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Phenomena
List Price: Unknown [Buy now and save at Amazon]
About 10 years ago, one of my favorite hobbies was to sift through discount VHS/Laserdisc bins and pick out a couple of titles a week. Whatever had the most eye-catching title/cover art went home with me that week, and one of my finds was a video release of "Creepers" that I watched once and filed away. When I first got my DVD player in the Fall of '99, I started reminiscing about those horror movies I'd picked up a decade earlier, and "Creepers" resurfaced in my mind. All I vividly remembered was the face of the killer and a particularly graphic vomiting sequence. I didn't even remember the title, but after doing a little research on the Internet Movie Database, I stumbled upon an entry for the film and found that (gasp!) there was nearly half an hour gutted from the version I'd owned, (gasp!) it was directed by Dario Argento, whose work I'd heard a lot about in horror circles, (gasp!) the uncut version was on DVD, and (choke!) the disc was actually supposed to be pretty good. So off I went to one of my favorite e-tailers, digital coupon in hand...
My memory of "Creepers" is too faded to fully recall how castrated it was compared to "Phenomena", but as I watched the film, memories quickly resurfaced. The ever-lovely-and-very-criminally-underage-here Jennifer Connelly (I think she was all of 13 during filming) is Jennifer Corvino, the troubled daughter of a celebrity, sent to a Swiss boarding academy while her father spends a year working in the Phillipines. This girls' school isn't all hot chocolate and fanciful clocks, as a vicious serial killer is knocking off a slew of young girls, and Jennifer, who, incidentally, can control insects, appears to be next on the list. Entomologist Dr. McGregor, played by the brilliant Donald Pleasence, and his zany chimp help Jennifer with her search for the killer before she becomes a victim herself. Plot-wise, sure...it's not that spectacular. Argento's films are always a visual feast, and although not as visually spectacular as "Suspiria" or "Deep Red", "Phenomena" is beautifully shot and very dream-like...not to mention the chimp. If "Phenomena" is a pie, the chimp is a big dollop of ice cream.
Video: Letterboxed at 1.66:1, "Phenomena" is unfortunately not enhanced for widescreen televisions. It looks several thousand times better than my VHS copy of "Creepers", and the only shot that really bothered me visually was the...uh...end result of the first death scene. That single shot was pretty cruddy looking, but the rest stand up to the high standards set by Anchor Bay's transfers -- very strong blacks, minimal grain, sharp and clear without any visible edge enhancement, minimal dust and assorted specks, and accurate color reproduction (far less rich and vibrant than "Suspiria", but this is presumably intentional). What really grabbed me was the sharpness -- individual fibers on clothing and hairs on the insects are distinct...very impressive. I wouldn't complain if an anamorphic version were released in the future, but the great job done here is enough to tide me over till then.
Audio: Three tracks are available -- Dolby Digital 5.1, a Surround 2.0 track, and -- hold your breath, kids -- a French mono track! As is preferred, the audio defaults to 5.1. I thought the audio sounded kind of flat, particularly Argento's trademark use of goofy metal, which lacks any crunch or power whatsoever. Atmosphere is decent, and there is some occassional effective use of the rears.
Supplements: The interview from the "Joe Franklin Show" is a little boring, particularly since Joe hasn't seen any of Argento's films and spends almost the entire time comparing him to Hitchcock. Count the number of times he says "out-Hitchcocks Hitchcock". Painful. Two very odd music videos -- "Valley" by Bill Wyman (with quite a bit of behind-the-scenes footage and creepy shots of Bill) and the superior (and Argento-directed) "Jennifer" by Claudio Simonetti -- are also part of the package, and although really....different, their inclusion is appreciated. Other notable extras are an extremely brief 'behind the scenes' featurette, primarily focusing on the special effects, and the commentary with Dario Argento, Claudio Simonetti (who provided much of the music of the non-goofy-metal variety), fx artist Sergio Stivaletti, and journalist Loris Curci. The commentary is also effects-heavy and fairly interesting, though the language barrier may try the patience of many...I couldn't listen to more than half in one sitting. Rounding out the extras are the usual trailer and cast/crew bios.
