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Overall Rating : 7.5/10
Directed By : Dario Argento
Carrie Anne Fleming (The Tooth Fairy)
Beau Starr (Halloween 4)
Mark Acheson (Alone In The Dark)
Steven Weber (Stephen King's Desperation)
Supplied By : Anchor Bay Entertainment
Film Reviewed By : Rick L. Blalock
Date Reviewed : Aug. 12, 2006
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| PLOT Frank Spivey, a detective who rescues a strange young girl with a horribly disfigured face and lusciously ripe body from a deranged killer. But when Spivey takes responsibility for the mentally challenged orphan, she reveals herself to be a creature of untold carnal pleasures and unspeakable violent depravities that may lead him straight to hell. She is seductress, psychopath and succubus all in one…and her name is JENIFER. |
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| THE REVIEW This is only my second review pf a MASTERS OF HORROR episode as I never received any of the previous before HOMECOMING, but I remember seeing a little ot this episode of Showtime. I did enjoy it then - but then again I only saw about the last 10 minutes - now that I have seem it in it's entirety I am thoroughly impressed by just how well Dario Argento has crafted this little gem of freak show entertainment. In JENIFER, Frank Spivey, a Police Officer, responds to a commotion in which a seemingly crazy old man is just about to kill, as what he thinks is a beautiful woman. During the rescues the old man is killed at the hands of Spivey, but not before the man mutters the name of the woman "Jenifer" - almost as some sort of warning. Soon Frank discovers that the young woman in which he has saved may have a perfect body to die for but her face is something to turn away from. Seeing as no one will take the disfigured young woman in, Spivey finds it in is heart to let her stay with him despite his wife being none too happy about the plan. Of course Jenifer being in the house causes friction between Frank and family - and they decide to leave the two alone. During that time, Jenifer develops a rather unhealthy cause on her savior and partakes in many a sexual escapades with him, and sooner or later it becomes that much more unhealthy. Jenifer has an undeniable mean streak that she has hidden from her newfound lover and as anyone begins to come close to Frank, she seeks to kill them - oh what fun! In JENIFER, what is offered is a truly unique blend of horror, love, and a psychotic infatuation that pushes the boundaries and I quite liked it. The story put forth is well balanced and never seems to go downward at all as the pace is nice and smooth, all of characters, especially the film's namesake Jenifer. Here you get the sense that the relationship between Frank and his wife is already on the brink of extinction and with the arrival of Jenifer, well that's all it took. The film does a great job in displaying a man who is caught in a confusion of just what his life as come to, he is so desperate that even after seeing the series of gruesome murders Jenifer commits(one of which is an innocent little girl) he still loves her as he believes he's all that she has.... This innocent but downright perverse at times love affair is accompanied by some of the most brutal make-up effects I have ever seen in a series episode, by KNB EFX (I know some of this had to be edited when it aired, so i'm not sure how much was, or if any were restored for the DVD). MASTERS OF HORROR is a program that showcases some of Horror's finest talents and without including Argento would have been unjust, I love his style, he is one of my favorite directors to watch, and without even seeing the rest of the episodes, I am willing to bet that JENIFER is by far the best episode of the series' inaugural season. |
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| GORE
METER 6/10 The effects for this being only a one hour show are truly something to talk about, KNB EFX never seem to disappoint me. |
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| MUSICAL
SCORE 6.5/10 Along with JENIFER's excellent gore comes an excellent score to accompany it The theme is a lot reminiscent to Jerry Goldsmith's "Carol Anne's theme" utilized in the POLTERGEIST films - and I loved it, it sets of a rather innocent haunting vibe. |
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| OVERALL
IMPRESSION OF THE FILM I absolutely loved this episode and it is probably one of the few I will ever watch again - Argento shows us just why he is a "Master" as here with only 1 hour to spare he produces a rich and entertaining piece - I highly recommend JENIFER, take her home to Mom, she'll love her! |
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