PhenomenaPeople with special talents are often misunderstood--like Jennifer Corvino (Jennifer Connelly), who can communicate with insects; knowing how to harness these talents can sometimes be the difference between life and death. Phenomena is a horror film by Dario Argento, about a grisly killer who has been mutilating young girls in the Swiss countryside for the past eight months. Jennifer comes to stay at an uptight boarding house while her father (an actor) is on assignment. She experiences premonitions and sleepwalks during her visit, which brings her to a reclusive entomologist named Professor John McGregor (Donald Pleasence). He recognizes her unique talent to form a sympathetic bond with bugs, which he believes can help them discover the identity of the serial killer at large.
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Originally released internationally as Creepers, Phenomena contains many familiar tropes of Argento's distinct style of filmmaking, combining dream-like imagery and vibrant colors with scenes of gore and grisly violence. The killer is unseen through much of the film; the camera chases around the killer's victims, giving the audience the point of view of this vicious maniac. Several of the killer's victims are decapitated Argento would return to this in Trauma, and other moments involve victims heads being smashed through panes of glass, similar to Suspiria. Both of these films also feature a young woman as the protagonist who finds herself pursued or sequestered by figures of authority. As in Suspiria, the boarding school is more of a prison than a place of learning, and Jennifer feels like an outsider from the start, in spite of her roommate, Sophie (Federica Mastroianni). Jennifer's affinity for insects emerges early, like when she tries to prevent her liaison at the boarding school, Frau Brückner (Daria Nicolodi), from smashing the bee as it buzzes in the backseat. Jennifer's fondness for insects speaks to her overall benevolent attitude (she literally wouldn't hurt a fly) and that she is a vegetarian is meant to suggest that she is an all-around gentle person, even if she gets impatient to get something that she wants--perhaps she has been a bit spoiled being the daughter of a famous actor. Jennifer comes from a broken home, a detail innocently (if unceremoniously) brought up by Sophie during her first night at the school. Jennifer tells her a personal story about the Christmas when her mother walked out on her and her father--a memory that has the air of authenticity to it, and adding an extra dimension to her character. Despite Jennifer and McGregor bonding over a mutual love for insects and their professed claims to be "different" from other people, they are arguably the two most normal people in Phenomena--it is everyone else in and around Zürich who seem strange. Her father's lawyer, Morris Shapiro (Mario Donatone), handpicked the Swiss Richard Wagner Academy for Jennifer, but it's clear that he didn't vet it in advance. It is run by a domineering and uptight headmistress (Dalila Di Lazzaro), who is a bit too quick to solicit quack psychologists to have Jennifer committed after she leaves the grounds during a sleepwalking episode. Although she is blessed to have no memory of witnessing a classmate being murdered, she wanders out into the road where she is hit by a car, and then nearly molested by the young men in the car before escaping their clutches. Maybe it is the wind that comes down from the Alps that causes it, but by depicting virtually everyone else in this "Swiss Transylvania" as lunatics, Jennifer and McGregor become more sympathetic, despite their fondness for creepy crawlies.
Phenomena is a stylized film that often approaches tense moments preceding scenes of violence like a music video. In addition to a musical score composed by Goblin--frequent collaborators with Argento--the soundtrack also features songs by Iron Maiden and Motörhead. The music has a kind of "techno-gothic" vibe to it, also reminiscent of the popular video game series, "Castlevania". When Jennifer goes into a trance, the audience is treated to rapid cutaways of long, bright corridors and ascending staircases--abstract imagery as mysterious as Jennifer's spells. Jennifer's enigmatic ability to bond and communicate with insects helps her reveal the secret identity of the terrible killer stalking the Swiss countryside. The insects react to her mood--like when McGregor notices that she is stressed out--and when a group of schoolgirls torment her about her command over insects, an ominous swarm of flies descends on the school in a supernatural display reminiscent of Carrie. Jennifer does not resent her gift, but it necessitates that she manages her reactions in light of it. McGregor offers that people who are different are often perceived as insane, and because of Jennifer's behavior, the headmistress reaches this knee jerk conclusion. Jennifer and McGregor's fondness for bugs affords Dario Argento plenty of opportunities for gross-out moments in Phenomena--in addition to his use of mutilation and fake blood--like maggots, used at one point in Suspiria to add to the creep factor. In Phenomena, however, maggots are given a more practical role; McGregor observes that they represent a means to identify the likely time of death of the killer's first victim, based on the state of decay and types of insects infesting the corpse. This detail gives Phenomena aspects of a procedural thriller, where scientific method is used to deduce details about a crime--an element that adds depth to this horror film.
Recommended for: Fans of a surreal and ultra-violent horror movie that combines suspense, gross set pieces, and supernatural eeriness. Phenomena occasionally maintains an unnatural tone and pacing, but adds to its nightmarish and unnerving aesthetic. Phenomena was the first lead role for Jennifer Connelly--who would shortly thereafter go on to star in Labyrinth, a far more light-hearted adventure--and qualities of her acting style can be seen emerging in this film.
Phenomena is a stylized film that often approaches tense moments preceding scenes of violence like a music video. In addition to a musical score composed by Goblin--frequent collaborators with Argento--the soundtrack also features songs by Iron Maiden and Motörhead. The music has a kind of "techno-gothic" vibe to it, also reminiscent of the popular video game series, "Castlevania". When Jennifer goes into a trance, the audience is treated to rapid cutaways of long, bright corridors and ascending staircases--abstract imagery as mysterious as Jennifer's spells. Jennifer's enigmatic ability to bond and communicate with insects helps her reveal the secret identity of the terrible killer stalking the Swiss countryside. The insects react to her mood--like when McGregor notices that she is stressed out--and when a group of schoolgirls torment her about her command over insects, an ominous swarm of flies descends on the school in a supernatural display reminiscent of Carrie. Jennifer does not resent her gift, but it necessitates that she manages her reactions in light of it. McGregor offers that people who are different are often perceived as insane, and because of Jennifer's behavior, the headmistress reaches this knee jerk conclusion. Jennifer and McGregor's fondness for bugs affords Dario Argento plenty of opportunities for gross-out moments in Phenomena--in addition to his use of mutilation and fake blood--like maggots, used at one point in Suspiria to add to the creep factor. In Phenomena, however, maggots are given a more practical role; McGregor observes that they represent a means to identify the likely time of death of the killer's first victim, based on the state of decay and types of insects infesting the corpse. This detail gives Phenomena aspects of a procedural thriller, where scientific method is used to deduce details about a crime--an element that adds depth to this horror film.
Recommended for: Fans of a surreal and ultra-violent horror movie that combines suspense, gross set pieces, and supernatural eeriness. Phenomena occasionally maintains an unnatural tone and pacing, but adds to its nightmarish and unnerving aesthetic. Phenomena was the first lead role for Jennifer Connelly--who would shortly thereafter go on to star in Labyrinth, a far more light-hearted adventure--and qualities of her acting style can be seen emerging in this film.