Phenomena (1985)

Dario Argento is very good at lining up nice shots. If only he could hire someone to review the screenplays and point out all the errors. Any idiot of the street could do it for $10 an hour. Yes, yes, I know the whole "My movies are like a dream" crap, but it's hard to get absorbed in the dream when you keep being smacked over the head with plot inconsistencies and intensely moronic characters. Credit to Phenomena, Jennifer Connelly made one of the few appealing Argento protagonists, and generally didn't behave like a complete nitwit (with several exceptions). David Lynch's movies feel like dreams also, but don't pull you out of your suspension of disbelief with patent stupidity. If you don't know Argento, don't start here. If you've never liked Argento, this won't change your mind. There are some effective moments and nice shots that make the movie not a complete wash, but nothing to really justify it's existence.

Fmovies: Opinions on Phenomena are divided amongst Argento fans. It's not quite a love it or hate it film, but rather a like it or dislike it one. There's enough of Argento here to ensure that his fans will enjoy it, but it also marks a change of pace for him. While his previous films focused mainly on the mystery in the plot, the focus this time is clearly on the action; and the heavy metal soundtrack shows that Argento wanted to make this more of a thriller than a Giallo, and I think he's succeeded admirably. Argento has said that this movie came about after the great director heard about insects' supposed telepathy, and the fact that the film has stemmed from this sort of idea shows by the way that the plot pans out. First of all, we are bombarded with the idea of insect telepathy, and when we get round to the murders and murderer, it almost feels like something from another film. However, while the plot is messy; it does give Argento lots of room for horror, which he capitalises on at every opportunity. We follow Jennifer Corvino, an actor's daughter who attends a school in Switzerland, which is also having problems with a local murderer. She's not quite like the other girls, however, as she has a strange connection with the insect population...

Dario Argento has piled many ideas into this plot, and it's clear that it's not very well thought out as he seems to drop another idea in every time he feels like the plot needs spicing up a little bit. This is a problem for the movie, as it feels underdone and very messy; but on the other hand, this is also the movie's finest asset as it ensures that the film is always unpredictable and therefore constantly thrilling. The heavy metal music that accompanies the death scenes seems odd in this movie, as we're used to very pungent music scores in Argento films. It does suit the film's mood, however, and it helps give the film that trashy eighties horror movie feel, which is much loved by eighties horror fans like me. The cast is a good one and it features Argento regular, Daria Nicolodi along with established horror actor Donald Pleasance and a very young Jenifer Connelly. None of the cast massively impress, but they come together well as an ensemble and the acting is of a quality that is high enough to carry this sort of film. On the whole, this isn't Argento's best work. It's messy and convoluted, but it's also fun to watch, thrilling and very inventive.

Dario Argento is a genius... this is a fact. The film starts off with a beautifully gory scene, then somewhat mellows out for a while. Some great scenes of night walking/dreaming/etc stand out, but it's not until about 2/3 of the way through the movie that it becomes a classic.

Beheadings, stabbings, and a pool of body parts ensue. But by far the creepiest thing of the movie is when the son who is left alone "with his crazy thoughts" turns around from his corner, revealing his face. This is possibly the scariest thing I have EVER seen on film... even scarier than the robot-butler-doll from Deep Red. And that's saying something.

An amazingly spooky and incredibly gory battle follows, leading up to the gorgeous, bloody end.

Dario Argento can do no wrong.

Phenomena fmovies. This review applies to the US version that was released by Media Home Entertainment. It is 82mins. and is titled CREEPERS.

A young girl attending a Swiss girls school discovers that the school is plagued by a series of grisly murders. An extremely stylish offering by Italy's leading horror genre master. Quite original too, with some unusual sub-plots too that include our main characters ability to control insects and use them to track the killer. Even though this has about 30mins. cut out of it, it really doesn't show, and this offers plenty of gore for all of your gore hounds especially at the scary and exciting end. A really good film. My rating: 9 out of 10.

This film, from Italian horror maestro Dario Argento, is centred on Jennifer Corvino. She is the daughter of an American film star who is just starting at a remote Swiss boarding school. On her first night her roommate tells her about a murderer preying on young women in the area. Then later that night Jennifer sleep walks and finds herself near the home of Forensic entomologist John McGregor. Here she tells him of her love for insects and how they never harm her... it turns out that somehow she can communicate with them. After a further murder he suggests she can use this skill to use an insect to find the bodies' of the murderer's victims. Inevitably she is soon in real and very immediate danger.

Things start of well with a prologue that features a fairly gruesome murder eight months before the main events of the film. This is quite shocking and prepares the viewer for what is to come. Once the main story is underway much of it has a dreamlike quality so that it isn't immediately obvious if what we are watching is actually happening or part of a dream Jennifer is having... this creates a great atmosphere. Young Jennifer Connelly, in her first starring role, impresses as our protagonist; it was nice to see a school aged character played by somebody in her early teens rather than a twenty-something as is often the case in Hollywood movies. Donald Pleasence is the second most notable actor in the role of McGregor. The rest of the cast are solid enough. There aren't a huge number of violent scenes but those that there are are fairly disturbing. Overall I'd say this is a must see if you are a fan of Argento's other works and well worth watching if you want a good atmospheric horror movie.

Overlooked masterpiece from the great Dario Argento is simply one of his best films of the 80's and arguably his most bizarre work!

Young girl, who has a psychic bond with insects, must use her powers to try to stop the mad killer that's terrorizing a Swiss boarding school.

Director Argento has often proclaimed this to be his personal favorite of his films and it's not hard to see why. Story-wise Phenomena combines all of the elements of Argento's other films; a crazed serial killer, a touch of the supernatural, a detective-mystery, and a sense of being like a fairy tale. It's a story that draws one in, from the startling opening murder sequence to the horrific climatic twists! The plot is completely off-beat, giving the audience no idea of what to expect at any moment. As always, Argento's direction has a splendidly flashy style and gives the whole film a unique, strange atmosphere. Lending all the more to the weird atmosphere is the glorious music of Goblin, who provides some of their finest work here. In addition Iron Maiden also serves up a great metal-rock number. The special FX are quite impressive, especially the shockingly good makeup work - just wait for the finale!

The cast is also pretty good, and thankfully the dubbing isn't as bad for this film as it is for some Italian movies. Young Jennifer Connelly (only 15 here) does an enchanting performance. The late-great Donald Pleasance is good as always as Connelly's befriended scientist. Daria Nicolodi does a terrific turn as Connelly's teacher.

Some hail it and some misunderstand it, but frankly Phenomena ranks well with Argento's other incredible films. Be sure to catch it in its full-length uncut version and not the horridly cut U.S. release entitled 'Creepers'.

**** out of ****