Hey, if you know you like Argento, then by all means, see it. If not, maybe you'd better pass. This definitely isn't your typical horror tale. Dario Argento gives a very weird movie about a young girl attending a Swiss boarding school which is the favorite hunting ground of a vicious killer who loves to slaughter teenaged girls. On top of that, the girl can communicate telepathically with insects. Together, she and her few million friends work to solve the mystery of the killer. I can understand if anyone doesn't like this film because it is generally offbeat and very weird. I liked it, but then again, I am an Argento fan. Jennifer Connelly gives a good performance as the young girl with the "gift", and Donald Pleasence is his usual self. But sadly the other actors are so bad, they make these two look miraculous. The cinematography and atmosphere were right on, definitely holding this picture together. Really though, this is not Argento's shining hour. All the typical elements of his films are here, like the strange plot, the killer, and of course, animals. But nothing really stands out like it does in his earlier works, like Deep Red. No weird camera angles (or at least none that aspiring), no stylish deaths (really nothing special), and basically nothing to get all worked up about. Argento's style is very toned down here. But of course, he does have his moments. Jennifer's first sleepwalking scene is awesome. Loved the music there. The white hallway and the doors: very unique and strange. We also get an angry monkey (or chimp?) with a razor, a genuinely weird killer, and thousands of nasty insects. I liked the music except when that heavy metal crap was played. It does not go at all and makes those scenes suck badly. And that opening narration when Jennifer arrives at the school...what was that about? It just said what we heard Jennifer and the other woman saying, and even of they didn't say it, like we couldn't figure it out. Duh! I'm not sure if anyone besides Argento and Connelly fans will like this. I wouldn't watch it at a party or with friends. Be sure you like this director first, otherwise you might regret seeing this. I like this one better than some Argento films because I like the setting. But really there's nothing special. I do recommend it to fans of the maestro.
