5. Phenomena (Argento, 1984)
Dario Argento is synonymous with Italian horror cinema. Flippantly labelled The Italian Hitchcock by the media, Argento does much more than pilfer from the master of suspense, creating a style that is uniquely Argento and many of his films Deep Red (1974), Suspiria (1977), Inferno (1980) and Tenebrae (1982) in particular have been cited as some of the greatest Italian horror films of all time. His films post-Tenebrae, on the other hand, point to a creative slump from the director (a slump which has continued to this day). Phenomena, his first feature after Tenebrae, can be seen as the beginning of this slump but the film has many things going for it that make it worth your time. The story concerns a young girl (a 13 year old Jennifer Connelly) who is studying at a remote Swiss boarding school when she discovers that she has the ability to telepathically communicate with insects. At the same time a serial killer is butchering women at the school, so she decides to team up with her newfound insect friends to stop the killer. Seriously. Making an appearance are a wheelchair-bound Donald Pleasence (sporting a dreadful Scottish accent) and his razorblade-wielding chimpanzee attendant. Like Demons, the film also features a jarring heavy metal soundtrack with songs from Motörhead and Iron Maiden. Phenomena was torn to shreds by the censors upon its initial release but is available in its fully uncut form now. It is worth sitting through if can stomach the visceral gore and Pleasences accent. Totally bonkers.