Critic Reviews
Phenomena (1985) Rank 5 Reviews
Expert Review Summary
based on (20) reviews
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Mike Bracken's Horror Films (Mike Bracken)
Connelly does a great job playing the lead role, managing to look both 13 and disturbingly sensual. ...read the complete Phenomena movie review at Mike Bracken's Horror Films (Mike Bracken)
IMDB.com
PHENOMENA is an imaginative, original thriller. Writer/director Argento creates several sequences of surreal, haunting beauty here, including a masterfully shot sleepwalking episode and a striking scene when a swarm of flying insects descends on the ...read the complete Phenomena movie review at IMDB.com
Arrow in the Head ("The Arrow")
Now anybody that knows Argento's work will also recognize the flaws that this puppy does have. ...read the complete Phenomena movie review at Arrow in the Head ("The Arrow")
FearScene
I think if we delve into Dario Argento's past we may find a deep, dark secret involving being sent away to a boarding school . . .
The three movies I have seen so far of Argento's have involved girls away at school. Maybe he has a fetish? Anywho, ...read the complete Phenomena movie review at FearScene
filmcritic.com
The Phenomena here must be how Jennifer Connelly's utter lack of acting ability on display in this film eventually translated to an Academy Award later in her career. Lessons? Dunno. ...read the complete Phenomena movie review at filmcritic.com
SF, Horror and Fantasy Film Review
The films of Dario Argento have an
extraordinary wildness to them. They cannot be viewed as rational psycho-thrillers
or traditional tales of the occult - they are almost entirely works that
exist solely for the sake of displaying scenes of ...read the complete Phenomena movie review at SF, Horror and Fantasy Film Review
filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)
The Phenomena here must be how Jennifer Connelly's utter lack of acting ability on display in this film eventually translated to an Academy Award later in her career. Lessons? Dunno. Anyway, Dario Argento's movie is rather typical of his oeuvre and ...read the complete Phenomena movie review at filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)
DVD Authority
I'm going to say two words, and then tell you how they relate. Insects and serial killers. ...read the complete Phenomena movie review at DVD Authority
DVD Times review (Michael Mackenzie)
On its release in the USA in 1985 by New Line Cinema, Phenomena was butchered by over 25 minutes and repackaged as "Creepers". The result was a deeply dissatisfying film that I have not experienced, but by all accounts it is unsurprising that it was ...read the complete Phenomena movie review at DVD Times review (Michael Mackenzie)
Video Graveyard
While there's a few somewhat muddled moments (the whole "sleepwalking" sequence for example) and the plot tends to sway in credibility at times; this is still a totally watchable time with lots of alright mood scattered throughout, Argento's always eccent ...read the complete Phenomena movie review at Video Graveyard
Reel.com DVD review (Rod Armstrong)
Any more synopsis will spoil the film's Phenomenal delights, of which there are many. ...read the complete Phenomena movie review at Reel.com DVD review (Rod Armstrong)
Mutant Reviewers From Hell
Thankfully, I've never made good on that vow. What? Why is that good? Because as an older horror connoisseur I learned that Creepers was the butchered US version of Italian horror director (master!) Dario Argento's original film Phenomena. ...read the complete Phenomena movie review at Mutant Reviewers From Hell
Gotterdammerung (Branislav L. Slantchev)
This film used to circulate in the U.S. on a horribly butchered VHS version that was not only viciously cropped but also cut by nearly half an hour. ...read the complete Phenomena movie review at Gotterdammerung (Branislav L. Slantchev)
eFilmCritic Reviews
When I was in elementary school, I saw "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" starring Diane Keaton. Keaton was naked, I was in love. ...read the complete Phenomena movie review at eFilmCritic Reviews
Mondo Digital
The streets of Rome first ran red with blood for many viewers with Dario Argento's directorial debut, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. ...read the complete Phenomena movie review at Mondo Digital
Classic-Horror.com
Phenomena, by Italian director Dario Argento, originally played in the United States in a shortened form as Creepers. It has finally been released in America, by Anchor Bay on DVD and VHS. Presented widescreen and full-length, we can finally judge it as ...read the complete Phenomena movie review at Classic-Horror.com
efilmcritic.com (Charles Tatum)
When I was in elementary school, I saw "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" starring Diane Keaton. Keaton was naked, I was in love. ...read the complete Phenomena movie review at efilmcritic.com (Charles Tatum)
Slant Magazine
As Jennifer is driven to the Richard Wagner School, Mrs. Bruckner (Daria Nicolodi) hysterically overreacts to a bumblebee the young girl manages to capture with her hands. ...read the complete Phenomena movie review at Slant Magazine
Eccentric Cinema
After the 'straight' giallo conventions of 1982's Tenebre, Italian director Dario Argento returned to the realm of the fantastic with his follow-up film, Phenomena. ...read the complete Phenomena movie review at Eccentric Cinema
Stomp Tokyo
Connelly plays Jennifer Corvino, the daughter of a famous movie star who is enrolled in a boarding school in Switzerland. ...read the complete Phenomena movie review at Stomp Tokyo
User Reviews
by Patrick Clancy on September 04, 2009
This movie came in EXCELLENT condition and i loved it. ...
by Walter "Richardso... on April 27, 2009
My favorite Argento flick has been re-mastered and uncut by the folks at Anchor Bay. You won't be disappointed. ...
by D. Starkey "Horro... on March 10, 2009
Like most Americans familiar with this work, I remember this film from the 80's video release "Creepers" which while sporting intense and great coverart to help attract rentals, is completely subpar in comparison to this uncut, highly original nightmare! ...
by P. Carbonell "R P... on February 23, 2009
I saw this movie in 1986, and back then I didn't even know who Dario Argento was. I was fascinated by the plot, the music, and as a teenager, I developed a crush on Jennifer Connelly.
More than twenty years later, the DVD comes out, and it is hard to ...
by Aaron Von Raschke on December 19, 2008
PHENOMENA is also known as CREEPERS, except CREEPERS is the cut version of the film. PHENOMENA is the original, uncut version of the film directed by Horror legend Dario Argento (SUSPIRIA, MOTHER OF TEARS, etc.). It's basically about a girl named ...
by Paul Rippel on September 08, 2008
Dario Argento is famous for his hitchcockian tributes, such as; Deep Red, Tenebrae, and Suspiria, but with Phenomena he changes his formula into something quite daring. When you watch an Argento film you can expect two things, creative deaths and a ...
by F. Kostas "fkosta... on August 22, 2008
It's been said that "Phenomena" is the movie Argento wanted to make with "Suspiria", the latter being cast with actresses well out of their teens. Here, much younger actresses are used, including Argento's own daughter, Fiore, who has the opening ...
by Baron Strange on July 18, 2008
insects, a monkey, Don Pleasence, Iron Maiden, Motorhead, a murderous mutant, and the classic beauty of Jennifer Connelly make this Argento work truly memorable. What are you waiting ...
by A. Salas "fennis2... on June 03, 2008
Perhaps one of Dario Argento's most bizarre films ever, Phenomena is pure 80s horror fun, with brilliant moments and a killer score. Although it is often criticzised for making little or no sense, Phenomena is effective at setting up a dream-like feeling ...
by M. "Gorehound" on March 02, 2007
INFERNO-I liked this just as much if not more ...
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