Review of Phenomena (1985) by Adam R — 02 Jan 2011

It's no wonder this film made no sense; the version I saw was a heavily chopped edit that dropped about half an hour from the movie's run time. Still, I won't let a silly thing like that stop me from complaining.

Sort of like Dario Argento's earlier "Deep Red," the resolution of this murder mystery yarn is less important to the artist than the case itself, especially the twists and turns -- and bodycount -- that occur along the way. Unfortunately, "Creepers" fails to build the kind of suspense or interest that would make even the most curious viewer stick around to see the denouement.

Jennifer Corvino (an impressive Jennifer Connelly in her first major role), the daughter of an American actor, is sent to a Swiss boarding school both for education and to hopefully rid her of her sleepwalking problem. However, as a killer stalks the grounds, Jennifer befriends a crippled entomologist (Donald Pleasence) who recognizes the psychic connection the young girl shares with insects and encourages her to use her power in the service of justice.

After some sexually tense scenes between Jennifer and her all-girl schoolmates -- practically mandatory in Italian psychological thrillers but not without their usefulness here -- we move into Jennifer's investigation, which leads into the pathetic, nonsensical third act -- which, I suspect, is probably the main beneficiary of some editor's overzealous eye.