Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- eerie
- grotesque
- surreal
- late night horror marathon
- 1980s horror night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film visually stylish and conceptually inventive but uneven, sluggish, poorly acted, and weakened by gratuitous gore.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Jennifer's unusual ability to communicate with insects directly helps her investigate the killings and confront the threat.
The Swiss girls' school and Wagner-associated surroundings contrast with murders, decay, insects, and graphic horror effects.
Jennifer arrives at a girls' boarding school where the social environment is shadowed by student murders and nearby criminal pathology.
Insects and a chimpanzee participate meaningfully in the film's investigation and survival dynamics.
Films like Phenomena, and why
Suspiria
stylized Italian horror, ornate visual design, supernatural menace, and a young woman confronting a killer
Deep Red
giallo mystery structure, graphic violence, macabre imagery, and an investigator pursuing a serial killer
The Craft
teen-centered supernatural horror, striking atmosphere, and a vulnerable protagonist facing institutional danger
Alice, Sweet Alice
surreal slasher violence, eccentric characters, and a young protagonist caught in a grotesque murder mystery
Movie Details
- Director
- Dario Argento
- Release Date
- 1985-01-25
- Runtime
- 115 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (946)
Cast
- Jennifer Connelly
- Daria Nicolodi
- Fiore Argento
- Federica Mastroianni
- Fiorenza Tessari
- Dalila Di Lazzaro
- Patrick Bauchau
- Donald Pleasence
- Alberto Cracco
- Kaspar Capparoni
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, Shudder, Night Flight Plus, Shudder Amazon Channel, Eternal Family, Cineverse, Shudder Apple TV channel, IndiePix Unlimited Amazon Channel, Chilling
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Phenomena about?
- At a Swiss girls' boarding school, a sleepwalking teenager uses her uncanny connection with insects to survive a serial killer's grotesque campaign.
- What is Phenomena like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Phenomena as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Phenomena violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Phenomena as graphic.
- What did critics think of Phenomena?
- Critics broadly found the film visually stylish and conceptually inventive but uneven, sluggish, poorly acted, and weakened by gratuitous gore.
- Which films are like Phenomena?
- Films with a similar feel include Suspiria, Deep Red, The Craft, and Alice, Sweet Alice.
- How long is Phenomena?
- Phenomena runs 115 minutes.
- Where can I watch Phenomena?
- In United States, Phenomena streams on fuboTV, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, Shudder, Night Flight Plus, Shudder Amazon Channel, Eternal Family, Cineverse, Shudder Apple TV channel, IndiePix Unlimited Amazon Channel, Chilling.
