This is going to sound totally left field, but bare with me: You know how, when a novel gets adapted in to a movie, they kind of... normalize it a little bit? In other words, things that seem "too weird" get axed in favor of something more digestible for the mainstream. It happens sometimes in science fiction or fantasy.
Well, it may not be based on a novel, but Dario Argento's Phenomena (sometimes known as "Creepers") feels like it specifically focuses on those "too weird" parts and basically makes a whole movie out of them. Jennifer Connelly has the psychic ability to talk to bugs, Donald Pleasance is friends with a chimpanzee, and you get the beautiful swiss alps. There's a kickin' synthesizer-powered soundtrack by the Italian prog-rock group Goblin, and they're supported by heavy metal bands like Motörhead and Iron Maiden.
The fact that this is meant to be a murder mystery almost takes a back seat because everything around it is so strange and fascinating.
And the movie itself is surprisingly air-tight. It's one of those stories where everything comes together in the end, with nary a loose thread left dangling.
I had a blast.
Well, it may not be based on a novel, but Dario Argento's Phenomena (sometimes known as "Creepers") feels like it specifically focuses on those "too weird" parts and basically makes a whole movie out of them. Jennifer Connelly has the psychic ability to talk to bugs, Donald Pleasance is friends with a chimpanzee, and you get the beautiful swiss alps. There's a kickin' synthesizer-powered soundtrack by the Italian prog-rock group Goblin, and they're supported by heavy metal bands like Motörhead and Iron Maiden.
The fact that this is meant to be a murder mystery almost takes a back seat because everything around it is so strange and fascinating.
And the movie itself is surprisingly air-tight. It's one of those stories where everything comes together in the end, with nary a loose thread left dangling.
I had a blast.