Phenomena

Plot synopsis:
A lost tourist, Vera Grandt (Fiore Argento), is beheaded in the Swiss countryside. Her head is found by Inspector Rudolf Geiger (Patrick Bauchau) and his assistant, Kurt (Michele Soavi), who take it to entomologist John McGregor (Donald Pleasance). He estimates the time of death by examining the maggots.Jennifer Corvino (Jennifer Connelly), insect-loving daughter of a movie star, arrives at the Swiss Richard Wagner Academy for Girls, chaperoned by Frau Brückner (Daria Nicolodi), who places her with roommate Sophie (Federica Mastroianni). While sleepwalking, Jennifer witnesses a student being slain. She awakens and falls, ending up lost in the woods. She is discovered by Inga (Tanga), McGregor's chimpanzee attendant, and brought to him. He believes her to have a special gift for telepathy. Jennifer's memories of the murder she witnessed are vague, and a brain scan by the school doctor (Antonio Maimone) is not helpful in addressing her sleepwalking.After Sophie is killed, a firefly guides Jennifer to a maggot-covered glove. Back in the school, when the students taunt Jennifer for her connection to insects, she summons a swarm of flies to the school, which cover the whole building. In an attempt to find the killer, McGregor gives her a living specimen of the Great Sarcophagus fly, which is drawn to decaying human flesh. The fly leads her to the abandoned house where Vera Grandt was attacked, attracted by a severed hand.One night McGregor is murdered. Jennifer no longer wants to stay at the school, so she goes to stay at Frau Brückner's house. After numerous red herrings, Jennifer realizes that Frau Brückner has given her poisonous pills, and purges the pill out. Brückner locks her in a room, but Jennifer discovers a tunnel leading underneath the house to a dungeon. She is suddenly grabbed by Inspector Geiger, who has been chained up to the wall. Frightened, she backs away from his mutilated appearance and falls into a pool full of decaying, maggot infested bodies. With Geiger's help Jennifer escapes.In the basement, she finds Brückner's small son, Patua (Davide Marotta), with a hideously deformed face. He chases Jennifer onto a motorboat, but she manages to escape his attempts to kill her by summoning a swarm of flies to devour his face, leaving him drowning in the lake. On the shore, she is greeted by her father's assistant Morris Shapiro (Mario Donatone), who came to help after an earlier telephone call. He is immediately decapitated by a deranged Brückner, using a piece of sharpened sheet metal. In the final confrontation between Brückner and Jennifer, Brückner is suddenly attacked and killed by Inga with a straight razor.

Tags: mystery, cruelty, suspenseful, murder, paranormal, cult, horror, violence, haunting, flashback, insanity, psychedelic, revenge, sadist

Review:
My review is based on uncut Italian print,which runs 110 minutes.A young Jennifer Connelly can communicate telepathically with insects.The area she arrives in is being terrorized by a psychotic killer,who has been murdering coeds and making off with their decapitated bodies.Desperate for clues,a police inspector visits an entomologist Donald Pleasance("Halloween","Death Line")and eventually Pleasance and Connelly team up to find the killer.It all has something to do with Daria Nicolodi and the deformed creature she keeps chained in the basement.Wonderful atmosphere,gorgeous cinematography and plenty of gruesome gore make this one a must-see.Argento goes totally over the top in "Phenomena" with a swimming pool full of maggots and rotting corpses,a mad dwarf,a razor wielding monkey and grisly decapitations.Great heavy metal songs by Iron Maiden and Motorhead plus a nice musical score by Goblin.10 out of 10..
It definitely seems to be a love-it-or-hate-it kind of film, even more so than most Argentos, and I think it's his most unjustly underrated piece of work to date.A 14-year-old Jennifer Connelly shines in the lead role, playing a sleepwalker who has a bizarre telepathic bond with insects and uses them to help her solve a string of gory murders at a girls boarding school in the Swiss Alps.
Dario Argento has always placed great emphasis on impressive colors (especially red, of course), and hardly ever have I seen a movie as visually stunning and awe-inspiring as Phenomena.
Jennifer decides to help the investigation of Dr. McGregor about a serial killer that is killing young girls in that area.It may sound ridiculous, but "Phenomena" has never been released on video in Brazil; only two days ago, "Phenomena" was released on DVD in Brazil and now I am glad to have this movie in my collection.
