It is an art film without intending to be an art film but that is sort of the Italian horror style. Like other Argento films, this plays like a horror fantasy and there is a beauty about the surrealistic essence of this movie. It is a beautiful film to look at, even at its most grotesque. I hold it in the same regard as Suspiria. If you are a fan of Argento’s work and haven’t seen this, you need to. But that monkey is one of the most tragic characters ever in film – more so than any human in the movie, even with the sweet Connelly winning you over immediately. Yes, it sounds incredibly insane and it is. There are strange murders happening nearby and the girl gets mixed up in trying to solve the crime with help from an old crippled bug scientist and his monkey nurse. She sleepwalks and sees things psychically, she is also able to control bugs. The film follows an American girl sent off to a foreign school (similar setup to Suspiria). The rest of the actors are mostly Italian and have their lines dubbed, which is typical of many of Argento’s films and just adds more bizarreness to the overall vibe of things. There is also a monkey, who is the caretaker of Pleasence’s character. It stars a 15 year-old Jennifer Connelly and Donald Pleasence. If you have ever seen his most well-known film Suspiria, then you can understand the bizarre visual ride of dread that this film is. Phenomena is a semi-English language Italian horror film from Dario Argento. Titanus, New Line Cinema, Anchor Bay Entertainment, 115 Minutes (Italy), 82 Minutes (USA) Written by: Dario Argento, Franco FerriniĬast: Jennifer Connelly, Daria Nicolodi, Dalila Di Lazzaro, Donald Pleasence, Patrick Bauchau Also known as: Creepers (initial USA release)
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |