Phenomena

Rating:
Summary: Argento does it again
Review: After watching Dario Argento's 1985 film "Phenomena," I have finally started to make serious inroads into his substantial body of work. It was easy to claim ignorance of many of this Italian director's films up until a few years ago because it was difficult to find them anywhere, let alone in an uncut form. Fortunately, DVD arrived on the scene and eager film fans with dollars to spend inspired numerous companies to start churning out any movie they could get their hands on. Even Troma, the flagship of flaccid filmmaking, released a version of Argento's "The Stendhal Syndrome." It wasn't too long before practically every Argento film arrived on store shelves, many of them in uncut, unrated formats. Unfortunately, most viewers have likely never heard of Dario Argento. These days, more people know the director's beautiful daughter Asia than the horror maestro himself. What a shame. Argento's films, at least the ones I have seen, are masterpieces of style injected with truly cringe inducing violence. For a few years in the 1980s and 1990s, Argento drifted away from his tried and true giallo formula, only recently returning to some semblance of form with "Stendhal" and "Sleepless." "Phenomena" has a few giallo elements, but overall it is definitely different from his early thrillers.

Jennifer Connelly ("Dark City," "Requiem for a Dream") plays Jennifer Corvino, the teenaged daughter of a movie star sent to an exclusive Swiss boarding school for girls. She never fits in despite her distinguished pedigree largely due to a strangeness about her that the other students immediately pick up on. Her only friend at the school is her French roommate, and her only pal outside of school is Professor John McGregor (Donald Pleasence), a bug researcher working on a spate of particularly grisly murders. Corvino lives at the school for only a short time before strange things start happening. First, she starts sleepwalking, a habit not unfamiliar to her but one that causes quite a bit of consternation amongst her classmates and teachers. Moreover, when she suffers one of her nocturnal adventures, she mentally connects to the same killer McGregor is investigating. Second, and an even eerier occurrence, is Corvino's burgeoning ability to communicate and control insects through psychic manipulation. Soon, Jennifer embarks on a mission to track down the murderer, a task made more personal when her roommate dies under the killer's knife.

Corvino's situation is a treacherous one, fraught with perils for her and everyone she knows. McGregor soon falls prey to the killer, effectively leaving Jennifer alone in a hostile world. As the young heroine desperately attempts to contact her father's lawyer by phone to get her out of this mess, she moves closer and closer to identifying the warped soul (souls, perhaps?) behind the heinous crimes. Since "Phenomena" comes from the mind of Dario Argento, it almost goes without saying that twists and turns abound as the conclusion draws near. Furthermore, the movie contains many scenes of Argento's trademark violence, the truly cringe inducing brutality that turns the stomachs of even the most jaded gorehounds. "Phenomena" may not be Dario's most graphically violent film, or even his most intricate in terms of suspense or plot, but it is deeply disturbing. It is also magnificently photographed in the director's trademark style. The movie manages to achieve cloying claustrophobia (the shots in the house and the tunnels) balanced with expansive views of the Swiss countryside and the grounds of the school.

I am a sucker for any film with Donald Pleasence on the cast list, so praising his performance here is pure overkill on my part. I will say the McGregor character gives Pleasence one of his more restrained horror film roles, a role he pulls off perfectly. Jennifer Connelly, on the other hand, outright wows in her role as the beleaguered Jennifer Corvino. The actress was only fourteen years old when she played the part, but is so stunningly beautiful you can barely look at her directly. She carries off the Corvino character perfectly, capturing the poise and attitude of a famous actor's daughter who has been there and done that to a T. I had to check Connelly's age several times just to make sure she wasn't older than fourteen; she often comes off as someone in their early twenties, at least. How can someone this young look so comfortable in front of the camera? If I had never seen Connelly in another role than this one, I would assume her success in Hollywood was assured based on this part alone. Argento knows how to get good performances out of his actors; he even knows how to work with animals, as one of the main characters in "Phenomena" is McGregor's razor wielding pet chimpanzee.

