Phantasm
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Movie Reviews of Phantasm
Movie Review: The Anchor Bay Edition
Summary: 5 Stars
PHANTASM has fared pretty well on home video over the years with 3 VHS editions that I am aware of, 3 laserdisc issues and so far two (region 1) DVD releases (where's the bluray?). This latest version from Anchor Bay is the first time we have gotten an anamorphic release and it sure is nice to have it. Anchor Bay generally does an amazing job at putting together all sorts of cool extras and animated menus for their releases and they do a fairly good job here. The anamorphic transfer on this DVD does not seem to me to be the same print used for the MGM and laserdisc releases. I think this transfer looks a little more grainy and the color a little more off than the previous DVD. It looks okay but it isn't remarkable in any way. I suppose this could be because I'm now watching on a large HD screen and flaws are more apparent than before. It is difficult to compare this print accurately with the previous non-anamorphic ones. The Dolby 5.1 soundtrack sounds the same as the previous releases and it is quite good however this new DVD DOES NOT include the original mono soundtrack that was provided on the MGM release. There are a couple of new extras exclusive to this Anchor Bay edition. There is a short version of the PHANTASMAGORIA documentary and some interview segments called ACTORS HAVING A BALL. Those are the only features that are exclusive to this release. The commentary track is the same one I have been listening too since the collectors edition LaserDisc. Strangely, there are things MISSING from this Anchor Bay DVD that were on the LaserDisc and MGM DVD. There are ten minutes of deleted scenes on the MGM and only 8 minutes here (2 deleted scenes are missing). Angus Scrimm in australia doing his tall man schtick is not included on this release. The Coscarelli/Scrimm TV interview is here though, as are cleaned up versions fo the trailers and TV ads. There are NO radio spots included on this one, also gone is the Angus Scrimm introduction to the film (an especially sad ommission by Anchor Bay). The stills gallery is not included and neither is the complete version of "Sittin Here At Midnight" by Bill Thornbury, or the "Disco Phantasm" music tracks. We do get the Fangoria convention footage. One big improvment is the restoration of the original poster art for the front cover. This is also a two sided DVD cover in a transparent keepcase that has cool inside cover photography and a disc that looks like a silver sphere. This is a far from a definitive video release of PHANTASM but the anamorphic transfer makes this the best edition we have gotten so far. And by the way, I think PHANTASM is the greatest horror film ever made.Movie Review: A must for every Tall Man and Boooy
Summary: 5 Stars
Made with a very low budget and filmed over a period of several years (whenever they came up with more money), Phantasm is original and creepy. It's also a bit more thoughtful than most horror films.
A young boy, anxious about the further breakup of his family following his parents' death, becomes aware of sinister happenings at the local funeral home. Seems the caretaker, the super-creepy horror legend 'The Tall Man' (the incomparable Angus Scrimm) is robbing graves and transforming the bodies into miniature creatures for use as slave labor in another dimension (I think). Along with his brother and their balding ice-cream man buddy, they set about to stop the Tall Man and his flying crystal balls. The full story is never really explained (what is the Tall Man?), but all of this works to the advantage of the film, which is well-paced and still pretty eerie. In this era of over-production and effects-laden freak shows, Phantasm still has a pretty original idea behind it, which while not explained is still atmospheric. Ultimately, the film is as much about the breakup of a family and a young boy's anxiety about abandonment, with the horror story as a dream-like metaphor.
The film looks very good, even on a low budget. In one of the extras Coscareli and Bannister mention that they didn't skimp on the cameras or lenses. The extras also give insight into the making of a low-budget film in the 70s, quite a different effort from today. This was a labor of love among friends and associates as everyone pitched in, from lugging equipment to coming up with makeup techniques and will remind folks of the stories of the making of Halloween, also from the same time. This is in contrast to today, where the remakes of classic horror films are big-budget, ultra-slick affairs that use countless more dollars and resources and often fail to generate anything close to the atmosphere of the earlier entries.
The music score by Fred Myrow and Malcolm Seagrave raises the stakes significantly, and is a highly recommended disc. The spooky theme and some jazzy noodling are perfect, I'm surprised nobody has sampled the theme in another song (I could be wrong).
This 2007 release is definitely an improvement on the 1999 version, as it adds a new commentary (including Scrimm), as well as a making-of documentary, also new. And it looks great, though I'm beginning to wonder the limit on how good they can make older movies look anymore. Either way, I think it's worthwhile upgrade, even if you have to 'double-up' or even 'triple-up' on your Phantasms.
Movie Review: Louis Bunuel, Salvador Dali, and Don Coscarelli?
Summary: 5 Stars
Could it be that director Don Coscarelli (The Beastmaster (Special Edition), Bubba Ho-Tep (Hail to the King Edition)) followed in the footsteps of Bunuel and Dali and brought his dream to life in the form of art? In the 1929 short Un Chien Andalou directed by Bunuel, co wrote by himself and Salvador Dali, the two shared vivid dreams they had and that is how there short starts. A film with no logic that has been analyzed by critics ever since. Now, Coscarelli in that same unorthodox fashion takes not a dream but a nightmare, and not that of two grown men but of a teenage boy, at an age where are imaginations are running wild. An age filled with curiosity, wonder, and fear.
