Customer Reviews

Phantasm II

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

In a time where masked slashers ruled the eighties, seeing a horror film as original as PHANTASM II was a rarity. Here we have a sequel that not only is equal to the original, but completely reinvents itself from the ground up with quicker pacing, scarier visuals, and an all-around more polished production.

Yes, the first PHANTASM is a classic, and in the tradition of ALIENS, here we have a radically different- yet equally satisfying- action/horror romp. So why no DVD?!?

We all like to complain about what films aren't available on DVD, but I feel stronger about this flick than any other. If only good ol' MGM would step in and buy the rights to 2 & 3 and put together a nifty box set.

The long and outrageous wait is over and we FINALLY have PHANTASM II on DVD in region one. Universal knew that fans were in a frenzy to get this one and they also knew they didn't have to bother doing anything more than a bare bones release. Fans would buy whatever version they decided to throw our way and they did the LEAST amount of work on this they could get by with. What we got was a good looking anamorphic print of the film and an unimpressive STEREO soundtrack. Thats right, only 2 channel sound (even though the other films in this series all got new Dolby 5.1 remixes Universal knew they didn't have to bother). There are NO EXTRAS on this disc (other than one faded and dirty copy of the trailer). No cool animated menus, no commentary track, deleted scenes, making of features, retrospective documentary, cast interviews, NOTHING. All of this material is available and is on the worldwide releases of this film but the North American market gets ripped off by Universal. It would be so nice if they would allow Anchor Bay to do a decent release of this remarkable film but sadly it looks like that will never be a reality for the region 1 poplulation. Still...we do at least now have the film on DVD and the anamorphic transfer looks far better than my old pan and scan VHS copy. Even my laserdisc copy was pan and scan so this is a nice improvment. I sort of like the new cover art for this release as well although Unviersal even went super cheap on the flimsy, light weight keepcase this came in. They really should be ashamed of themselves for holding the film hostage all these years and then giving us such a no frills version when they finally decided to release it. Its a great film and an impressive follow up to the original film and it deserved so much better than this.

This second Phantasm begins where the first film, PHANTASM (1979), left off and takes you seven years later. In real time it was nine years before they finally made this sequel. That is why everyone looks more mature. James Le Gros takes over as "Michael" for this film only. But A. Michael Baldwin can be seen in flashbacks. Reggie Bannister and the Tall Man Angus Scrimm are back and so are those deadly silver spheres. I'll keep the plot a surprise for you, but this sequel is more big-budget. They go all out for this one and is very enjoyable if you like suspense, horror and more gore.

Funny sex scene.
If James Le Gros looks familar, twelve years later after this film, he had a regular role in the tv series "Ally McBeal" in 2000-2001.

Followed by:
Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead(1994).
Phantasm IV: Oblivion (1998).

When I was younger I saw Phantasm one night on T.V. when I was flipping channels. You know, one of those nights when it's late, it's the weekend, you feel good, and you're all alone and all you want is to see a movie that makes an impact on your life somehow. Phantasm IS one of those movies. It is, to me, the impidimy of what a horror movie should be. Graveyards, darkness, fog, monsters, evil powers, zombies that are actually scary, and a sweet 1971 Hemi-Cuda. The "ball" is the most revolutionary idea to come to horror movies. I was so excited after seeieng it I went to the video store and to my sheer pleasure, there was part 1,2, and 3. Each one takes up from where the last one ended. I absolutely LOVE the Phantasm series more than any other series.
I feel as if the series was taylor made for me. It touches a primal fear in me that is both scary and exhilerating. The Tall Man is so cool !! The flying ball(s) and the sound they make is Phantastic !!
I couldn't care less who owns the copywrite to the series. Yes, I adore Mike and would've loved to see him in part 2, but, dammit, I want the BOX SET !!!!!!!! I know I speak for other fans.
Quite simply, the Phantasm series holds a very special place in my heart. It is what movie making should be.
Don, if you are reading this, thank you so much for bringing joy into my life. I'm sure you aware by now that you have quite a cult following !!

