Jenifer Year: 2005 Director: Dario Argento Written by: Steven Weber Threat: Mutant Weapon of Choice: Teeth Based upon: short story - "Jenifer" - Bruce Jones Color/B&W/3D: Color Language: English Country of Origin: USA IMDb page:

Other movies in this series:
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Rish's Reviews
Ah, Jenifer. I don't really know how to write a review of this one. How much time do you have?
Steven Weber plays Frank Spivey, who rescues a girl from a man brandishing a meat cleaver. He is shocked to find that though she has a . . . "rockin' body," her face is horribly monstrous. In spite of all that, and her penchance for bloodshed, he finds himself oddly drawn to her . . . protective at first, and then something more.
Tyranist may tell you, in his review, about how we were both repulsed and attracted to this installment of "Masters of Horror," how I was both drawn to it and repelled by it, much like Weber's character. I was afraid to see it, yet I absolutely HAD to, looking more and more forward to it than I even had towards Deer Woman (and I was dying to see Deer Woman).
And I loved it. I cannot express to you how well-executed this film was. Jenifer worked for me on so many levels. What is it about this anthology programme that brings out the best in these directors?
Dario Argento has directed so many films, so many we have reviewed, but wow, he was at top form in this one. I really appreciated the Goblin-like music by Claudio Simonetti. Steven Weber (who also wrote the script) I've always liked, but now I'm afraid I have to bump up to love. His performance is excellent. The unknown Carrie Anne Fleming does an exceptional job as the title character, eliciting both pity and arousal, fascination and revulsion. It doesn't seem like that's possible, but it is.
Was it as good as Cigarette Burns, the reigning champion of the "Masters of Horror" series? I don't know. But it might have been.
There was stuff in this film that I had never seen before . . . stuff I didn't even know you could get away with in films.* Jenifer is so beautiful and yet so ridiculously ugly, I can't really explain what that dichotomy does to you. Movies (usually action movies) are sometimes described as a roller coaster ride. Jenifer was like a real roller coaster ride: thrilling, scary, fun, nerve-wracking, and leaving you more than a little sick at the end.
My only complaint (and it's really a disguised compliment) is that the film was made for television and not for the big screen. To be able to see Jenifer in the theatre with a bunch of howling, squirming, and perhaps crying horror fans, would be a delirious, wonderful experience.
I loved Jenifer. I don't know that you will too, but right now, I don't care. It's enough that I did.
Best Scare: That girl was really, really scary.
I'd Recommend It To: It's hard to say, really. The only person I'd definitely recommend it to is myself, I guess. And that's a disturbing thought.
*And yes, I am aware of the two cuts that were made to the film (rightly so, though . . . holy winged monkeys of eternal damnation!)
Posted: October 2, 2006

Total Skulls: 17

Sequel
Sequel setup
Rips off earlier film
Horror film showing on TV/in theater in movie
Future celebrity appears
Former celebrity appears
Bad title
Bad premise
Bad acting
Bad dialogue
Bad execution
MTV Editing
OTS
Girl unnecessarily gets naked
Wanton sex
Death associated with sex
Unfulfilled promise of nudity
Characters forget about threat
Secluded location
Power is cut
Phone lines are cut
Someone investigates a strange noise
Someone runs up stairs instead of going out front door
Camera is the killer
Victims cower in front of a window/door
Victim locks self in with killer
Victim running from killer inexplicably falls
Toilet stall scene
Shower/bath scene
Car stalls or won't start
Cat jumps out
Fake scare
Laughable scare
Stupid discovery of corpse
Dream sequence
Hallucination/Vision
No one believes only witness
Crazy, drunk, old man knows the truth
Warning goes unheeded
Music detracts from scene
Death in first five minutes
x years before/later
Flashback sequence
Dark and stormy night
Killer doesn't stay dead
Killer wears a mask
Killer is in closet
Killer is in car with victim
Villain is more sympathetic than heroes
Unscary villain/monster
Beheading
Blood fountain
Blood spatters - camera, wall, etc.
Poor death effect
Excessive gore
No one dies at all
Virgin survives
Geek/Nerd survives
Little kid lamely survives
Dog/Pet miraculously survives
Unresolved subplots
"It was all a dream" ending
Unbelievably happy ending
Unbelievably crappy ending
What the hell?