Dario Argento’sPhenomenais 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 withThe 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 movieSuspiria, which he also wrote. Despite the legacy ofDario Argento’s works, onlySuspiriahas 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 broughtPhenomena, co-written by Argento and Franco Ferrini.Phenomenafollows 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,Phenomenahas a 73% critics score onRotten Tomatoesand a 67% popcornmeter score, both fresh ratings.
In the United States,Phenomenawas released after cutting 20 minutes and under the titleCreepers.
Despite not having a lowRotten Tomatoesscore,critics weren’t fully on board withPhenomena, 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 ofPhenomena’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,Phenomenais getting a TV remake, making it the second Argento movie to get a remake afterSuspiria.
According toVariety, the initial idea for the return ofPhenomenawas a sequel feature, but creators Nicola Guaglianone and Menotti turned this idea into a TV series.ThePhenomenaTV series has the same premiseas the movie except that Jennifer arrives at a dancing academy in the Dolomites. At the time of writing, thePhenomenaTV 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 broughtFour Flies on Grey Velvet, also written by him.Four Flies on Grey Velvetfollows 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.
Optography is the process of viewing or retrieving an image from the retina of the eye. However, this has been debunked as a forensic tool many times.
Four Flies on Grey Velvetwould benefit a lot more from being told through different episodes, going deeper into each murder, suspect, and all the clues.
Four Flies on Grey Velvetwas 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 makeFour Flies on GreyVelvet an interesting TV show.Four Flies on Grey Velvetwould 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 aboutFour Flies on Grey Velvetis the optography methodand 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 inFour 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 Velvetcould lean a bit more into sci-fi to make optography more believable (within the limits of the genre).
Four Flies on Grey Velvetcould make more sense now than in the 1970s thanks to technological advancementsand with a slight change in tone.Four Flies on Grey Velvetcould 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 thePhenomenaTV remake succeeds, it could make way for other Dario Argento movies to get a similar treatment, andFour Flies on Grey Velvetis a great candidate.
