leeper@mtgzz.UUCP (m.r.leeper) (09/11/85)
CREEPERS
A film review by Mark R. Leeper
Capsule review: Rack up yet one more mad killer film
for Dario Argento. Argento uses the theme of a girl who can
control insects only to spice up the same old story he always
does and to give him a much desired opportunity to film
maggots.
Dario Argento seems to like films about psychotic killers. He made
films like DEEP RED, THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE, CAT O' NINE TAILS,
FOUR FLIES IN GREY VELVET, and probably several more psycho-killer films
that do not come to mind. His SUSPIRIA was a departure for him in that the
killer turns out to be supernatural, not psychotic. The ads for his new
film promise another apparent departure. CREEPERS appears to be a story
like WILLARD about a girl who has power over insects. A problem in timing
led me to see this major departure for Argento. The story is really about a
girl with power over insects who uses this power to catch a psychotic
killer.
Yes, friends, this is yet another psycho-killer film and Argento is
going to keep on maing and re-making the same film until he gets it right.
Currently, he gets it wronger every time he tries. This time there is a
psycho-killer haunting a town and in particular, a girls' school. Our main
character is a typical girl from the school except that she sleepwalks and
her father is a famous movie star and she is a split personality and she has
the power to control insects.
CREEPERS features rock music by several well-known groups almost always
played where it can ruin the atmosphere the most. And atmosphere is about
all an Argento film offers. This one thinks that the way to create
atmosphere is to use liberal doses of maggots. The acting is lackluster,
including a very half=hearted performance by Donald Pleasence with Scottish
accent.
This is not a good film; rate it a -2 on the -4 to +4 scale.
Mark R. Leeper
...ihnp4!mtgzz!leeper