(aka "Creepers" )

 

directed by Dario Argento
Italy 1985

 

After a pre-credits murder of a Danish tourist (Fiore Argento) who has missed her bus and wandered over to an ominous chalet inhabited by a chained unseen presence, we meet our heroine Jennifer (Jennifer Connelly) who has been enrolled at an exclusive Swiss all-girls school while her actor father works overseas. On the first night, her unfortunate habit of sleepwalking puts her in the position of witnessing the violent murder of one of the schoolgirls. When Jennifer's own roommate disappears, a firefly leads her to a maggot-infested glove that possibly belongs to the killer. Although no one at the school believes Jennifer, local entomologist John McGregor (Donald Pleasance) identifies Jennifer's psychic affinity with insects as an advantage in tracking down the killer. After calling down a horde of flies on the school after being teased by the other students, Jennifer follows the tour route of the missing girl in the pre-credits sequence assisted by a variety of fly that feeds solely off of human corpses - whose maggots were in the killer's glove - to the now abandoned chalet. When McGregor is murdered, it is up to McGregor's vengeful chimp assistant and millions of Jennifer's insect friends to save her from the killer.

Though not Argento's best film, it is certainly his most enjoyable as the director crams so many odd touches into the 110 minute running time (a lot of which was trimmed for the 84 minute US version). There are razor-wielding chimps, kilos of coffee-grounds standing in for flies (a clever antiquated optical trick), pits full of maggots, skulls, and body parts, a monster child, Iron Maiden's recurrent "Flash of the Blade", Daria Nicolodi's frazzled teacher, striking Dalila Di Lazzaro's stern headmistress who believes in the diabolical "Lord of the Flies", and an ethereal Jennifer Connelly (14 at the time) running around the Swiss mountains chasing insects and being chased by a spear-wielding assassin. Romano Albani's blue-tinted cinematography - augmented by the macrophotography supervised by Luigi Cozzi - makes extensive and satisfying early use of Steadicam photography (by Italy's premiere operator Nicola Pecorini) and ex-Goblin members Claudio Simonetti and Fabio Pignatelli contribute individual tracks (and collaborate on one) along with tracks from Simon Boswell, Iron Maiden, and Motorhead on the film's loud Dolby Stereo mix. Effects man Sergio Stivaletti also provides his first animatronics work for Argento (subsequently he worked on DEMONS, DEMONS 2, OPERA, and MOTHER OF TEARS as well as digital visual effects work on STENDHAL SYNDROME, SLEEPLESS, and PHANTOM OF THE OPERA).

Eric Cotenas

Posters

Theatrical Release: 2 August 1985

Reviews    More Reviews  DVD Reviews

DVD Comparison:

Anchor Bay (Anchor Bay Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Medusa - Region 2 - PAL vs. Anchor Bay (Dario Argento Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC

Big thanks to Gary Tooze and Eric Cotenas for the Screen Caps!

(Anchor Bay (Anchor Bay Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Medusa - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. Anchor Bay (Dario Argento Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Distribution

Anchor Bay

Region 1 - NTSC

 Medusa
Region 2 - PAL		 Anchor Bay
Region 1 - NTSC
The new 16X9 Anchor Bay is also available in the Dario Argento Box Set with Tenebre / Phenomena / Trauma / The Card Player and Do You Like Hitchcock?

                

Runtime 149:32 1:51:08 (4% PAL speedup) 1:49:44
Video

1.66:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 6.83 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

1.66:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 7.89 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

1.66:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 7.85 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:

Anchor Bay (Anchor Bay Collection)

Bitrate:

 

Medusa

 

Bitrate:

 

Anchor Bay (Dario Argento Collection)

 

Audio English (Dolby Digital 5.1); English (Dolby Digital 2.0 surround); French (Dolby Digital 2.0 mono)

Italian (Dolby Digital 5.1); Italian (Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo)

English (Dolby Digital 5.1); English (Dolby Digital 2.0 surround); French (Dolby Digital 2.0 mono)
Subtitles None Italian, English, none None
Features Release Information:
Studio: Anchor Bay