DVD companies generally recognize Dario Argento films have many fans, so even the sparsest disc usually has a few extras. "Phenomena" has a lot, including a commentary from Dario, an interview with the director on the Joe Franklen show, trailers, behind the scenes stuff, two music videos, and biographies and filmographies. The movie is a winner although there were a few things about it I didn't like. I didn't care for the odd mix of heavy metal music (from bands like Iron Maiden and Motorhead) and eerie synthesizer tracks from Claudio Simonetti of Goblin fame. I don't have anything against Iron Maiden, not at all, but I thought their inclusion here took something away from the film. I also would have liked more stylish giallo elements. Still, "Phenomena" should find its way onto any horror fan's list, and its required viewing for fans of Argento.

Rating:
Summary: Phenomena.....the uncut version of Creepers.
Review: I originally saw, many years ago, this film under the title of Creepers. I even still have the VHS! I didn't like it the first time...it was just too strange. A couple years later I popped it in my VCR again, and I actually liked it. How could this be. The film has a real odd feel to it...dreamy like I guess. I don't know how else to put it. The atmosphere just got to me. I have recently picked up the DVD version under the title of Phenomena..and WOW! I didn't know Creepers had so much material cut out. I knew it had to have some because that Creepers version feels a little choopy in the edititing department, but I didn't know 20 minutes of footage was cut! It's like a whole new movie! It you like some off-the-wall horror movies, give this film a try. You won't be disappointed. If you don't like it the first time, watch it again. It seems to get better with each viewing.

Rating:
Summary: PHENOMENA/INFERNO - One word horror masterpiece's.
Review: I stumbled upon the twisted and surreal world of Dario Argento completely by accident. I am a HORROR movie affecionado and when I got my DVD player a couple of years back I was eager in purchasing as many horror movies as possible- well at least the good ones. Unfortunately that's when I realized they're aren't that many "good" horror movies out there at all. Aside from the obvious classics - The Exorcist, Poltergeist, The Shining, Halloween, I couldn't bring myself to purchase the other, countless Horror Trash- sure they make an entertaining viewing when they're shown on T.V but spending your hard earned cash on them is a little harder to do. That's where Dario comes in. Amazon.com steered me in his direction during my countless Amazon.com horror movie searches and I'm glad they did. Since then, I've purchased many of his more popular films namely DEEP RED, SUSPIRIA, TENEBRAE, INFERNO, PHENOMENA and OPERA. Hollywood rarely makes movies like these- visually stimulating and suspenseful. The only hollywood movie that comes to mind that compares is Brian de Palma's DRESSED TO KILL.

INFERNO is Argento's second entry in his THREE MOTHER'S TRILOGY (Not yet completed), the first being the now classic SUSPIRIA. The story takes place in New York City where a beautiful young woman stumbles upon a book written by an alchemist who was responsible in building the dwelling places of the THREE INFERNAL MOTHERS. The THREE MOTHERS are "evil" sisters who control the world and are set in Germany, Italy and the US- New York City. Anyone who dares to investigate the book is brutally murdered by diabolical forces. Many critics have complained about the confusing plot of INFERNO and not many people/critics have understood it. They have complained about the plot holes and confusing plot twists. For the Argento curiousity seeker, I recommend viewing the film as is, without digging TOO DEEP into the story. But in my opinion, a good, HORROR/SUSPENSE film should always leave you with questions unanswered and INFERNO does just that with style to boot. Even the most hardened of critics have commented on the visually stunning set pieces of INFERNO- A flooded Ball room, ghostly drapes, twisted stairways and a whole array of visually stimulating colours adorn the film to great effect. Whatever you think of the story, there is no denying Argento's trademark style is at it's best in INFERNO. HELL it AIN'T!

PHENOMENA is another Argento gem that needs to be viewed and not just by horror fans because PHENOMENA is not really a horror film. It's more of a disturbing Fairy Tale with the classically beautiful maidens, a murderous monster, and several million insects. The story deals with a gifted young student who is sent to an all girls school in Switzerland. The beautiful Swiss landscapes is suddenly stained red with the blood of the innocent. A monstrous killer lurks the meadows brutally killing many of Jennifer's classmates. However little does our killer know that Jennifer is able to control, through the use of mind power, insects- She's referred to in the film as "BEELZEBUB- Lord of the Flies". If that doesn't sound far-fetched enough, throw in a very smart Chimp with a straigh-razor, several thousand maggots and a detective fly. As ridiculous as alot if this sounds it all works wonderfully here. The Swiss location is absolutely stunning as is the innocent beauty of the films star, Jennifer Connelly. The films score is also quite haunting and adds to the films dream-like quality. BEAUTIFULLY eerie!

