So at this point, I think I’ve seen enough horror movies to say with some confidence that my favorite director of horror is Dario Argento, which is why we ended up watching this Jennifer Connelly/Donald Pleasence vehicle.

The plot is as bonkers as you’d hope. Connelly is moving in to a boarding school in the Alps, and she has problems sleepwalking and also has a mystical connection with insects. Pleasence is an entomologist with a monkey assistant. There’s a serial killer. Go.

To a reasonable extent, the movie works. It’s got a cool atmosphere to it, the stars are charismatic, the plot moves along quickly and with appropriate amounts of wtf and mystery both. But… there’s something about it that’s just not quite right.

Despite everything I just said above, it somehow feels too conventional, a bit too much like an American studio movie without the wild indie energy that you usually get from Argento. I can’t quite put my finger on why (surely it’s not just the presence of recognizable English-speaking stars?) — this is the latest-made of his movies that I’ve seen, so maybe it’s that he “matured” as a director, or got more money somehow?

Whatever it is, it’s not enough to ruin the movie. It’s still enjoyable, and there are still parts that are as weird as anything he’s ever done. If you like Argento’s stuff, don’t avoid this one. But definitely don’t make this the movie where you start exploring his oeuvre.