Tenebrae
Titanus | Release Date: February 17, 1984 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
83
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 11 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Slant MagazineEd Gonzalez
Tenebre is a riveting defense of auteur theory, ripe with self-reflexive discourse and various moral conflicts. It’s both a riveting horror film and an architect’s worst nightmare. Read full review
100
BBCAlmar Haflidason
Sadistically beautiful and viciously exciting, welcome to true terror with Dario Argento's shockingly relentless Tenebrae. Read full review
91
Entertainment WeeklyChris Nashawaty
Directed by Dario Argento, a.k.a. the Italian Hitchcock, the remastered giallo Tenebre is crammed with artsy camera work, intricate Rube Goldbergian death scenes, and a gruesome final reel where blood flows like the Tiber. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
Franciosa and John Saxon (as his agent) turn in amusing performances, and Argento makes some points about the intersection of art, reality, and personality, but the director's stunning trademark setpieces, presented here in a fully restored version, provide the real reason to watch. Read full review
83
IndieWireRuss Fischer
Executed with wicked control to induce the sort of gut-level discomfort that is rare even in this genre of perverse pleasures. Read full review
80
EmpireMark Dinning
Tenebrae is essential viewing for fans of the Italian stallion thanks to some of his most arterial gore to date. Read full review
80
Screen RantMara Bachman
It is one of Argento's finest works to date that captures the sub-genre he helped popularize in mainstream cinema. Read full review
80
SlashfilmRob Hunter
It’s easily the most straightforward of Argento’s films, and that works to its advantage in delivering a suspenseful thriller with bloody, terrifically crafted murder set-pieces... and a killer reveal that’s both surprising and satisfying. Read full review
75
TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not Credited)
Although the mystery itself is nothing special, Argento uses the narrative structure as a jumping-off point for his virtuoso murder sequences, which are incredibly well orchestrated and inventive. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesGlenn Kenny
It’s a thrilling, vexing film, a kind of ode to aberrance, teeming with preoccupations and fetishes that exist only for their own delectation. Read full review
40
Time OutStaff (Not Credited)
It does confirm Argento's dedication to the technicalities of constructing images - Grand Guignol for L'Uomo Vogue, perhaps - but you'll still end up feeling you've left some vital digestive organs back in the seat. Read full review
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