![]() Not just the look and style, but also his way of making horror unique. One is like a chilling lullaby drawing in the audience while the other is an excellent accompaniment to the terror Jennifer must feel as she has entered this dark fairytale.Īrgento’s Phenomena is an amalgamation of what the director truly did well in this time period. Somehow, the two very different styles are complimentary to each other, or at least, make sense in the context of this strange (in the best ways) movie. He utilizes the main soundtrack of eerie operatic crooning to set a dreamy tone which is bluntly interrupted by the screeching Iron Maiden and Motor Head. Personally, I think that Argento’s use of Heavy Metal in this flick was genius. This is incredibly important, as Phenomena was Argento’s experiment with incorporating Heavy Metal in conjunction with the haunting, twinkling melodies that were expected in horror films at this time. These elements are only enhanced by this new 4K Ultra HD edition from Synapse Films which looks absolutely stunning on the screen.Īdditionally, the sound is also superbly done on this new edition. At the same time, the audience feels as if they have fallen into a dark, bizarre fairytale. Phenomena deviates by leaning more into slasher territory, which was the center of horror pop culture at the time. A young woman travels abroad to a school in which her friends are being targeted by a mysterious force. Still, Phenomena shares certain themes with the earlier Suspiria. This works to emphasize Jennifer’s loneliness. Instead of leaning on the vivid technicolor inspired images from Suspiria and Inferno, Argento maintains a certain bluish quality for Phenomena. With soon nowhere else to turn, Jennifer must rely on her unusual abilities to survive. Unfortunately, Jennifer is being bullied by her schoolmates and the headmistress of her school. Each has lost someone important to the killer and fear that Jennifer might be next. Confiding in the local forensic entomologist John McGregor (Donald Pleasence), the two devise a plan to find the killer by using the nature of insects to guide them. Jennifer, however, is no ordinary schoolgirl, as she can telepathically communicate with insects. There is an unidentified killer in the town, and Jennifer’s tendency to sleepwalk leads her to be an accidental witness to one of the murders. The story follows Jennifer (Connelly), the daughter of a famous actor sent to a Swiss boarding school. Love Real Life Ghost Hunting Shows? CLICK HERE FOR MORE! I believe that it is Argento still at his prime. Suspiria and Deep Red tend to make the top of most “Best of” Argento lists, but Phenomena certainly holds its own. ![]() Yet, there are also elements related to American cinema, as Phenomena also feels a bit like Carrie as a detective in an ‘80s slasher. A movie that encapsulates all the best of what we love about Dario Argento: part giallo, part supernatural, part dream (or nightmare). This was a complete version that was smooth, and all the moments that I believed were low budget were unveiled to be part of a greater, incredibly well-made movie. The DVD was the 110-minute international version (also included on this set), and I realized how mistaken I was about the film being choppy. ![]() ![]() Related: Back to the ‘80s: Dario Argento’s Phenomena I purchased a DVD copy of Phenomena and was amazed. As the years passed, I would revisit my VHS copy however, it was not until I started watching other Argento movies that I realized Creepers was really Phenomena. This version, which was the 83-minute version known as Creepers (and included in this set) felt choppy, but I presumed that was just a part of the low-budget 80s feel that was a regular occurrence in the genre at the time. The feeling of entering a dream-like world enthralled me, as I was of course unfamiliar with Argento’s signature style. The music, the style, the bizarre images all seemed very different than the countless horror movies I watched growing up. ![]() From the moment I popped in the tape, I was mesmerized. ![]()
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