Conclusion: "Phenomena" isn't Argento's best, but it's among his most accessible films and wouldn't be a bad starting place for the uninitiated. This is also, I believe, the first uncut release of "Phenomena" in the U.S. I could recommend this disc for any number of reasons -- the 28 minutes of footage cut from the release of "Creepers", the quality of the video, the number of supplements, or the very presence of Jennifer Connelly -- but all those together along with an easy-to-swallow price-tag (it can often be found for around $20) lead to a pretty enticing package. Highly recommended.
My memory of "Creepers" is too faded to fully recall how castrated it was compared to "Phenomena", but as I watched the film, memories quickly resurfaced. The ever-lovely-and-very-criminally-underage-here Jennifer Connelly (I think she was all of 13 during filming) is Jennifer Corvino, the troubled daughter of a celebrity, sent to a Swiss boarding academy while her father spends a year working in the Phillipines. This girls' school isn't all hot chocolate and fanciful clocks, as a vicious serial killer is knocking off a slew of young girls, and Jennifer, who, incidentally, can control insects, appears to be next on the list. Entomologist Dr. McGregor, played by the brilliant Donald Pleasence, and his zany chimp help Jennifer with her search for the killer before she becomes a victim herself. Plot-wise, sure...it's not that spectacular. Argento's films are always a visual feast, and although not as visually spectacular as "Suspiria" or "Deep Red", "Phenomena" is beautifully shot and very dream-like...not to mention the chimp. If "Phenomena" is a pie, the chimp is a big dollop of ice cream.
Video: Letterboxed at 1.66:1, "Phenomena" is unfortunately not enhanced for widescreen televisions. It looks several thousand times better than my VHS copy of "Creepers", and the only shot that really bothered me visually was the...uh...end result of the first death scene. That single shot was pretty cruddy looking, but the rest stand up to the high standards set by Anchor Bay's transfers -- very strong blacks, minimal grain, sharp and clear without any visible edge enhancement, minimal dust and assorted specks, and accurate color reproduction (far less rich and vibrant than "Suspiria", but this is presumably intentional). What really grabbed me was the sharpness -- individual fibers on clothing and hairs on the insects are distinct...very impressive. I wouldn't complain if an anamorphic version were released in the future, but the great job done here is enough to tide me over till then.
Audio: Three tracks are available -- Dolby Digital 5.1, a Surround 2.0 track, and -- hold your breath, kids -- a French mono track! As is preferred, the audio defaults to 5.1. I thought the audio sounded kind of flat, particularly Argento's trademark use of goofy metal, which lacks any crunch or power whatsoever. Atmosphere is decent, and there is some occassional effective use of the rears.
Supplements: The interview from the "Joe Franklin Show" is a little boring, particularly since Joe hasn't seen any of Argento's films and spends almost the entire time comparing him to Hitchcock. Count the number of times he says "out-Hitchcocks Hitchcock". Painful. Two very odd music videos -- "Valley" by Bill Wyman (with quite a bit of behind-the-scenes footage and creepy shots of Bill) and the superior (and Argento-directed) "Jennifer" by Claudio Simonetti -- are also part of the package, and although really....different, their inclusion is appreciated. Other notable extras are an extremely brief 'behind the scenes' featurette, primarily focusing on the special effects, and the commentary with Dario Argento, Claudio Simonetti (who provided much of the music of the non-goofy-metal variety), fx artist Sergio Stivaletti, and journalist Loris Curci. The commentary is also effects-heavy and fairly interesting, though the language barrier may try the patience of many...I couldn't listen to more than half in one sitting. Rounding out the extras are the usual trailer and cast/crew bios.
Conclusion: "Phenomena" isn't Argento's best, but it's among his most accessible films and wouldn't be a bad starting place for the uninitiated. This is also, I believe, the first uncut release of "Phenomena" in the U.S. I could recommend this disc for any number of reasons -- the 28 minutes of footage cut from the release of "Creepers", the quality of the video, the number of supplements, or the very presence of Jennifer Connelly -- but all those together along with an easy-to-swallow price-tag (it can often be found for around $20) lead to a pretty enticing package. Highly recommended.
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