PHENOMENA (a.k.a. CREEPERS) (1985)
Starring Jennifer Connelly and Donald Pleasence
Overly complicated Argento film that stands out as one of the director's worst. Still it does have no-Oscar winning actress Jennifer Connelly in it (she was only a teen at the time) as an American who attends an all-girl school that happens to be near where a standard, Argento-style serial killer has been offing schoolgirls.
Connelly also happens to have a psychic link to insects and when schoolgirls start teasing her, she uses her powers Carrie-style to bring an army of flies to campus. Pleasence plays a local insect expert who befriends Connelly. An invalid, he uses a monkey as a personal aide to get his food, search for murder clues, etc. The monkey has a great chase scene with the killer.
Oh ... and Connelly is a sleepwalker who witnesses a murder but doesn't remember it. In fact, she never remembers it. All of Argento's films are somewhat confusing and require a tremendous ability to suspend disbelief—but this one went way too far.
As usual, there are some
stylish killings, particularly a beheading that happens early on the proceedings. There's
plenty of good music too, including a piece by Goblin and a great tune by Bill Wyman of
the Rolling Stones.
An uncut version was released in 1999 by Anchor Bay that was 28 minutes longer than the version that was previously released in the U.S. under the title "Creepers." But even fully uncut, the film is only somewhat better.
What does help the Anchor Bay release is the inclusion of a Wyman rock video directed by Michele Soavi, who directed "Cemetery Man," appears at the end of the tape. It's not the kind of stuff that appears on MTV. There's also an interview with Dario Argento that was conducted on an obscure U.S. talk show during the film's American release under the title "Creepers."
Worth catching if you're a hardcore Argento fan. Otherwise, pass. Argento followed this up by producing the infinitely superior "Demons."