Last night, I schlepped all the way from Rhode Island to Boston (thanks Commuter Rail!) to have a live musical experience like no other. Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin was in town at the Somerville Theatre, the fourth stop on their month-long tour spanning the United States and Canada, performing the score of Dario Argento’s video nasty classic TENEBRE for an audience of diehard fans. It was a religious experience, to say the least.
Now, I haven’t watched a ton of Argento in my adult life, after going through an Argento phase as a teenager. But something about hearing Goblin’s powerful, scene-stealing music played live, paired with Argento’s signature dreamlike cinematography on the big screen reinvigorated my love for giallo horror all over again. Goblin featured Simonetti on keys, with Daniele Amador on guitar, Cecelia Nappo on bass, and Federico Maragoni on drums. All are supremely talented musicians, transporting the audience into the world of the film in 4D.
TENEBRE follows Peter Neal, author and fellow Rhode Islander, who finds himself in the middle of a series of murders while promoting his latest book Tenebrae. It’s your standard Argento fare, with disembodied black gloves committing the murders in close up, dreamlike visuals that feel like a waking nightmare, and of course, the music of Goblin, which is a character in of itself in many Argento flicks. The audience, all Argento and Goblin superfans, ate it up, giving rapturous applause after every song. Being at a niche horror event with a bunch of other horror fans is always an invigorating and healing experience, like what I’d imagine going to a megachurch is like.
Simonetti was a charismatic host, introducing the film and asking “are you ready?” with his voice changer, before diving into the music as soon as the opening credits rolled, to much fanfare. It worked almost like a reverse Rocky Horror Picture Show shadowcast- rather than people silently mimicking and miming the movie, this band played the music live as the movie played, breathing dimension and life into this 44 year old film.
In Argento’s films, Goblin’s music is typically utilized as a soundtrack to the many gory, blood-soaked death scenes that the filmmaker is famous for. At this show, the film would play as normal, but as soon as one of the murder scenes started, the musicians would be bathed in red light, jumping into a score that can only be described as Daft Punk meets heavy metal. These scenes are already visually and audibly jarring even without the live band, the music itself almost being as much of a jump scare as the brutal murders on screen, but with the live performance, it became utterly ethereal, putting the soundtrack center stage and showing off its pure star-power.
Granted, while the film was playing, there were long stretches where the musicians had nothing to do, making me eager for another kill scene so the live music would start up again. Such is TENEBRE and Argento, I suppose, the quiet moments a juxtaposition to the loud, unsettling ones. When the band would start playing, the movie theatre was suddenly transformed into a rock concert. Simonetti still plays masterfully all these years later, and even did a bonus set of songs from other films he has scored.
Overall, the show is a treat for Argento fans. The tour continues through the Halloween season into the end of November, and I definitely recommend getting tickets, if your local stop isn’t sold out already. You might also want to bring some extra cash for the merch booth, which boasts records, t-shirts, stickers, and even a fanny pack with branding from Goblin’s movies (yes, I got the fanny pack). As a critic, I say this show and the response it got from fans is a testament to the longevity and cult status of both Argento and Goblin, still entrancing audiences to this day. As a fan, I say this show melted my face off, and can they please do Suspiria next?
Tour dates for CLAUDIO SIMONETTI’S GOBLIN is coming to a city near you.
