Tenebre (1982)

Tenebrae (1982) is a giallo film from Italy, written and directed by Dario Argento. American horror novelist Peter Neal travels to Rome to promote his latest work, accompanied by his literary agent Bullmer and assistant Anne. Little does he know, his ex-fiancée Jane has followed him there out of resentment. Before Neal’s arrival, a young kleptomaniac named Elsa is killed with a razor by an unknown attacker. The killer sends Neal a letter claiming that his books have inspired their murder spree. Police Detective Germani and Inspector Altieri reach out to Neal for assistance as more murders occur. Tilde, a lesbian journalist, and her lover Marion are found murdered in their home, followed by the brutal murder of Maria, the landlord’s daughter who stumbled upon the killer’s hiding place.

After Neal and his Italian assistant Gianni observe TV interviewer Cristiano Berti’s intense interest in Neal’s work, they decide to keep an eye on Berti’s house. While Gianni is there alone, he witnesses Berti being brutally killed with an axe, but unfortunately cannot see the murderer’s face. Upon returning to Neal, Gianni finds that the novelist has been knocked unconscious on the lawn. Through further investigation, they uncover that Berti was obsessed with Neal’s novels and believe the killings will stop now that he is dead. However, soon after, Bullmer, who is having an affair with Jane, is also murdered while waiting for his lover in a public square. This leads Gianni to question if he may have missed something important at Berti’s house.