Do not go into phantasm and try to understand the dwarf alien slaves. Do not try to make sense of the severed finger in the box that bleeds yellow (and makes the french fry scene in The Hitcher seem like no big deal), then goes onto become a fly that attacks. Do not try to understand the flying orb that guards the cemetery and will dig into anyones skull to protect it. And do not criticize the actions or reactions to things such as a car that blows up instantly when it hits a tree as if it were made out of dynamite.
Put Phantasm into your dvd player, press play, and welcome to the mind of a teenagers fears. The fear of the dark, a cemetery, scary tall men, what lurks behind corners, and ultimately the fear of losing your parents; the fear of abandonment.
A horror classic in every sense that belongs in everyone horror fans library.
DVD FEATURES:
-Phantasmagoria: 30min doc and interviews with the cast and crew of the film
-Audio commentary with writer/director Don Conscarelli and Michael Baldwin, Angus Scrimm (The tall man), and Bill Thornbury.
-Deleted Scenes
-Phantasm: Behind the scenes
-Phantasm Tv interview
-Fangoria Tv commerical with Angus Schrimm
-Angus Schrimm convention appearance
-Phantasm Trailer
-Phantasm III trailer
-Tv Spots
A dts and dolby digital 5.1 track all for $7
Movie Review: Booooyyyyy this is a great horror film!
Summary: 5 Stars
Jody and Mike are two brothers who find out that there's something strange with their local mortuary; the tall mortician lifts and puts a casket in a hearse by himself, hooded dwarves play hide and seek on the grounds, and a flying ball sucks the blood out of a poor man. With the help of their friend Reggie, they'll investigate the Tall Man's doings and what goes on behind close doors at the mortuary.
A chilling cult classic from Don Coscarelli (Beastmaster, Bubba Ho-Tep), Phantasm has everything a horror fan wants. The film has just the right atmosphere, tone, and creep factor. They sure don't make them like this anymore! Coscarelli has created such a memorable film and an eerie antagonist you won't soon forget in the Tall Man, played to perfection by Angus Scrimm. Michael Baldwin, who plays Mike, does a great job with his character and must've had a ball riding that motocross and running around with a shotgun. There's something for everyone in this fast paced flick; sex in graveyards, a car chase featuring a 1971 black Plymouth Barracuda (I want that car!), dwarves running around in dark basements, ice cream trucks, severed fingers oozing yellow blood, an appropriately sinister score, and an awesome climax. The only let-down you might find is with the twist ending; the first time I saw Phantasm, I was actually disappointed with its ending. But as time goes by, you get to appreciate it and it does fit the film.
The Anchor Bay DVD features the amazing original poster for its box cover; again, the kind of artwork for horror films that you don't see often these days. Included is a wonderful documentary that will take you back in time with the cast and crew, trailers and TV spots, home movies, interviews, and deleted scenes. Pick up a copy, boooyyyyy, you won't be disappointed!
Movie Review: Great movie, I met The Tall Man and Jodie
Summary: 5 Stars
One tall man, three heroes, several small jawas, one black Plymouth Cuda, a flying ball that'll drill ya, and a partridge in a pear tree!
Great movie. Weird as heck, but fun! I met Angus Scrimm at a Fangoria horror movie convention as a teen back in 1987. Wow. What fun. He was really adept at being able to laugh about the Tall Man character and enjoying the role for what it was. He talked about how little dialogue he actually had in Phantasm I and II. He actually had it all memorized and said it to us...something like, "Boy! Boy! Boy! You play a good game boy but the game is finished, now you die! Boy!" and a few other lines. It took him like fifteen seconds lol. We all cracked up. I got his autograph. It was my first convention for sci fi/horror.
I also met Bill Thornbury. I'm a teacher and a music teacher friend at our school knows Bill, got me on the phone with him, and got me an autograph. He's the coolest guy!
Just to be intellectually honest, this movie, although I adore it and it's a classic, is really a classy version of Plan Nine From Outer Space (LOL). It takes place in a graveyard with a guy taking corpses and turning them into zombies to be used by aliens. The difference is, the Tall Man could kick Tor Johnson's butt, Don Coscarelli doesn't wear a dress (like Ed Wood) and the Cuda, man...the Cuda!
Reggie Bannister is the greatest. "We're hot as love!" oh man, classic
And for corn's sake, the CUDA! Plymouth Cuda! Oh baby! That and the Dodge Challenger, the two greatest cars ever made!
This is a fun frightfest. My wife is just terrified of this flick so it's fun to watch at Halloween.
I'm really happy that Phantasm II is now available. We had to wait for that sucker for years on DVD region 1!!