Jennifer (Jennifer Connelly), a strange girl with the ability to somehow communicate with insects, is taken to a Swiss boarding school where her strange powers begin to alienate her. When a string of murders take place, she befriends Scottish inspect expert John McGregor (Donald Pleasence) who becomes fascinated with her and begins to use her in his investigations. Jennifer also suffers from sleepwalking, and one night she unwittingly witnesses the brutal murder of her friend. As the murders increase with apparently no leads, Jennifer slowly begins to uncover the strange and complex truth behind them, as she finds it impossible to leave the school.
This is one of horror master Dario Argento's weirdest films. At time it feels like an extended filler episode of The X-Files, as coincidences stack up and supernatural elements dominate with no explanation. The murders take place with typical Argento style and flair, the killer wearing the trademark black gloves. Unfortunately the film lacks the quality of his previous classics, namely Suspiria (1977), Deep Red (1975) and Inferno (1980). The insect idea is an interesting one, but it's seemingly lumped in with the serial killer plotline for no reason and just for the sake of giving the story a direction to go in. However the film went up in my estimations as the climax kicks in, getting more gloriously weird as the minutes roll by, and it has the most fucked-up revelation since Don't Look Now (1973). Don't expect classic Argento, but watch for the ending alone and for an early strong performance by the astonishingly beautiful Jennifer Connelly.
Directed by: Dario Argento
Country: Italy
Rating: ***
Tom Gillespie
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