Phenomena (Widescreen): Amazon.ca: Jennifer Connelly, Donald Pleasence, Daria Nicolodi, Dalila Di Lazzaro, Patrick Bauchau, Fiore Argento, Federica Mastroianni, Fiorenza Tessari, Mario Donatone, Francesca Ottaviani, Michele Soavi, Franco Trevisi, Romano Albani, Dario Argento, Franco Fraticelli, Angelo Jacono, Franco Ferrini: DVD

Product Description

From Amazon.com

Italian horror maestro Dario Argento made his name by turning homicide into modern art with a cinematic flourish, but with Phenomena he takes his stylish mayhem in new directions. The film opens with the dreamy grace of a fairy tale: a young girl wandering the green meadows of Switzerland and discovering a gingerbread house, wherein lives a monster more modern than mythic, a psychopathic maniac who plunges the picture into a lush nightmare. Jennifer (Jennifer Connelly in her first starring role), a gifted young girl at a Swiss school, has a psychic link to the insect world and develops a connection with the killer through midnight sleepwalks. With the help of a lonely, wheelchair-bound entomologist (genre stalwart Donald Pleasence, who inflects his sonorous tenor with a gentle Scottish burr) she turns telekinetic detective, which only draws her closer to the killer's lair. The densely plotted story becomes muddled at times (this is the busiest film in Argento's oeuvre) but the lyrical cinematography and gorgeous nocturnal imagery--dreamy sleepwalks, nightmarish murders, hideous horrors that emerge in the dark of night--take on a poetic elegance not seen in his previous work, providing the tale with a kind of dream logic. This is a slasher film reborn as an exquisitely grim fantasy: Jennifer in Argentoland. --Sean Axmaker

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

(What's this?)

Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)

classic horror and suspense(1)

Customer Reviews

72 Reviews

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(2)

Average Customer Review

4.2 out of 5 stars (72 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most helpful customer reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars ok movie, Nov 27 2011

By

Juan Castillo "draakus" (Montreal, QC, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Phenomena (DVD)

the movie looks Ok for its age. a few special effects really show outdated, but what can you do.
Jennifer Connelly is good in her part.
I guess the movie must have been considered a bit freaky in those times...because of the supernatural elements and Jennifer's powers...

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse

5.0 out of 5 stars My third Dario Argento Movie I viewed., Oct 22 2004

By

Jeremy Matthew Brown (Thompson, Manitoba Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Phenomena (Widescreen) (DVD)

The first movie of Dario Argento's I watched was Opera. The second movie was Tenebrae. Out of all three movies directed by Dario Argento that I have seen so far, this is the best one. Everything about this movie is enjoyable.
The soundtrack is amazing! It is peacful yet keeps you on the edge of your seat. The music fits in incredibly well.
This is the first horror movie that has made me cringe..the murder scences are really full of gore. I could feel the pain the victums were going through! I had to bite on a blanket I was covered with.
During this film, I fell in love with Jennifer. She is an innocent girl who gets involved with the murders happening around her and soon becomes the next victum. There were times I thought she was a goner but like most movies, the main character does not die.
To be honest, this is my favourite movie I own. I could put it in my dvd player and watch it again right now. I just finished it before I started writting this too! I have tons of movies, mostly horror, and out of all the ones I own I have never felt that way before. This movie is truely amazing. I do not see why fans bash this great movie. I enjoyed it a lot. I had low epectations because of other reviewers but bought it anyway. I am extremely glad to say, I was filled with satisfaction while watching this.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse

2.0 out of 5 stars Hope you're not afraid of bugs, July 17 2004

By

Vagabond77 (Tennessee, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Phenomena (Widescreen) (DVD)

Dario Argento's "Phenomena" is the story of young Jennifer (a very young Jennifer Connelly), who is sent to a Swiss boarading school for girls. She has a special talent for communicating with insects, especially maggots and flys. And it is a good thing, because she is going to need it to help solve a series of murders in the area. My first problem with "Phenomena" (which was relesed in the U.S. under the name "Creepers") is that it bears a large resembelence to Argento's earlier film "Susperia"; also about a young girl who moves into an all girls boarding school where weird stuff is happeneing. This film is another one of those movies that only work when you are caught up in the moment and do not think too hard about what is going on in the long run. Believe it or not, the fact that Jennifer can talk to animals is probably the most plausable aspect of the movie. Then you start trying to connect the dots, it makes for spotty work at best. For example, the characters seem to be able to make intuitive deductions without much evidence to go on; they seem to show up at the right place at the right time for no appeareant reason. And the pet monkey seems to be able to find a weapon just in the nick of time (I didn't know people just throw away perfectly good, never been used, streight razors all the time in a trash can in the middle of the woods) and know just how and when to use it. The audio mix on the DVD is also a little off, and I don't mean because it was dubbed into English from Italian. The soundtrack (which by the way is very cool, Iron Maidon and Motorhead!!) seems to have been placed in at the most inappropriot places in the movie. The actors just did what they had to do; Jennifer Connelly was playing the Nancy Drew bit to the hilt. Donald Pleasents basicly plays Dr. Sam Lomis (from "Halloween") again, this time wheel chair bound with a monkey and maggot covered severed head for company. The others are pretty forgetable. I did like the photography, it was well lit and the locations and settings were phenominal (no pun intended). So, it is just an interesting foot note in Italian cinema.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 72 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

Want to see more reviews on this item?

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 110 reviews 4.2 out of 5 stars

Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Argento! Original and Creative!
It's hard to find horror movies that haven't taken some kind of thought or idea from a previous one but Dario Argeto's ("Tenebre", "Susupiria", "Deep... Read more

Published on July 15 2004 by Guido

5.0 out of 5 stars A real jolter!
In Switzerland, an American girl named "Jennifer" ( Played by Jennifer Connelly) is attending a girl school there but unknown to her she has special telepathic powers... Read more

Published on Jun 22 2004 by John Lindsey