Argento's Phenomena.....awsome!!!! (1 Viewer)

[Christina_V]

Wow.....i just got finsihed watching the entire film for the first time(only saw the first hour way back since the disc froze)....but i bought double feature LE with version 2.0 of the release and it worked fine Got scared for a second,when the movie paused noticably for a second durring Donald Pleasences lines at the 1 hour mark...then resumed back to normal,probably just a very noticable layer change?
Anyway.....i have to say this is one of Argento's best films,right up there with Opera. It's a beautiful,haunting,bizzare and very unigue horror film that plays out like a grotesque fairy tale. I loved the score/music used throughout the film and how he inserted it into the most uexpected scenes.......changing them dramtically,but really adding a unique twist to them,making them seem more original & intersting,than if he tryed to use standard music,to try creating suspense ect & boring us to death because it's been done to death......so the rock/metal soundtrack really added a quirky punch to the scenes.
......& just when you think the movie is more like a bizzare slowly unfolding dream...it erupts into maddness at the end & catch's you by suprise with it's brutality.
**** out of ****
Definately worth a look,especially if you're just getting into Argento's work.
btw-make sure you see this full uncut version of the film & not the 82mn US version titled Creepers. Unlike Deep Red,which works(to me) with the shorter length(107mn instead of the full 126mn)......Phenomena works perfect at it's full length that the US release will be extremely truncated & incoherent...so i never bothered seeing that version.

 

[Brad_W]

Thanks for the review Christina! I've been sitting on my copy of Phenomena since I've bought it because I was all "Argento-ed out" after I watched a couple of his films all in one week. I just may have to spin it tomorrow.
EDIT I'm not literally sitting on my DVD.

 

[Dome Vongvises]

Yeah, Phenomenon is pretty cool. But of course, Jennifer Connelly certainly helps. I'm frightened, I haven't mentioned Jennifer Connelly for the past three months, and I've made three posts that have mentioned her name in less than an hour. Mmm... that's odd

 

[DaveCheung]

This was the second Argento I saw (SUSPIRIA was the first) and my personal favorite for those same reasons, even if the plot doesn't make any logical sense plus all those flies and the monkey. I've found it amusing that some Argento fans disliked it because of those "defects" as if SUSPIRIA is anymore logical, but he guides the viewer with such powerful images and sounds and that logic hardly matters.

 

[Will K]

It's companies like Anchor Bay that make me want to drop to my knees and thank the DVD Gods! Argento fans were stuck with the American version(Creepers) for years until we finally got to see this one in its uncut glory. It's not Argento's best film, but it's more than watchable and certainly a treat for discriminating horror fans, even if the plot is a little on the wacky side. You get classic Argento-style murders, a razor-wielding monkey, and Donald Pleasance, too! What more could you ask for?

 

[Christina_V]

I'm glad i bought the double pack....so now i have a chance to see Inferno....which i'll get to eventually when i have time.
Also need to give Tenebrae another chance....rented it from netflix when it first came,but found it disapointing.
I still have to finish the full uncut version of Deep Red....i made it an hour into the film,but was bored......yet saw a shorter version a few weeks later & wow,amazing movie....yet the full length hurts it dramatically....though does have some good scenes that should stay in the film..just not ALL of them!
& yes thank god for AB!!!
I almost rented the US Creepers version since thats all the video stores had...but thankflyly never did after reading reviews stating it was originally 110mn overseas.

 

[Brad_W]

Christina,
I finally watched it today and it was awesome! Definately a new favorite! I too had the same pause during the Donald Pleasence speech. Plus, you can't go wrong with a movie that has Iron Maiden in it. Very cool. Did you check out the music videos? Weird. I also watched part of the Documentary... it was interesting.
After watching this I wanted Argento to rename the movie either Evil Doolittle or Dr. Doolittle of Doom. Something to that effect.
My favorite part of the film would have to be the ending... so incredibly horrific and creepy! The pool was like something out of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3.
Anyway, I said I would watch it today and I did. I am glad I did so very much.

 

[Christina_V]

I have'nt checked out the extras yet,though did view parts of the videos way back when i rented it & thought they were cheesy,so i didn't bother seeing the whole thing....maybe i'll give them another shot.
I really loved the score/music to this movie though....everything worked out perfect & to bad they didn't release a LE with it included!
All in all while Supsiria is a good movie(that should only be seen in widescreen! + uncut of course) and has the most terrifying opening every!......i think Phenomena and Opera are his best & probably have the most re-watchability.......though the soundtracks to all three rule!!!
So far everything i've seen after Opera......are just not quite as good,but ok- very disapointing. Meanwhile with this and Opera he was at the top of his game!
Though i still have'nt seen his pre-Deep Red films or his latest Sleepless.

 

[rich_d]

I also got the Phenomena/Inferno double pack and watched Phenomena for the first time last night.
I really enjoyed it and thought Jennifer Connelly was excellent in it. The monkey and the insects were fine with me. I hear that this is not anamorphic widescreen so I am a little disappointed about that. But the Dolby 5.1 track is quite good and a lot of fun. The music was great though I think that the rock stuff following the more classical pieces was a bit much and disjointed.
The things that still bother me about Argento is that he can't seem to do the content right. Yes, atmosphere is great, sights and sounds terrific but if he could only hold the script together a bit more .... man it would be so sweet. Oh well.
Spoilers -- Spoilers --- Spoilers
For example, he wants Jennifer to go to that old Swiss house (from the opening scene) for some reason and there is no need to go there. None. The woman hasn't been there in 8 months so what's the point? We find out that bodies are being kept at a new house so...what's the point?
I think that if they had just let Jennifer go out with the search bug (around campus) .. find the house where the woman now lives and goes inside .. now we have some scary action that is plausible (as she could be trapped by the windows). We could also have a scene where the detective talks to the mistress ... but earlier (if the detective is even needed - which is doubtful).
Instead we have Jennifer taking a bus for miles which kills the pacing and serves no purpose. Then Argento needs an idea for how to get her to the new house.
Instead .. this means that we have Jennifer (who already is in the city at the bank) leave with a woman who has never been nice to her to stay at her house? Hello? What, the city doesn't have any hotel rooms? .. what the airport doesn't have any hotel rooms? ... what the airport doesn't have any evening flights in Switzerland? Please ... all concocted because of a bad script ...
If we have Jennifer just going to the new house to try and search it (rather than the old house) we don't have to have the stupid scene where the woman is forcing pills on Jennifer and we can go straight to the action.
btw, anyone else bothered by a gas leak in the water that turns to a flame that is in a circle around Jennifer? What is this the magic flame circle?
Don't get me wrong .. I love Argento and Suspiria is one of my favorite horror movies. Phenomena is very enjoyable but just could have been so much better as it had so much promise. Dang.
The extras are fine. The music videos are classic European trash from the era but still nice to see. The Joe Franklin interview is fun ... just because it is so classic Joe Franklin ..
Tenebre ... that has gaps big enough to drive a truck through ... but I don't want to get going on a rant

 

[Jason Hughes]

Can anybody post exactly where the layer change was?.

 

[rich_d]

Why "exactly" do you want to know?