Don Coscarelli demonstrated his talent in first "Phantasm" and now he was granted a bigger budget by Universal Pictures. And extra money appeared to be quite useful. We got the same grim and atmosperic movie but with better special effects and more advanced technically. Money allowed to build beautiful and extended interiors, make the picture spellbinding, increase the number of killing spheres and expand the cast - therefore we got to see wonderful actors here like James LeGros as Mike and Kenneth Tigar as a charismatic priest.
And although "Phantasm II" has a bigger calibre than the previous one it is still very atmospheric and claustrophobic. If the first was more of a little mystic film, the second grew up to be an action horror road-movie. And it served him good. As Don Coscarelli mentioned in his commentary track, you may like this film or not, but you will not deny the fact it's a film of great imagery. It is picturesque indeed. There are plenty scenes you can get pleasure watching, even if you had watched them separately, not in chronological order, not knowing the plot. "Phantasm II" is just beautiful. And it's not that slowly-paced as other "Phantasm" series, it's much more active and intense.
This film of great imagination is one of my all-time favourites. I just bought the British 5-disc sphere edition. Guess soon it'll be released in America too.

I have been a huge PHANTASM fan ever since I saw the original in the theater back in '79. I loved it so much, that frankly it took me awhile to get around to seeing this first sequel, released about 9 years later. I guess I've had a lot of disappointment with sequels over the years. When I finally did see it on VHS maybe a year or two after its release, I was a bit let down. They had a different actor playing Mike, and the overall feeling just wasn't the same.

That being said, I've come to appreciate this film more and more with each viewing. Sure, it's got a different feel to it. At times it plays more like a full-bore action movie. But the way it unfolds is essential to the storyline of the entire series, and does a great job setting up the two subsequent sequels. For me at least, after repeated viewings, it became increasingly evident that it really is an absolutely perfect sequel to the first film. I even came to truly enjoy and appreciate James LeGros' portrayal of Mike. Reggie Bannister is great, as he is in everything he does. And I don't need to say anymore than has already been said at length over the years about Angus Scrimm as the Tall Man. Pure sinister evil.

When my VHS copy finally wore out, I had to content myself with a VHS television copy (probably even edited - I don't remember). Then one day a couple of years ago, I found out about the Anchor Bay Region 2 Silver Sphere edition with all four films on DVD, and I jumped on that, even though I had numbers 1, 3, and 4 already on Region 1.

Needless to say, I will pre-order this as soon as I finish writing this review (I'm shocked I didn't pre-order it first). If ONLY there would someday be a PHANTASM V, but that possibility becomes more remote with each year that passes. I just hope that Hollywood doesn't decide to remake or "re-envision" the first film or the series. Not a good idea.

If you love PHANTASM, buy this DVD. It's what U.S. Phantasm fans have been waiting for, for a long, long time...

One last thing - Phantasm II has the best re-working of the incredible original Phantasm theme music I have ever heard play during the end credits. It was so awesome, they used what sounds like the exact same arrangement again at the end of Phantasm III.

Sid was all set to pop in a childhood favorite that he hasn't seen since circa 2000 due to an overkill of mass proportions over the previous 4 years. However, sometimes you're just in the mood for a really sweet horror. That was the case so we scoured on demand and came upon this gem. We remembered how trippy, weird, and somewhat confusingPhantasm was so yeah we took a shot with this one. And you know what? Bullseye baby.

The Tall Man is back in the sequel, and maybe better than ever. He even earned himself an early nomination for a 2009 Woody Award for best backhand. SLAP! He's got a sweet band of elves at his side. One must have been the lead singer in a "The Reflections" cover band because he had Sid's moves down to a T. The balls are also back in this one as fierce as ever. A big difference in the sequel was Reggie's level of awesomness. He looked like McQueen in 10 years so you know we added a star for that. However, the biggest difference between the first installment and the sequel is that the first film was more of a psychological thriller and this one was a more straight forward horror flick.