The weird story of Dario Argento, one of my favorite directors, is a total cult, showing bizarre characters and situations, maggots, flies, deformed people, serial killer and lots of bodies and body parts.
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.
Slowly more people are found dead and a scientific (Donald Pleasence)expert on insects investigates the strange killings committed by a mad murderous running amok and with numerous suspects .Dario Argento's great success is compelling directed with startling visual content.
Sometimes weak screenplay is added by nice but gory special effects with insects .Screeching musical score by Goblin with stereophonic whispers combining to fortissimo soundtrack which help achieve incredible creepy moments and adding hard rock by Motorhead , Iran Maiden , among others.The terror pieces are well staged with eye-opening flair-play and contain obscure tracks to the denouement of the script .
I can certainly see why Jennifer Connelly might consider this an old shame, though I'm guessing she's not to blame for all the third-act stupidity of her character as she was probably just following the script, and in no position to tell the director that the script was stupid and he was being stupid to insist that she follow it.Considering that Dario Argento is credited as both writer and director, he truly has no one else to blame for the incompetent execution of this story but himself.
Yes, a psychopathic serial killer, an all-girls school with a ready supply of potential victims for that same psychopath, a hideous monstrosity chained up in somebody's attic or cellar, and horrific scenery involving corpses and swarming insects have all been done before and since elsewhere, and in some cases with better special effects, but none of these elements by themselves can be considered Phenomena's downfall.No, the real problem with this film is that the writer and director simply tosses all these elements in seemingly almost at random with little to no effort to make the story binding them all together make any sense.
As an ostensible horror-mystery, Phenomena has too many questions left unasked and unanswered in favor of prolonged lingering over shots of gore and rotting flesh for this to be a decent mystery, and too much of a mystery plot requiring a resolution we're never given for this to be a credible horror story.Really, Dario Argento would have done much better had he focused much more on the one original element of this story that truly shines through all the others, that being the protagonist Jennifer Corvino's mysterious connection to the bugs.
Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable (and it would have been decades ahead of that film).Instead, alas, we get this incoherent mess of a film in which the killer (or one of the killers; who did each of the killings and why is one more plot point never really adequately clarified) actually taunts Jennifer at one point by asking her why she doesn't just call those swarms of her insect friends to come rescue her the same way they already have (twice!), and we in the audience have to ask "Yeah, why don't you!?" Jennifer Connelly is a lovely girl and (we know from other movies) an excellent actress.
Don't listen to the Italo-snob fan boys who try to justify this film's merit by praising the "texture" or telling you you've "missed the point." (Yeah, it's "all about the atmosphere," we get it now, sure.) All the positive reviews are coming from those who already know and like Argento's works -- this does not mean his works (or at least this particular work) are any good.
At all."Phenomena" is painfully slow, with excruciatingly boring dialog scenes between Connelly and an entomologist, bad editing, a soundtrack only a lunatic could have thought was appropriate to this film (Iron Maiden during the most "suspensful" scenes?) and to top it all off, the day is saved by a monkey.
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.
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..
If you did see the movie, in either or both versions, well you can keep on reading.First, the few good things about the film: Jennifer Connelly is amazingly beautiful; it's always fun to see Donald Pleasence; the cinematography is sharp; moody music provided by Bill Wyman and Simonetti (forget the Metal stuff).
Then there's the rest, such as story, acting, suspense, logic, whatever, is completely lacking.It's obvious that by the time Argento made PHENOMENA, he didn't care about anything but coming up with interesting visuals and ideas, no matter how illogical or incongruous they were vis a vis the storyline or characters' actions.
This is horror movie and yet it's not frightening or horrifying in any way (except for the usual killing of girls aspect standard in all Argento films).
I'm so happy to see her now getting recognition with her performances in "Requiem For a Dream" and "A Beautiful Mind."Also, Daria Nicolodi and Donald Pleasence contribute immensely to the fun of "Phenomena," and if you enjoy heavy metal/hard rock music, you'll love this films soundtrack.My Score: 9 out of 10..
As with other films of his "classic" era like Opera and Suspiria, he doesn't tether himself to logic; it would only get in the way of his big ideas and abstractions, his visual of Jennifer looking down that white hallway, the little fly buzzing along with her, and of course the eventual lair of the killer.That lair, I should add, is the kind of place that, as Argento directs it, gets scarier as it goes along.
