 According to Gracey , a number of critics have compared Argento with the character of Peter Neal , speculating that he serves as an alter @-@ ego of the director . Gracey refers to Tenebrae as a " reflexive commentary on [ the director 's ] earlier work . " The director himself saw the film in the same light , claiming it was a reaction to accusations that " Dario Argento was a misogynist ... a criminal ... a murderer . " Argento resolved to include all of these aspects of his previous films into Tenebrae . A scene in which a woman criticises the lead character 's books as " sexist " , featuring " women as victims , <unk> , male heroes [ and ] macho bullshit " echoes criticisms of Argento 's own work . Kim Newman calls the confrontation scene " essentially autobiographical " , and refuting these accusations Argento said that his films were instead an attempt to tackle his dark side , to " let it speak " . With Tenebrae in particular , he felt he was making a joke or playing a game with his critics , creating a front or mystique about himself . Rostock also believes Argento is having fun and sending up this perception . Newman agrees that Argento used Tenebrae to address his own public image , the notion that someone who creates art as " sick and twisted " as his , must himself be sick and twisted . With Tenebrae 's reveal that the author is the killer , Newman argues that Argento is saying , " What if I were ? " 
