A young girl who has an amazing ability to communicate with insects is transferred to an exclusive Swiss boarding school, where her unusual capability might help solve a string of murders.
Growing up in Dublin, Ireland, throughout the ’70s and ’80s, I saw many horror films on VHS. I saw a lot of Dario Argento’s movies, and while I didn’t care for many of them, “Phenomena,” or as it was known in Ireland, “Creepers,” was the one I thoroughly enjoyed the most. At that time, my sister was fascinated with “Labyrinth,” and as a result, I was familiar with Jennifer Connelly, so seeing her in an Italian supernatural horror giallo film, along with “Halloween” ’s Donald Pleasance, made for a pleasant surprise.
I hadn’t watched the movie in over 25 years, so when Synapse Films sent me a two-disc set review copy, remastered in 4K Ultra HD™ and Dolby Vision, I was excited to watch it again after all this time. The 4K transfer is immaculate. The set includes all three versions of “Phenomena,” including the original Italian version (116 mins.), the International cut (110 mins.), and the U.S. “Creepers” cut (83 mins.). It also has lossless English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 stereo soundtracks on the international version, derived from the original 4-channel Dolby Stereo elements, and rare alternate DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo mix on the international version, featuring different sound effects and music cues.
The movie looks like it could have been shot yesterday, and that is where Synapse Films excels in their 4K restorations. Other titles such as “Living Dead at Manchester Morgue,” “Demons I & II,” “The Kindred,” and “Tenebrae” all look fantastic; the colors are sumptuous and lush, and “Phenomena” is no different. While the story is, at times, chaotic, the visual presentation is strikingly glorious.
Jennifer Connelly plays Jennifer Corvino, the daughter of a famous American movie star who has just arrived in Switzerland to attend the prestigious Richard Wagner Academy for Girls. Upon her arrival, her roommate, Sophie (Federica Mastroianni), informs her that some girls from the school disappeared and were later found dead by a mysterious killer. Jennifer becomes friends with a local forensic entomologist, John McGregor (Donald Pleasance), who theorizes that the killer is a necrophile who keeps his victims’ bodies close to him, based on discovering a maggot-infested glove belonging to Jennifer’s roommate, Sophie, found stabbed to death. It soon becomes apparent to John that Jennifer has a telepathic link with insects and identifies the maggots as the larvae of Great Sarcophagus flies, which are drawn to decaying human flesh. After Sophie’s death, Jennifer wants to leave Switzerland to return to America. The school’s principal, Frau Brückner (Daria Nicolodi), agrees to take her to the airport the next day, allowing her to stay at her house for the night, but Jennifer quickly realizes that the killer may be hiding in plain sight.
Director Dario Argento was never known for his narrative coherency, even more so here. While there appears to be a straightforward story lurking underneath innumerable plots and subplots, it finally reaches a resolution after becoming disoriented and taking the long way around. Argento was always about creating a particular ambiance, whether it was the surreal, mysterious atmosphere surrounding the Tanz Dance Academy in “Suspiria” or the fetishistic, nightmarish environment of “Deep Red,” Argento always knew how to pull the rug from under his fans, leaving them unsettled but at the same time, exhilarated.
“Phenomena” is filled with an ethereal, dreamlike quality equivalent to a nightmarish fairytale you can’t wake up from. The fact that it is so disjointed and incoherent adds to its engagingness. It is far from Argento’s best work, but it most certainly has his fingerprints all over it, even if they are sometimes directionless.
Available in a 2-Disc 4K Ultra HD™ Set March 14th
