Phenomena
Jennifer has a few million close friends. She's going to need them all!
1985 | 110m | English
Popularity: 7 (history)
| Director: | Dario Argento |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Dario Argento, Franco Ferrini |
| Staring: |
| A young girl, with an amazing ability to communicate with insects, is transferred to an exclusive Swiss boarding school, where her unusual capability might help solve a string of murders. | |
| Release Date: | Jan 25, 1985 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Dario Argento |
| Writer: | Dario Argento, Franco Ferrini |
| Genres: | Horror, Thriller |
| Keywords | insect, detective, switzerland, telepathy, daughter, psychopath, boarding school, girls' boarding school, murder, serial killer, teenage girl, school, maniac, american abroad, chimpanzee, murder investigation, sleepwalking, recurring dream, sanitorium, swiss, entomologist, maggots, flies, service animal, animals & nature, fly |
| Production Companies | DACFILM Rome |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $3,800,000 |
| Updates |
Updated: Feb 01, 2025 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
![Original Trailer [Subtitled]](/extra_thumbs/FzvVKzrRT1k.jpg)
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Jennifer Connelly | Jennifer Corvino |
| Daria Nicolodi | Frau Brückner |
| Fiore Argento | Vera Brandt |
| Federica Mastroianni | Sophie |
| Fiorenza Tessari | Gisela Sulzer |
| Dalila Di Lazzaro | Headmistress |
| Patrick Bauchau | Inspector Rudolf Geiger |
| Donald Pleasence | Professor John McGregor |
| Alberto Cracco | UBS Bank Teller |
| Kaspar Capparoni | Karl, Sophie's Boyfriend |
| Mario Donatone | Morris Shapiro |
| Antonio Maimone | EEG Doctor |
| Davide Marotta | Patau (Bruckner Son) |
| Fulvio Mingozzi | Mr. Sulzer |
| Francesca Ottaviani | Nurse |
| Michele Soavi | Kurt, Geiger's Assistant |
| Franco Trevisi | Real Estate Agent |
| Fausta Avelli | Schoolgirl |
| Franca Berdini | Teacher |
| Marta Biuso | Schoolgirl |
| Marisa Simonetti | Schoolgirl |
| Geraldine Thomas | Schoolgirl |
| Tanga | Inga |
| Stefania Possamai | Teacher (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Dario Argento | Screenplay, Director, Story |
| Franco Ferrini | Screenplay, Story |
| Sergio Stivaletti | Makeup Effects |
| Luigi Cozzi | Special Effects |
| Michele Soavi | First Assistant Director |
| Claudio Simonetti | Original Music Composer, Songs |
| Franco Fraticelli | Supervising Sound Editor, Editor |
| Giorgio Armani | Costume Design |
| Simon Boswell | Original Music Composer |
| Marcel Just | Unit Manager |
| Marina Malavasi | Costume Design |
| Patrizia Massaia | Costume Design |
| Piero Bozza | Music Editor |
| Antonio Corridori | Special Effects |
| Danilo Bollettini | Special Effects |
| Bettina Graebe | Second Assistant Director |
| Pierantonio Mecacci | Makeup Artist |
| Patrizia Corridoni | Hairstylist |
| Barbara Morosetti | Makeup Artist |
| Angelo Iacono | Production Manager |
| Cesare Jacolucci | Production Manager |
| Maurizio Garrone | Animal Coordinator, Production Designer |
| Nello Giorgetti | Production Designer |
| Luciano Spadoni | Production Designer |
| Umberto Turco | Production Designer |
| Nick Alexander | Sound Effects Editor |
| Massimo Anzellotti | Sound Effects Editor |
| Andy Sex Gang | Songs |
| Fabio Pignatelli | Songs |
| Romano Albani | Director of Photography |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Dario Argento | Producer |
| Angelo Iacono | Executive Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 24 | 44 | 14 |
| 2024 | 5 | 30 | 47 | 18 |
| 2024 | 6 | 28 | 57 | 20 |
| 2024 | 7 | 26 | 51 | 14 |
| 2024 | 8 | 20 | 34 | 11 |
| 2024 | 9 | 15 | 20 | 11 |
| 2024 | 10 | 19 | 29 | 12 |
| 2024 | 11 | 28 | 72 | 11 |
| 2024 | 12 | 16 | 31 | 11 |
| 2025 | 1 | 17 | 28 | 11 |
| 2025 | 2 | 14 | 22 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 3 |
Trending Position
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6 | 767 | 848 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | 880 | 934 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 651 | 775 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 12 | 729 | 869 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 11 | 556 | 758 |
Phenomena, doo-doo doo-doo-doo. Arriving at a Swiss Academy for girls, Jennifer Corvino (Jennifer Connelly) gets embroiled in the workings of a serial killer. Her friends the insects and Professor John McGregor (Donald Pleasence) are on hand to help if possible. Directed and co-written by horr ... or legend Dario Argento, Phenomena is a mixed bag. Ignoring the butchered American version, which was titled Creepers, the full uncut version is still messy. Argento the director is doing good work here, which explains why the film has a sturdy reputation. His eye for striking imagery and horror scene staging is evident here for sure, but Argento the writer (along with Franco Ferrini) fails to string a decent enough narrative together. Pace is all over the place, the dialogue often boorish, while wasting Donald Pleasence is a crime against horror film making. Still, there’s enough good Argento at work here to keep Phenomena above average, even if it’s more for the eyes than the brain. 6/10
Both a great chance to see two acting icons (one, Donald Pleasence, at his prime, and the other, Jennifer Connelly, just starting out on her filmic journey) and one of the films on director Argento's great run of horror classics, this is worth purchasing the finest print and will award the horror af ... icionado many great times in rewatches. Cinephiles often called Argento 'the Italian Alfred Hitchcock', and this would be a great Exhibit A for their evidence. Essential for connoisseurs of the arcane.