A blog about all things VHS.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Day 14:Creepers

      Creepers is that absolutely cut to shreds version of Dario Argento's Phenomena. When I say cut to shreds, I'm not even really talking about gore. Gore scenes are edited but not that much. You still get to see pretty much all the bloodshed. This film has been cut by 28 minutes! But with Argento at the helm and an interesting plot, Creepers still manages to satisfy.

   A young girl is found brutally murdered in the Swiss countryside. Forensic Entomologist John McGregor (Played by Donald Pleasance) and detective Rudolph Geiger are on the case. Jennifer (Played by Jennifer Connelly), a young girl with the ability to communicate with insects telepathically, arrives at a private girls school. One night while sleepwalking she witnesses a murder at the academy. She gets lost when she flees the scene and is found my McGregor. After discovering her abilities he must now use them to help solve the murder case he is on.

    It's very interesting and unfortunate for the killer that he would cross paths with Jennifer. What killer would ever expect that? You're just trying to do your thing. You know, murder some girl. Then suddenly you discover she can summon an entire legion of insects that can basically tear you apart. That's a bad day at the office for any killer. It's one of those cases where your protagonist is pretty much more dangerous than the killer we're supposed to fear is.

     As with most Argento pictures, the band Goblin makes an appearance on the soundtrack. I'm a fan of Goblin's work but usually find it unfitting with the film material that it's paired. This time around Goblin matches the horror mood a little better. However, Motorhead and Iron Maiden are still here to totally confuse viewers as to what the mood is. It's sort of hard to hold anything against it though when you're headbanging to these legendary metal bands. It's sort of comical but you won't find me complaining about it. Shred on.

     Though it's edited quite heavily, Creepers still provides some quality horror entertainment. Argento is a master of creating tension and suspense. So the finale is as enthralling as you would expect from a great horror film. Throw in some good special effects, respectable gore, and an interestingly different plot and you have a film I'd recommend to any fan of the genre. The film has since been released in it's full form under the original Phenomena title on Bluray. So check it out, I know I will.


Body Count:7
Side Note: This film has literally the best ending of any horror film of all time. Donald Pleasance's pet monkey gets revenge for his owners death by viciously cutting down the antagonist with a razor blade. You can't make this up. It's incredible.
   

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