Both of these films are greatly recommended to anyone wanting to break out of the ordinary mold of your standard Hollywood horror movie. The plot to both of these films are OVER THE TOP, confusing and hardly believable but it takes someone like Dario Argento to make all of these odd elements work. They all come together like some sort of surreal, abstract painting to be viewed with an open mind.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Rating:
Summary: ugh!
Review: are these people on crack? i gave the film three stars because i was entertained - but not in any way that affirms anything about the film's greatness. dvd_smurf is right when he says, "stalking killer leaves bug trail." it just about sums up the entire film.

okay, granted the film has many lush scenes, but i found it difficult to suspend my disbelief. maybe it's because the film is a bit outdated with all the 80s dialogue and dress. (the best is when sophie's boyfriend tells her after a late night tryst that he has to leave her because of some regiment duty - i found that a bit random...er, say what?) i hardly found the film that horrifying - just a little gory and a bit predictable. yes, i screamed at times, but i hardly left the film feeling like i had to look over my shoulder because i had spent the other half of the film laughing hysterically (some parts were just hilarious). the ending did freak me out with all the squirmy stuff, but i also burst out laughing in the midst of screaming because well, some things were just titillating.

the movie was interesting but not in your conventional horror film sense. it was more like an acid trip through time into a decade of different styles. it wasn't necessarily 80s though it had some 80s moments. the film had a hitchcock tint to it, though i wouldn't defame hitchcock's awesome talent by putting argento on the same plane of comparison. IMO, no one has come close to matching hitchcock.

Rating:
Summary: One Of Argento's Best Films
Review: Argento's loose again, and he's doing the whole unknown killer knocking off women thing. But, he must have had some of Inferno and Suspiria clinging to him, coz we have a little bit of that supernatural weirdness mixed in with this film. It plays out like a merging of his two film styles. The gorgeous Jennifer Connelly is the lead, but this is no Labyrinth. She's got some nasty stuff to deal with here. Aside from being a sleuth with insect pals, she has to deal with being a "freak" at her school, classmates with Bee Gee shirts, dead girls popping up everywhere, a chimpanzee wielding a razor, poison pills, puking, maggot pools, a mutant kid, and a very long telephone cord. Plus, a film that plays Iron Maiden's "Flash Of The Blade" in almost all of it's entirety can't be all that bad. Donald Pleasance is here too! Who doesn't love that guy? So grab this sucker before it disappears from the shelves. After all, you're not a communist, are you?

Rating:
Summary: Phenomena, indeed.
Review: This movie is crazy. It is weird. It is an acid trip through the Italian country, with Jennifer Connelly in the middle of it.
Wow. I watched this late one night thinking that I was getting something different and I was not disappointed. Argento is known for his gross out horror and he goes full out with this one. The music is heavy metal and the visuals beautiful such a combination is pretty interesting especially once the killing begins.
The extras on this are very informative and just as off the wall as the movie. For the money you spend on this you almost feel like you are making an investment in art. It will get better and more valuable with time, trust me, they don't make'em like this anymore.

Rating:
Summary: Take a "worm" shower...
Review: Disgusting, disturbing, revolting black tale of evil, with brilliant Jennifer Connelly starring as Jennifer, an American girl moving to a Germany college previously known as Wagner's house. A sadic headmistress and a bunch of evil schoolmates are nothing if compared to the raging killer that terrorizes the sorroundings, tortures young girls and collects their corpses in a perverted sense of evil that goes over human rationality. Just like a modern Snowwhite, Jennifer is to survive over a spelled forest where nothing is what it seems, to rise back from her ashes after a disgusting bath. Animals are the real protagonist, without which poor Jennifer would have been bound to fall into an infinite darkness...
Another juicy DVD from Anchor bay Ent., with widescreen presentation (1.66:1), English audio track in DS 5.1 and French in mono (what ever happened to Italian?). Interesting audio commentary by Argento, special make up effects artist Sergio Stivaletti, music composer Claudio Simonetti and Journalist Loris Curci, though Tenebre's was something better. Rich extra features, with a theatrical trailer, a behind-the-scene segment, two music videos and Dario Argento interviewed by Joe Franklin.
Overall, a very good product, where a little disappointment given by a weak ending is forgiven by an effective extra packet.