But as if to seal the deal on making this a near-classic horror film, Argento does a crazy double-twist, one that had me raising eyebrows, laughing uncontrollably, and with a feeling that, as twisted as it's become, justice has been served.Even with the (cool) metal music not in cue to the scenes most of the time when they pop up (the Goblin music fares much better), and even with the lapses in judgment or the occasional poor acting turn, Phenomena should be something of a must-see for die-hards of Italian giallo, or just anyone wanting something a tinge 'different' in their slasher movie.
With Phenomena, Dario Argento, undisputed king of the stylish giallo, takes a particularly outlandish and plot-hole ridden script (featuring a killer mutant child, a vengeful razor-wielding chimp, and a heroine who can communicate telepathically with insects) and delivers a film that will leave viewers either totally bemused by its undeniably preposterous story, or, like me, completely enthralled by its energetic and innovative direction, pounding electronic/rock/opera soundtrack, and grotesque imagery.The oh-so tasty Jennifer Connelly stars as (the unimaginatively named) Jennifer, sleepwalking friend to bugs and daughter of famous movie star Paul Corvino.
After being sent to study at an exclusive girls school in Switzerland, young Jen uses her special ability to talk to insects to try and help a disabled etymologist (played by seasoned horror star Donald Pleasance), and Inga, his assistant chimpanzee (a great performance by Tanga the chimp), search for a vicious psycho killer who has been killing local girls and hiding the bodies.Don't go looking for a logical story (very few Argento movies have one, and Phenomena's plot is bizarre, even by his standards); instead, just revel in the outrageous and stylish deaths, enjoy the sumptuous visuals accompanied by a brilliantly eclectic soundtrack (featuring work by Claudio Simonetti, Bill Wyman, Motorhead and Iron Maiden), marvel at a fantastic OTT performance from Daria Nicolodi, and drool at the scrumptious Ms. Connelly as she walks through wind-blown forests, crawls through subterranean tunnels and repeatedly plunges under the surface of a pool filled with maggot infested body-parts..
The basic premise follows Jennifer Connelly as a young American student in a Swiss school who can communicate with insects and become embroiled in the murders of both classmates and staff at the school.Argento's film is dark and somber and is made even more distant and eerie by the terse dialogue and alienating silences.
With the help of a local entomologist, she discovers she has a psychic ability to communicate with insects, a power she harnesses in an attempt to uncover the killer.One of the most divisive films Argento has made (aside perhaps from "The Mother of Tears"), "Phenomena" certainly ranks up there among his goofiest films, characterized by bizarre musical choices (i.e. a lush and elegant score jutted up against intermittent heavy metal tracks by Mötorhead), a plot that is tempestuous at best, all of it tied up by an equally goofy conclusion.All that being said, "Phenomena," for all its inconsistencies and eccentricities, is one of his most visually enticing films that at times feels like a juvenile-based reworking of "Suspiria." It shares many plot similarities with it, and while it is not as cohesive, "Phenomena" still manages to achieve fairytale-like visuals that are truly captivating.
For a start, here Argento has the young girls he wasn't allowed to use in the earlier film and a big difference it makes is that the 14 year old Jennifer Connelly is believably naive and worried yet aware of her affinity with insects.
Maybe it was to get another glimpse at a young Jennifer Connelly.The facts are that (1) the dialog is incredibly stupid; (2) the acting is horrible; (3) the film is just Grade B all the way.....maybe Grade C, if there is such a thing.Sometimes the weirder the movie, the more national critics like it.
Title: Phenomena (1985) Director: Dario Argento Cast: Jennifer Connelly, Daria Nicoladi, Donald Pleasence Review: Dario Argento's Phenomena was released in the U.S. sometime ago, but it was an edited version of the film (about 30 minutes of dialogue were cut out of it)and it was re-titled Creepers.
Then a few years ago those nifty guys and gals over at Anchorbay Entertainment released it on DVD almost fully uncut but still missing 6 minutes.Phenomena tells the story of Jennifer Corvino, daughter of a rich actor who ends up in a Swiss boarding school for girls.
Her mentor advises her to use her power with insects to find the killer.Directed by Dario Argento (Deep Red, Opera, Suspiria) made a typically stylish, wildly made horror fantasy film.
