-ray release has been ported over, with Yellow Fever: The Rise and Fall of the Giallo, a particular highlight. As with the other releases in this series, there’s limited edition packaging with a reversible sleeve, featuring original and newly commissioned artwork, an illustrated collector’s booklet, fold-out double-sided and postcard-sized lobby card reproduction art cards.

Verdict: Argento unleashed – a hugely entertaining and gory thriller that takes its 80s excesses and amplifies them on 4K. Argento fans will understandably already have this on order. 9/10

Nick Joy