Phenomena Is Great, But This 54-Year-Old Dario Argento Movie Also Deserves A TV Remake

Dario Argento’s Phenomena is getting a TV remake, but this 54-year-old movie by him is also deserving of a second chance as a TV remake, and it has everything to be a great show. The horror genre has its royalty of filmmakers who have been highly influential in the genre for decades, and among them is Dario Argento. Argento, along with Mario Brava, was especially influential in the giallo genre, and is labeled as one of the “Masters of Horror.” Argento made his directorial debut in 1970 with The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, which was also the beginning of his “animal trilogy.”

Argento became widely known in the 1970s and 1980s, with one of his most notable and celebrated works being the supernatural horror movie Suspiria, which he also wrote. Despite the legacy of Dario Argento’s works, only Suspiria has gotten a full remake thanks to Luca Guadagnino, but most filmmakers have stayed away from remaking or reimagining his movies. However, another one of Argento’s popular works is now getting a remake, and if more are to follow, there’s one movie from 1971 that would make a great thriller TV show.

Dario Argento’s Phenomena Is Getting A TV Remake

Phenomena Is The Second Dario Argento Movie To Be Remade In Some Way

In 1985, Dario Argento brought Phenomena, co-written by Argento and Franco Ferrini. Phenomena follows Jennifer Corvino (Jennifer Connelly), an American student arriving at the Swiss Richard Wagner Academy for Girls. Jennifer has psychic powers and can communicate with insects, an ability that comes in handy when a serial killer has been going after girls in and around the school. At the time of writing, Phenomena has a 73% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 67% popcornmeter score, both fresh ratings.

Despite not having a low Rotten Tomatoes score, critics weren’t fully on board with Phenomena, with many calling out the “awful” performances and the laughable dialog. Critics also pointed out the senseless gore, its “washed-out” blue aesthetic, and the special effects as some of Phenomena’s biggest flaws, with some going as far as to call it “boring”, but many agreed that the premise was creative for a slasher movie. Now, although it’s not the best of Argento’s works, Phenomena is getting a TV remake, making it the second Argento movie to get a remake after Suspiria.

According to Variety, the initial idea for the return of Phenomena was a sequel feature, but creators Nicola Guaglianone and Menotti turned this idea into a TV series. The Phenomena TV series has the same premise as the movie except that Jennifer arrives at a dancing academy in the Dolomites. At the time of writing, the Phenomena TV series has no projected release date, but it already brings to mind one underrated Argento movie that would be a great TV show.

Four Flies On Grey Velvet Would Make A Great Thriller TV Show

Four Flies On Grey Velvet Has All The Elements To Be A Great TV Show

In 1971, Argento brought Four Flies on Grey Velvet, also written by him. Four Flies on Grey Velvet follows Roberto (Michael Brandon), the drummer in a rock band, who, one night, after being followed by a stalker, stabs him and accidentally kills him. What Roberto isn’t counting on, is a masked figure taking photos of this, through which he’s soon blackmailed. On top of that, people close to him are being killed, and optography might be the key to finding the murderer.

Four Flies on Grey Velvet was praised for its photography, atmosphere, suspense, and Mimsy Farmer’s performance, but the dialog was criticized, as well as the story’s many red herrings. However, it’s the suspense, mystery, and also the many red herrings that would make Four Flies on Grey Velvet an interesting TV show. Four Flies on Grey Velvet would benefit a lot more from being told through different episodes, going deeper into each murder, suspect, and all the clues so the big reveal at the end doesn’t feel off, which it can feel like in the movie.

Four Flies On Grey Velvet Would Make More Sense Now Than In The 1970s

Four Flies On Grey Velvet Can Benefit From The Passage Of Time

One of the most criticized things about Four Flies on Grey Velvet is the optography method and how this is used to find the killer, which was called “farfetched” and “old.” The movie used the old belief that the eye records the last image seen before death, which can be retrieved through the methods of optography, and it’s not the only movie to have used this concept. However, the way optography is depicted in Four Flies on Grey Velvet (as a type of laser through the eye to show the image on a screen, pretty much like a projector) isn’t very believable.

Four Flies on Grey Velvet could make more sense now than in the 1970s thanks to technological advancements and with a slight change in tone. Four Flies on Grey Velvet could lean a bit more into sci-fi to make optography more believable (within the limits of the genre), thus making the story more interesting and exciting. If the Phenomena TV remake succeeds, it could make way for other Dario Argento movies to get a similar treatment, and Four Flies on Grey Velvet is a great candidate.

Source: Variety.