(****1/2 out of *****) My personal favorite Argento picture, this stars a young Jennifer Connelly (who would later go on to win a best supporting actress oscar for "A Beautiful Mind") as an American student in a snobby Swiss boarding school that is being terrorized by a brutal serial killer.
This character have force because is very natural, even the white dress that Argento gives her is exactly what denote her as perfectly character who must be introduce it into a fantastical (In this case) horrible world, and, for her characterization, is her relation with insects, although that is not the unique fantastical elements, but i think that don't should be decrypted just because can be a kind of spoiler.Another exceptional thing to be reviewed is its photography, its air, "Phenomena" is like those midnight fantastic stories for go to sleep , bloody and mysterious.
Of course, i'm not surprised that this movie is Argento favorite of his career, or at least that i know, but something is sure and i really think that this, with "Suspiria", are the best work of this fantastic director, a man who drawn us a great midnight story perfectly for go to sleep, between insects and flowers.*Sorry for the mistakes...well, if there any..
This film has some terrific special effects that involve the use of insects and a hard-hitting soundtrack that is a combination of heavy metal and the usual Argento style dream-like background music that helps make his films work.
phenomena is a great Dario Argento film,released in the us as creepers with several cuts.the beautiful Jennifer Connelly plays a young Italian girl who attends a school for girls in Switzerland where a killer is at large,Jennifer finds out she can communicate with insects,and i mean all insects.she befriends a kindly crippled professor(Donald pleasense) who studies insects,together they try to solve the murders of young girls.i regard phenomena as one of Dario argentos greatest films.
Jennifer Connelly was just starting her career as an actress,after this she went on to star in labyrinth with singer David bowie.if you like Dario argento films you will definitely like phenomena.the cut version known as creepers is available on the 50 drive in classics from mill creek entertainment.10 out of 10..
One the best horror films i ever seen, and in my opinion, one of the Italy's premier horror director, Dario Argento best and personal film.Phenomena is a beautiful giallo\natural horror movie, with a great story, ambiance,natural land scape, and a sensational soundtrack by "The Goblins" and Simon Boswell.In this film, Argento focus the essence of terror and fear, the ambiance is full of strong colors that help creating an supernatural fantastic atmosphere, that is unique in "Phenomena"..The gorgeous Jennifer Connelly stars as Jennifer Corvino, and the classic Donald Pleasance as Dr.Macgregor...Please if you buy or rent this film, please don't get the US version, "Creepers" (82 min!!!), buy or rent European uncut version, "Phenomena" (110 min, much better!).
If you like this movie, i recommend 3 Dario Argento's master-pieces: "Suspiria" ; "Tenebre" and "Profondo Rosso", highly recommended for all real horror\giallo fans....
(Think the BRIGHT red blood in Deep Red or Inferno.)  Rather, this film has a bizarre but coherent and intriguing story, with sufficient character development (for the major characters, anyway -- supporting roles are shallow as ever) and tasteful, effective special effects.Unfortunately, as in every Argento film I've seen, the sound mixing is horrid, with the soundtrack music blasting far louder than dialogue or anything else; further, most selections -- speed metal -- are totally inappropriate to the scenes in which they are used, and destroy atmosphere rather than contributing to it.Up-tempo Iron Maiden may not be the worst choice for a chase scene, but when a girl is hesitantly stumbling about a dark building, it just doesn't cut it.
This movie'd be a lot better without that awful music, a song by "Iron maiden" or some other band (rock music however) is played in a scene which was supposed to create a feeling of horror or at least thrill in the viewer.Jennifer Connelly sure is too beautiful for a 14 year-old, but she started her career in modelling in the age of 10!
Phenomena (1985) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Dario Argento thriller about a young girl (Jennifer Connelly) who goes to stay at a boarding school where she learns about her ability to communicate with insects.
One of the most striking things about this film is the excellent soundtrack, moody rock tracks by groups such as Iron Maiden......great stuff.The acting is fairly good and the story is interesting and believable revolving around a young American girl, who has the ability to communicate with insects, sent to a boarding school in Switzerland at the same time a killer is committing grizzly murders.
The Dario Argento's PHENOMENA is interesting on many aspects:First it mixes horror with the paranormal in a very curious way, presenting us a character, JENNIFER CORVINO (played by the already promising actress Jennifer Connelly, just 15 at the time) which has a strange relation with insects, as they understand each other as they were friends!