Giallo Fanatic Argento has over the years made some bizarre horror movies (Deep Red, Suspiria and Inferno), but 'Phenomena' might be his most bizarre yet. The movie being a mix of both Giallo and Supernatural horror it might leave most people with a bad taste in their mouth. But this hybrid horror movie is phenomenally made. From its bizarre story and plot, to the macabre special-effects and settings, to Argento's direction and the strange mix of facts and fairy tale logic it somehow manages to blend movies such as 'Deep Red' and 'Suspiria' into one movie. Mixing genres is risky, since there is no guarantee to make the movie coherent and will probably alienate most of the audience. But I must say that Argento succeeded in making a brilliant movie. His bravery of mixing the genres he has had success in was nothing short of phenomenal and it makes 'Phenomena' stand out among the many bizarre 80's horror movies. First of all, the plot is the typical "whodunnit" plot. But it has a supernatural twist: our main character Jennifer Corvino can communicate with insects. Anyone remember when Argento refused - at first - to use the "image caught in the retina" plot device since he thought it would be too fantastic for the Giallo genre?Well, making the Giallo story and plot too supernatural is a no-no. That's why 'Suspiria' is not a Giallo, but a supernatural horror movie. A misconception many genre fans often commit. So our main character has the supernatural ability to communicate with insects. But it is not completely based on hokum, because, the main inspiration for the movie is Forensic Entomology. But the idea behind insects being able to communicate through telepathy is pure hokum. That is why I am saying 'Phenomena' is a hybrid, a mix of Giallo and Supernatural horror. It was a brave move by the Maestro of Horror. Another strange fact mixed in the movie is the Patau Syndrome, in which the killer's child has Patau Syndrome. It goes back to the Freudian psychology of bad people's behavior can be traced back to the childhood or trauma. Frau Brückner was raped by an institutionalized criminal and, it led to her giving birth to a child with Patau Syndrome. She hated her child and he is the reminder of her trauma, but her motherly instinct was strong enough to want to care for her child. Her repressed emotions of trauma and her child led to her becoming insane and murdering girls for the sake of making her child feel good. This behavior leads back to mankind's possessive nature and jealousy, in which people we hold dearly must be protected at all cost.Anyway, I'm making the review too long. Let's wrap it up: Jennifer Connelly, Daria Nicolodi and Donald Pleasence gave good performances. Dario's direction was spot on. The plot and story was a great mix Giallo and Supernatural. The special effects and sets were macabre but eerily beautiful. The ending was a mix of black humor and horror. 8/10

skybrick736 The opening sequences in Phenomena are a true testament to a dying art of film-making cinematography by capitalizing on an area's landscape. The mountain background and cold atmosphere provided a chilling bleak outlook for the character left behind by a tour bus. Argento's craft is driving a thrilling story full with brutally graphic kill scenes but also masterfully suspending the monster or true horror for the climax. Pheonomena is a perfect example of this blueprint, keeping the viewer completely engaged with odd insect sequences, horrifying kill scenes, all while keeping the mystery alive to the very end. It's also interesting to watch the mixture of English speaking actors, Connelly the American, Pleasance being British along with a host of Italian actors. The dubbing is noticeable but Argento managed to make this a non-issue by off- camera shots and solid editing. There are some corny, unneeded aspects of the story and the ending could have finished more eloquently but it's still a superb, must-watch horror film.

moonspinner55 Movie star's teenage daughter, troubled by nightmares and prone to sleepwalking, is the new misfit student at a Swiss boarding school for girls, where her ability to communicate with insects could be of great assistance to an entomologist investigating the recent murders of young women. High decibel shocker from Italy's Dario Argento features a fresh, elfin-faced Jennifer Connelly in the central role and some interesting special effects, but it often plays like a junior-league, overstuffed retread of Argento's "Suspiria". Some marvelously-conceived sequences for those who can stay the course, though the grating score (by Goblin, and featuring heavy metal tracks from Iron Maiden and Motörhead, among others) is a constant nuisance. *1/2 from ****

room102 I know Dario Argento by name, but don't think I've ever actually watched any of his movies. PHENOMENA is one of his most well known films, probably because it stars a 14-year old Jennifer Connelly, just before her breakthrough in LABYRINTH.The film is pretty terrible and all its elements are wrong: Bad pacing, bad direction, awful acting by the entire cast without exception (even Donald Pleasence can't help this film), bad ADR, bad editing, bad camera-work, awful inappropriate music. It's not only boring and moves extremely slowly, but everything about it feels completely unnatural. The combination of terrible acting, direction, editing and dialogue makes the film extremely uncomfortable to watch.Jennifer was - and still is - one of the most beautiful women on the planet, but her acting ability is limited in this movie (her first lead role, and her second acting role overall after a tiny role in ONCE UPON A TIME IN America). It took her some time to develop and become a real actress. The terrible direction in this movie didn't help either.