Your pal, Sid the Elf, totally dug this movie. The only thing we were on the fence about was: Is this movie B? Let's consider these three points. One, Clint Howard's fatter stunt double was in the movie. Two, It was clear that French's yellow mustard was spurting from The Tall Man's head after he was struck by a ball. And three, the ending was very abrupt, a telltale sign of B. So, the verdict is that Phantasm II is B and is a flick that Sid would have enjoyed immenseley years ago.

Phantasms 1,3 and 4 are readily available in US format. There is a boxed set from Taiwan with 5 DVDs, including the absent Phantasm 2, available for a rather reasonable price (around $30). If the imbeciles at Universal won't sell the rights or release Phantasm 2 on DVD, then they can't complain if we get ripped off copies.

Universal Dropped The Ball on The Region 1 DVD Release of
The epic Sequel to PHANTASM

My 2 major Complaints on the DVD are simple
1. Audio Dolby Digital 2.0
The other 3 Phantasm Films all have 5.1 or in The Case of The Original DTS
The movie was made to be in a much Higher Quality sound Mix

2. Lack of Xtras
The foreign Anchor Bay Release of PHANTASM II is Loaded w/ allot of Special Features
Why Not in North America ?????
Why didn't Universal make a deal with Anchor Bay to release a Special Edition of this Film with all the bells and whistles
The movie is So good It deserve to be given Respect by a Studio which doesn't think much of it by Releasing This Less then Vanilla version
Maybe in another 10yrs????

The Movie it self is One of the BEST Horror sequel ever (On Par with Halloween II (Original) , Friday The 13th Part II, Hellraiser II, and TX Chainsaw Massacre II)

If anything If this Version does sell good and get a out-cry of "Where's The Specail Edition?"
Maybe we'll just see Phantasm II (Director's Cut or Special Edition)
The Film on it's own Rocks 9.8/10
The DVD Release is so/so I guess we have to take what we can get for now

"Phantasm II" plainly was a terrific horror film in its own right; you needn't even be concerned with its 1979 predecessor if you haven't seen it! The story, special effects, and action were top-notch with most of the original "Phantasm" cast. Mike (James LeGros) and Reggie (Reggie Bannister) are superb as the hapless, humble, soft-spoken, yet badass-to-the-bone hunters of the pernicious Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) after he laid their families to waste in the first film. Nine years later, he and his retinue of demonic dwarves are once again wreaking havoc across small-town America by usurping the local cemeteries in order to enslave the corpses for his legion of the undead. Armed with his enclave of killer silver spheres, the Tall Man is Mike and Reggie's worst nightmare made incarnate who must be stopped before he can get them!

As I already mentioned, the special FX kick butt! The spheres are each equipped with newer, more lethal tools of destruction (in addition to the classic twin cranial blades and brainsucking drill bit) that make them even more reviled and intimidating. While in pursuit of their enemies, Mike & Reggie make use of an impressive collection of tools and weapons (the best being Reggie's custom-made quad-barreled super shotgun, A DEFINITE MUST-HAVE IN FUTURE VERSIONS OF "DOOM") in order to annihilate the Tall Man's minions to Kingdomcome! Finally, "Phantasm II" boasts a fast-paced, cool "David & Goliath" chainsaw battle between Reggie and the ominous gas-masked grave digger! That scene speaks out that the bigger saw isn't always better when Reggie totally (yet predictably) kicks the digger's butt in the end after getting pretty beat-up by him! In the long run, Reggie Bannister's acting and yelping seems to mirror that of Bruce Campbell in the "Evil Dead" films to me, which makes "Phantasm II" all the more campy and enjoyable! I so glad that Universal has re-released it for video. I just purchased it for my collection for all of my laid-back Friday Nights! I hope all you horror fans enjoy this underrated romp as much as I do!