Flashback: Phenomena

The scenes where Argento shows her walking in her sleep are curiously inter-cut with shots of an imagined white corridor (for retro effect, the shot is scored to cheesy ’80s synthesizer breakbeats). Before Jennifer’s condition is diagnosed you may confuse Phenomena for a gothic rendition of Flashdance. While sleepwalking, Jennifer witnesses a murder and thus becomes a target of the film’s faceless psycho. While lost in the woods, she meets John and his monkey and connects with insects near and far. She’s like a wayward Gretal led into Argento’s fairy-tale forest by a glowing bug. Jennifer’s love for all insects makes her a particularly spiritual and complex Argento heroine.

– Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine