When a bullied student at a New England girls school becomes comatose after a prank gone wrong, her tormenters will suffer graphic telepathic punishment that includes the infamous ‘death by snails’ scene. Jared Martin (DALLAS), Lara Lamberti (A BLADE IN THE DARK) and Ulli Reinthaler (ZOMBIE 3) star in this “blast from start to finish, with some of the most bonkers imagery Fulci ever put on film” (The Video Vacuum). o-written by Giorgio Mariuzzo (THE BEYOND, HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY) and scanned in 4k from the original negative for the first time ever in America.

Jamie’s Take (3 / 5)

No stranger to the Trashmen boys, we have reviewed countless Lucio Fulci films on this site (House by the Cemetery, New York Ripper, Zombie, Murder Rock) so I was ready to delve in on his 1987 spookfest about possession while keeping in mind that Fulci’s later efforts were not quite as good as his earlier films. Thankfully, Aenigma (a rather fitting title) is not bad and was actually entertaining if one can forgive it’s lower budget and odd moments.

Right off the bat, one gets the feeling that this movie is going to be different and strange as a college couple dress a meek college girl named Kathy (Milijana Zirojevic, an actress I hope I never have to pronounce her name) so she can go out on a date with aerobics instructor Frank. Poor Kathy is set up and as her peers chase after her in a car, she is accidentally hit by an oncoming car and thrust into a deep coma. I had a hard time focusing on what happened to Kathy as I was still wondering why the hell she had allowed herself to be changed by someone, exposing her body and standing there as various dresses go over her.

As she lays motionless in her comatose state, a new student arrives at school named Eva (Lara Lamberti from A Blade in the Dark and Red Sonja) who stays in the same room that was once occupied by Kathy. Eva, while making friends, seems a bit off and acts rather strangely. It is soon revealed she is either possessed by Kathy or Kathy is using her body as a pawn to do her evil bidding as Kathy’s bully’s are taken out one by one.

Part Patrick and part Carrie, Aenigma while having a coherent premise does seem to go off the rails fairly quickly in terms of plot and explanation as strange happenings start to take place with zero explanation. Making it more bizarre are a few of the deaths by some of the characters including one girl being killed by snails! Severed heads start to roll, Kathy’s doctor starts to date Eva, Kathy’s mute and simple mother works at the college…Aenigma feels like a fever dream where imagery takes over coherency. Fulci just kind of throws the kitchen sink at the audience but unfortunately results in confusion and un-intentional laughs. I couldn’t help but think of a child explaining a story, “…and then this happens and then this happens and then…”

It was obvious the budget for Aenigma was much lower than his budgets for his earlier films and while he tries his best to use what he has, Fulci’s film does feel cheap and thrown together as most of the movie takes place in one location or in various offices and apartments.

I am re-reading what I have written and I feel like I am trashing the film when I actually did enjoy it. There are plenty of deaths, while not as gory as say House by the Cemetery or New York Ripper that provide the audience some decent grue. The dubbed dialog is also quite funny and over the top which I found quite humorous and enjoyable. I also have always enjoyed a good revenge movie with a high body count and Aenigma doesn’t disappoint. And just under shy of 90 minutes, the film is over before you know it.

Severin’s blu ray transfer isn’t one of their best as the film has very heavy grain and many shots appear soft and unclear. This could be the source material and not the transfer so I’m unsure if this would be Severin’s fault however I have seen much better transfers. Dialog sounds nice as the 2.0 track is relatively clear. The special features on the disc are also decent, my favorite being a 35 minute documentary focusing on Fulci’s later films.

While nowhere near his best work, Aenigma is at times atmospheric and spooky but it’s silliness, low budget and head-scratching moments may turn off some viewers.

Hidden Treasure/Dumpster Fire?

Jamie says: Hidden Treasure!

Jamie's Take:	(3 / 5)
Blu-ray Extras:	(3 / 5)
Average:	(3 / 5)

• Audio Commentary with Troy Howarth, Author of Splintered Visions – Lucio Fulci & His Films and Mondo-Digital.com’s Nathaniel Thompson.
• Writing Nightmares – Interview with Screenwriter Giorgio Mariuzzo.
• Italian Aenigma – Appraising Late Day Fulci Featurette.
• Trailer.