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.66:1

Edition Details:
• Audio commentary By director Dario Argento, special FX Make-up artist Sergio Stivaletti, composer C
• A Dark Fairly Tale Featurette - 16X 9 (17:17)
• Luigi Cozzi and the art of Macrophotography - 16X9 (4:38)
• Director Dario Argento interview [interviewed by Joe Franklin] (9:03; 4x3)
• Claudio Simonetti Music Video [Jennifer] (4:11; 4x3 letterbox)
• Bill Wyman Music Video [Valley] (4:00; 4x3 letterbox)
• Filmographies

DVD Release Date: May 27th, 2008
Keep case

Chapters 20

Release Information:
Studio: Medusa

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.66:1

Edition Details:
• Theatrical Trailer (2:39)
• Cast and Crew List
 

DVD Release Date: 1 February 2004
Amaray

Chapters 20

Release Information:
Studio: Anchor Bay

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen letterboxed - 1.66:1

Edition Details:
•  Audio commentary By director Dario Argento, special FX Make-up artist Sergio Stivaletti, composer C
• Theatrical Trailer (2:35; 4x3 letterbox)
• Behind the Scenes Segment (4:41; 4x3)
• Claudio Simonetti Music Video [Jennifer] (4:11; 4x3 letterbox)
• Bill Wyman Music Video [Valley] (4:00; 4x3 letterbox)
• Director Dario Argento interview [interviewed by Joe Franklin] (9:03; 4x3)
• Biographies
• Filmographies
 

DVD Release Date: March 16, 1999
Amaray

Chapters 20

 

Comments

The new Anchor Bay transfer looks almost identical to their previous release with the correct blue tinting (absent on the Italian disc) but looks sharper and clearer with anamorphic enhancement (even though the bitrate has been slightly reduced from the older transfer - likely for the addition of the new 17m documentary "A Dark Fairy Tale"). Both Anchor Bay disc present the 110 minute export version of the film (New Line cut the film down to 84 minutes for its US theatrical release).

The English 2.0 mix on the earlier Anchor Bay disc is not the film's original Dolby mix but a downmix of the 5.1 upmix (it would appear the same mixes are carried over to the new disc including the French mono track). The Italian cut runs longer in PAL than the export version because it is an earlier cut of the film (the export version is his approved cut). The Medusa in an anamorphic transfer with Italian audio only and English subtitles (the integral version was released with English audio and Italian snippets on German DVD by Raptor). That transfer lacks the intended blue tone in favor of a warmer look.

 - Eric Cotenas

 


DVD Menus
(Anchor Bay (Anchor Bay Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Medusa - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. Anchor Bay (Dario Argento Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - RIGHT)


 

 

   

 

 

Screen Captures

(Anchor Bay (Anchor Bay Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Medusa - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. Anchor Bay (Dario Argento Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM)

 

 

(Anchor Bay (Anchor Bay Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Medusa - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. Anchor Bay (Dario Argento Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM)

 

 

(Anchor Bay (Anchor Bay Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Medusa - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. Anchor Bay (Dario Argento Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM)

 

 

(Anchor Bay (Anchor Bay Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Medusa - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. Anchor Bay (Dario Argento Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM)

 

 

(Anchor Bay (Anchor Bay Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Medusa - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. Anchor Bay (Dario Argento Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM)

 

 

(Anchor Bay (Anchor Bay Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Medusa - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. Anchor Bay (Dario Argento Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM)

 

 

(Anchor Bay (Anchor Bay Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Medusa - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. Anchor Bay (Dario Argento Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM)

 

 

 

Report Card:

 

Image:

Anchor Bay (16:9)

Sound:

Draw
Extras: Anchor Bay (16:9)
Menu: -

 
DVD Box Covers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Distribution

Anchor Bay

Region 1 - NTSC

 Medusa
Region 2 - PAL		 Anchor Bay
Region 1 - NTSC
The new 16X9 Anchor Bay is also available in the Dario Argento Box Set with Tenebre / Phenomena / Trauma / The Card Player and Do You Like Hitchcock?

                

 


 




 

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