Phenomena (1985)

Directed by Dario Argento. Starring Jennifer Connelly, Daria Nicolodi, Donald Pleasence, Patrick Bauchau, Dalila Di Lazzaro, Federica Mastroianni, Fiora Argento, Mario Donatone. [R]

Another surreal, stylish shocker from Dario Argento, the penultimate film of his fruitful period (‘70-‘87), and as expected, the narrative is a muddle and acting highly variable (mostly poor), but the imagination, visuals, and jolts are often glorious. A series of murders take place around a girl’s boarding school, which is familiar stuff until Argento starts piling on the bizarre details, including a young heroine (Connelly) who has a telepathic connection to insects, and a forensic scientist (Pleasance, sporting a come-and-go Scottish accent) who keeps a chimpanzee as a companion! Barely holds together, and motivations/explanations waver between the ill-defined and the laughable, but there’s enough beauty and brutality along the way to keep fans intrigued. Original score by Goblin, with hard rock soundtrack contributions from the likes of Iron Maiden and Motorhead. The version initially released in the U.S. was about twenty minutes shorter and went by the name Creepers (as should go without saying, stick with the original cut).

66/100