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The online film magazine Combustible Celluloid offers new movie reviews, DVD reviews, film reviews, actor interviews, actress interviews, director interviews, film books and all things cinema related for the thoughtful and passionate. Online for ten years! Over 3000 reviews!

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Phenomena (1985)

Rating: 4 Stars (out of 4)

Bug Shots

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Buy Phenomena on DVD.

Creepers is the American version of an Italian horror film called Phenomena by director Dario Argento. American distributors chopped about 30 minutes and added some music by Iron Maiden for no reason. Creepers stars the gorgeous Jennifer Connelly as Jennifer Corvino, a girl who talks to bugs. She has been sent to a boarding school in Italy where a killer has been running loose. Now, Jennifer's a sleepwalker, so one night, she sleepwalks and wakes up in this insect lab where Prof. John McGregor (Donald Pleasance) works. After that, all hell breaks loose and everyone starts getting killed and Jennifer ends up in this godawful pit of slime and bugs and human parts. What a great scene! Excellent horror flick, even in its chopped American version.

DVD Details: The previous was an early, enthusiastic review I wrote years ago after seeing the shortened, 82-minute American release. Now the full-length 110-minute Italian release is available on DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment, which, it goes without saying, is even better. Extras include music videos, a commentary track and other stuff. One of my favorite Argentos. In 2008, Anchor Bay re-released Phenomena both on its own and as part of a new box set, also containing Tenebre (1982), Trauma (1993), The Card Player (2004) and Do You Like Hitchcock? (2005). Extras are the same as on the old Anchor Bay release.

Starring: Jennifer Connelly, Donald Pleasence, Daria Nicolodi, Fiore Argento, Dalila Di Lazzaro, Patrick Bauchau, Federica Mastroianni
Written by: Dario Argento, Franco Ferrini
Directed by: Dario Argento
MPAA Rating: R
Language: English (partially dubbed)
Running Time: 110 minutes
Date: April 25, 1997