Released: November 18, 2005
Director: Dario Argento
*****
In order for Jenifer to work, every character has to throw logic and rationality out the window. Detective Spivey (Steven Weber, who also wrote the teleplay) has to be altruistic and good by looking past the deformity of the girl he rescues. His wife and son have to be relative wimps when it comes to Jenifer staying at their house. And every single cop Spivey works with must turn a blind eye to one of their own taking in the girl.
Really, aside from Jenifer's gruesome visage, the only real horror aspects of this Masters of Horror title are the isolated scenes of Jenifer...dining. And the implication she can somehow give the world's best blowjob. Of that second idea I am still in doubt. But I shall digress. One other scary thing in the movie: wife Ruby's inhumanity toward Jenifer upon their first meeting, based solely on her looks. The word "freak" comes up more often than not.
It's a fascinating premise which tends to be hamstrung by trying to fit into the anthology series. A profound story could have been molded out of an unconventional looking woman somehow gaining power over every man she has sex with. A society and its reliance on acceptable beauty; the places the mind goes when we don't know what's going on; the ability to love every person regardless of their outer beauty. It is a tried and true plot, sure, but the horror could have been introduced a la burning torches like Frankenstein.
But back to the movie. There's not much to it and not many layers to peel back once we get past the obvious ideas of beauty and "goodness." One thing to mention, though, is the look of Jenifer. With her obscenely huge black eyes and deformed mouth with spiked teeth, there's something almost sympathetic about her. And actress Carrie Fleming (who is quite beautiful in real life) does the best job with very few of the conventional tools. She barely speaks and can't use her own eyes to express emotion. It can't save the film which, like most of the others in the series, just doesn't chill the audience like it should.