Phenomena

About this episode

Dan discusses the 1985 supernatural giallo film 'Phenomena' by Dario Argento, exploring its themes and production.

Dan is back from vacation and treats us to Phenomena (1985) – a supernatural giallo from Dario Argento that features a pre- Labyrinth Jennifer Connelly in a star-making lead as an insect-loving teenager who arrives at a Swiss girls’ school only to sleepwalk into a serial murder case that only becomes more bizarre as the story unravels. Released by New Line Cinema in the U.S. as Creepers (shorn of 30 minutes of its running time), Phenomena emerged in Argento’s most-celebrated period, with the director producing and co-writing with Franco Ferrini, Donald Pleasence as the obligatory learned eccentric, and a soundtrack that behaves like it's had one espresso too many. But is it an under-appreciated piece of Italian art, or an excessive and unruly misstep? Find out! Support us on Patreon to nominate films for us to cover, access exclusive bonus content, and vote on the final verdict! Rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice, and tell a friend about us. Follow us on TikTok , YouTube , Instagram and Bluesky . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Dan

Topics covered

• supernatural
• giallo
• film analysis
• Italian cinema
• horror
• murder mystery

Keywords

• Phenomena
• Dario Argento
• Jennifer Connelly
• Creepers
• giallo
• horror film
• Italian cinema

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: New Line Cinema

Books & works: Phenomena, Creepers, Labyrinth

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