Review of Phenomena (1985) by Darian C — 27 May 2011

From Italian maestro Dario Argento comes a serious "WTF?" movie from start to finish. Dario Argento must have dropped acid when he was writing this because there's so much crazy stuff going on, and the fact the main character an communicate with insects is the least of it.

Argento combines the two genres of horror he has done, the supernatural horror and the giallo horror. The body count is one of Argento's lowest, but it makes up for this because every scene is a serious delight to watch.

There's a big twist at the end that I found fantastic, and there are more than a few scenes that will shock you. Anchor Bay released this twice onto DVD (one a special edition) and adds back in the 28 minutes that were cut from the film when it was released in the U.

S. under the title Creepers. Sure to be a hit with audiences is the professor played by the late and always awesome Donald Pleasance. The professor also has a pet chimp, and the chimp sure comes in handy later in the movie.

The special effects are amazing as always, and the kills are very brutal, as in most of Dario's films. One gripe I have is not with the actual film, but with the Creepers poster art. I never liked it, and I much prefer the Phenomena poster, with the beautially painted electrified hands and Jennifer Connely surrounded by her insects.

Anchor Bay opted to use the Creepers art for their Special Edition, which kind of frustrates me. Anyway, Phenomena is a a great film that is easily in the top three of Argento films (rivaling Deep Red and Suspiria).