Phenomena

Yup. 2 1/2 stars. Sorry, fans of this movie. It’s a muddled mess. The central mystery makes no sense — the mother kills to protect her son, who was killing BEFORE the mom started killing. The ending relies on a bunch of “this person shows up at the right place and the right time” coincidences, along with taking some very blatant inspiration from Friday The 13th. The giallo aspects are mild to the point of being absent. The bugs barely factor into the movie, despite being prominently displayed in the marketing. And the soundtrack is goofy, either overly synthesized or using contemporary rock music that never fits. What saves the movie is just being weird enough to keep your attention, and the acting of Donald Pleasance and Jennifer Connelly. They drag this movie kicking and screaming to watchable. Without them, this would be barely at Full Moon levels of stupidity. I know this movie is considered among Argento’s best and a horror masterpiece, but no. It isn’t. It’s silly, convoluted, and poorly paced, with only acting from a pair of pros to keep it afloat Hooptober 2022 movie #11/31