From master of horror Dario Argento (Suspiria, The Bird with the
Crystal Plumage) comes Phenomena one of his most eccentric and
unique thrillers, featuring telepathic insects, maggots galore,
and even a razor-wielding chimp!
Jennifer Corvino (Jennifer Connelly, Labyrinth), daughter of a
world-renowned movie star, arrives in the so-called Swiss
Transylvania to attend an exclusive girls school. However, a
vicious killer is targeting the pupils, and walker Jennifer
finds herself in the assassin s headlights when her nocturnal
wanderings cause her to witness the death of a fellow pupil.
Aided by paregic etymologist John McGregor (Donald Pleasence,
Halloween) and her own uncanny ability to communicate
telepathically with insects, Jennifer sets out to track down the
killer before she herself becomes the latest victim...
Released in 1985, towards the end of Argento s decade-long
golden age as a director, Phenomena co-stars Dalila Di Lazarro
( for Frankenstein), Patrick Bauchau (Clear and Present
Danger) and Daria Nicolodi (Tenebrae), and features lush
cinematography by Romano Albani (Inferno) and a pounding prog
rock score by Goblin (Deep Red, Suspiria). Presented here in a
sumptuous new 4K restoration of the film and a newly created
hybrid English/Italian audio track on the full length 116-minute
Italian version, this is the definitive release of Argento s
creepy classic.
LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
* Brand new 4K restoration of the film from the original camera
negative produced by Arrow Video exclusively for this release
* High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations of all three
versions of the film: the 116-minute Italian, 110-minute
international and 83-minute Creepers cuts
* New 5.1 surround mixes of the Italian (116-minute) and English
(110-minute) soundtracks in lossless DTS-HD Master Audio, derived
from the original 4-channel Dolby Stereo elements
* New hybrid English/Italian soundtrack for the 116-minute
version in lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and PCM 2.0 stereo*
* Italian soundtrack for the 116-minute version in lossless PCM
2.0 stereo
* English soundtrack for the 110-minute version in lossless PCM
2.0 stereo
* English soundtrack for the 83-minute version in lossless PCM
1.0 mono
* English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
* Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for
the English soundtrack
* New audio commentary by Troy Howarth, author of So Deadly, So
Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films
* The Three Sarcophagi, a new visual essay by Michael Mackenzie
comparing the different cuts of Phenomena
* Of Flies and Maggots, a new feature-length documentary
including interviews with Dario Argento, actors Fiore Argento,
Davide Marotta, Daria Nicolodi and Fiorenza Tessari, co-writer
Franco Ferrini, cinematographer Romano Albani, production manager
Angelo Jacono, assistant director Michele Soavi, special optical
effects artist Luigi Cozzi, special makeup effects artist Sergio
Stivaletti and more
* Original Italian and English theatrical trailers
* Jennifer music video, directed by Dario Argento
* Rare Japanese vintage pressbook
* Remastered soundtrack CD featuring the complete Goblin
instrumental soundtrack, plus four bonus tracks by Simon Boswell
and Andi Sex Gang
* Limited edition 60-page booklet containing new writing by Mikel
J. Koven, Rachael Nisbet and Leonard Jacobs
* Limited edition packaging featuring original and newly
commissioned artwork by Candice Tripp
* The 116-minute Italian cut features approximately six minutes
of footage for which English audio does not exist. In these
instances, the hybrid track reverts to Italian audio with English
subtitles.
Review
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one of Argento's most bizarre creations --IGN.com