 Tenebrae was a modest success in Italy ; it reached theatres with little controversy after Argento made cuts to one of the most violent scenes . However , in the United Kingdom , it was added to the infamous list of " video nasties " and banned from sale until 1999 . The film 's theatrical distribution in the United States was delayed until 1984 , when it was released in a heavily censored version under the title Unsane . In its cut form , Tenebrae received a mostly negative critical reception , but the original , fully restored version later became widely available for reappraisal ; it is considered by some to be one of Argento 's best thrillers . The film critic and author Maitland McDonagh said that it was " in many respects ... the finest film that Argento has ever made " . 
