Aenigma (1987)

3 / 5
Tagline: N / A
Directed By: Lucio Fulci
Written By: Lucio Fulci
Actors Include: Jared Martin, Lara Naszinsky, Ulli Reinthaler
Genre: Horror
Length: 90 minutes
Banned: nope
Country: Italy

Review:
Well this one was an easy sell for me as I do like Lucio Fulci's films most of the time, and since this particular story is sort of his "Carrie" homage I needed to see it. I have a thing for stories with the plot of a girl being teased or abused then getting revenge and this nicely fits in that area. What didn't work so well was the pacing, and most of the dialog was a bit boring and some of it unnecessary. When the film got going though there are moments of pay off and even some highly memorable scenes. In this case the "Carrie" figure is named Kathy, and is she ever tormented. Her classmates dress her up and set her up on a fake date (sound familiar anyone) and then listen in and make fun of her. Well the trouble is they chase her out to the road where she is hit by a car and put into a coma with no brain activity. Somehow from there she is able to channel her rage at her classmates through the new girl in school called Eva. Eva then infiltrates the popular kids and starts bumping them off (since she is being mind controlled by Kathy of course). It does take a while for much to happen, and there are large breaks in between murders so it does sort of drone on in places, but then when we see some of the creative murder methods it becomes worthwhile. We all know Fulci is capable of some great gore, and this isn't necessarily gory but there is a fantastically unique 'death by snails' scene that should be seen by most. I can't say that anyone should rush out and see this one, but if you like "Carrie"-style films that aren't as great then this should fill the void. Also fans of Fulci's will want to see this even if it's not his best effort.