When it comes to Italian horror, not many directors can match the genius of Dario Argento. He has made some of the most shockingly visceral films in the history of Italian cinema, especially two of his most well-known masterpieces, Deep Red and Suspiria.

In the early 80s, there was a continuing string of modern Italian horror movies, some good and unfortunately, some bad. Then there's Tenebre (aka Unsane) from 1982. It was the return of the giallo/slasher film, which made Argento famous.

This film contains some of the most grisly murder sequences in Argento's career, including the controversial axe killing of Veronica Lario's character, in fact was so unsettling, that it was banned from every home video version. There are flaws and cliches, and the death scenes kind of overwhelm the very familiar plot, but at the end, it all seemed okay.

When it was released, it met with mixed critical perception, and many critics' opinions about the film were very divided. One critic questioned Argento's directing style, commenting that the film was a general excuse for him to stage the savage murder sequences, and that the plot doesn't fully explain the central theme of the film. But another critic's response was positive, saying that the film's relenteless and sadistic pace was a welcome back to true terror, the terror that only Argento can bring. It was successfully banned in many countries and it wasn't released on video until the late 90s, after it became another film in the so-called "Video Nasties" series

A truly frightening concept is the fact that a key character somehow escapes from a dangerous situlation, only to run into another, but this time with deadly results. This is symbolized in a famous scene of Maria being chased by a doberman, only to run into the killer. Sorry for the apparent spoiler, but I find this scene to be really disturbing.

If you're not interested in certain parts of the film, please at least watch it for the famous two-and-a-half minute tracking shot that basically sets the mood for the entire film.

It was also infamous because of its depiction of overt sexuality, with some very eerie flashbacks involved in the story, and most of the victims in the movie are sexually confused. It didn't seem to glorify the twisted nature of sex, but openly brought it into topic.

When you're watching an Argento film, from Suspiria to Tenebre, and from Deep Red to Phenomena, you realize that most of the victims are women, and this is obvious because of Argento's ever-growing fascination with the female gender. Because of my obsession with his films, I'm not questioning his vision, so when I say that the sheer perservity of each brutal killing throughout his films kind of dominates each plot, I say it because it's a good thing.

In my opinion, his films should be taken with a grain of salt, because some of them are just so vile, but when there's a will, there's a way. To pop music, there was Beatlemania, to horror film history, there will always be Argentomaina.

Presentation
The video and audio isn't really different from the original DVD release, except it's supposedly enhanced. As the original DVD release from Anchor Bay, it also has Dolby Digital 2.0 & 5.1, in English and Italian.

Extras
Commentary with Director Dario Argento, Composer Claudio Simonetti and Journalist Loris Curci
Usually, Argento doesn't do commenatries, and also he is really uncomfortable speaking English. Simonetti's english is actually very good, and Curci tries his best to get input from Argento, who is increasingly silent. It's certainly not the best commentary, but it tries as hard as it can to give you a clearer explanation of the film.

Voices of the Unsane
A brand-new featurette that includes interviews with Argento, Lamberto Bava (son of Mario Bava) and Daria Nicolodi (one of Argento's famous leading ladies and ex-wife). It suprisingly details you about the film's censorship history, as well as other antedotes that Argento fans will appreciate.

The Roving Camera Eye of Dario Argento
An excerpt from an original documentary that was apart of the now out-of-print German release of Tenebre that detailed the famous tracking shot revealing the movie's killer sneaking into a back window.

Creating sounds of Terror
Another excerpt that pretty much describes the effects used in the film

Rounding out the bonus materials is the Alternate End Credit music that was unknowningly mixed into the soundtrack before the film's release, the original trailer in English, and a bio about Dario Argento.

Final Statement
Not exactly in the popular ranks as Deep Red, Suspiria, and The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, but in my opinion, it's way better than Inferno. Fans of Argento, in general, should have this in their collection.