Rating:
Summary: This stuff is great.
Review: Bad, inconsistent dubbing. Worse dialogue. Tepid characterisation. Head scratching (I mean you). All of this and more..... with a humungous dose of style and sinuous, synapse fizzling symbolism. Forget their detractors, you can't go wrong with this double set.

Rating:
Summary: Good but not phenomenal Argento
Review: 14-year old Jennifer Corvino, the daughter of an American movie star, is staying at the Richard Wagner International School For Girls in Zurich. Things aren't all well, as eight months ago, a schoolgirl's head was found, and others have vanished since.

Jennifer's not your ordinary girl. For one thing, she has a great rapport with insects. She loves them and they feel comfortable around her. A retired instructor and entomologist, Dr. John McGregor, who befriends her, tells her that it's "normal for insects to be slightly telepathic"--hence their attraction to her. But is it normal for her, she asks? In one instance, her presence calms the insects in his lab. She's also a somnabulist in times of stress and change. In fact it is one of these nighttime walks that leads her to the doctor.

Her roommate Sophie then vanishes, and with the help of a firefly, finds a glove that might have been worn by the killer. McGregor, convinced that the killer might have kept remains of his victim where he lives, encourages Jennifer to seek him out with the help of the Great Sarcophagus, a fly that can find a corpse from long distances. "You're in a position to do extraordinary things." he tells her, listing her and the fly as "the two greatst detective ever known. That fly is your magic wand."

There are some revisits to old themes: e.g. schoolgirls being murdered (Suspiria), strict headmistresses (Suspiria) decapitations (Deep Red), underwater sequences (Inferno), and attack by animal hordes (again Inferno). The best effect involves hoardes of flies surrounding one side of the school, coming when Jennifer's in distress. In a behind the scenes documentary after the movie, special visual effects man Luigi Cozzi explains how they did that shot.

There are two music videos using footage both used and not used in the movie. They are of Goblin's Claudio Simonetti, which features an operatic female voice and a racing techno number. Another is Bill Wyman, (yes, THAT Bill Wyman) and his stark instrumental number "Valley" which uses scenes of Jennifer in the mysterious house and the Danish tourist who is killed. Finally, there's an interview with Argento on the Joe Franklin Show, where despite being touted as someone who out-Hitchcocks Hitchcock, makes the point that his styles are different, which they are.

Daria Niccolodi (Miss Bruchner) doesn't have much screen time and isn't as appealing or sympathetic as she was in her previous Argento movies. Donald Pleasance is the only other appealing character here as McGregor.

This movie does have Argento's usual hallmarks of psychological horror, gory deaths and blood, but it pales when compared to Suspiria or Inferno. Jennifer Connelly, appealing in her early teen years, carries this film, playing Jennifer Corvino as shy, dedicated, lucid, and headstrong.

Rating:
Summary: Stalking Killer Leaves Bug Trail...
Review: There are mysterious disappearances of young girls in the Swiss Alps and the police have recovered a victim's head covered with maggots. When the young Jennifer Corvino (Jennifer Connelly) arrives to the Richard Wagner Boarding School for girls, she seems to have problems adjusting and she also has a problem with sleepwalking. One night when she has woken up from her sleepwalking, she is brought to Professor John McGregor's residence by his assistant. She finds out that Professor McGregor is an entomologist and she has an ability to communicate with insects. Together, these two skills seem to be very helpful in the search for the killer of young girls. Phenomena is a film that looses its audience due to its weak story, but might keep some folks attention with its gruesome and creepy effects.