Customer Reviews

Phantasm [VHS]

5 star:		(144)
4 star:		(41)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

If good films are like waking dreams, then good horror films are like waking nightmares. Few can match the power of Phantasm in this regard. Masquerading as a B-shocker, it gradually develops a kind psychological depth shared only by the best in the genre - films like The Exorcist and Silence of the Lambs.

To begin with, the story is frankly outrageous: after the death of a close friend, two brothers (Mike and Jody, played by Michael Baldwin and Bill Thornbury) discover some strange things about the Morningside Funeral Home where their friend - and their parents, who died two years earlier - are interred. It seems the dour funeral director (a character known only as The Tall Man, indelibly rendered by Angus Scrimm) is not quite human. He's able to lift fully occupied coffins by himself, as the younger Mike secretly observes; he bleeds yellow blood; he has a strange reaction to cold; and he is aided by small silver spheres that roam the halls of the mausoleum, doing unspeakably gruesome things to intruders. It seems his main activity, though, involves a novel use of the corpses of the dearly departed - a use we learn in the striking left-turn the film takes in the third act.

Somehow, what could have been a very silly film takes on an unnerving, Lynchian kind of surreality, thanks in large measure to a well-developed subtext about abandonment, isolation, despair, and guilt. These are the anxieties that drive nightmares, and - despite the frequent humor throughout - writer/director Don Coscerelli infuses the proceedings with a poignant sense of sadness and dread. Like Herzog's Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht, or Lynch's Mulholland Drive, Phantasm isn't just a scary film; it has the authentic texture of a dark, disturbing dream.

And this, in a film where a major sequence involves a large, obviously rubber insect flown around on a fishing line! It could have been a real Ed Wood moment, but instead, we buy into it somehow. Amazing.

In The Tall Man, Angus Scrimm has created a classic horror film villain, in the Frankenstein's monster/Dracula/Wolfman/Mummy sense, rather in than the Freddy/Jason tradition. There is no sense of irony in his conception or performance. No camp. No winking, wisecracking, or self-aware irony. Just a powerful, implacable, evil presence.

Reggie Bannister rounds out the cast as a musician/ice cream vendor (!) who assists the brothers in their quest to rid the world (or at least their town) of the evil that has descended.

The performances (a couple of minor characters notwithstanding) are remarkably skilled, walking that fine line between believability and exaggeration virtually demanded by the genre.

The DVD is crisp and well produced. There is a delightful introduction by The Tall Man himself, Angus Scrimm, to get things rolling. There is a good deal of supplemental material to be found on the disc, and a thorough commentary track by Coscarelli, Scrimm, Baldwin, and Thornbury.

All told, an excellent addition to any horror fan's collection.

"If this one doesn't scare you, you're already dead." Or so goes one of the taglines used in the promotions for PHANTASM, the 1979 low-budget film from auteur Don Coscarelli that has become a much-loved horror classic. By today's standards, the film doesn't quite reach the level of fright promised by that slogan. But PHANTASM is nonetheless a well-made indie flick that has always been a real crowd-pleaser due to its enigmatic, unpredictable script; the ingenious and effective low-budget special FX; excellent directing and cinematography by Coscarelli; good acting, especially from the four principals; and a very memorable, haunting score.

PHANTASM follows precocious 13-year-old Michael (Michael Baldwin), his older brother Jody (Bill Thornbury), and friend Reggie (Reggie Bannister) as they investigate the enigmatic goings-on at the creepy nearby funeral parlor. Just who or what is that terrifying Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) that seems to have the run of the place? What is his part in the recent disappearance of corpses at the mortuary, and what is his relationship to the elfish eidolons lurking in the graveyard shadows?

PHANTASM's script is loosely structured and rather weak in spots, but this actually heightens the unpredictability of the plot and thereby gives the film an unnerving surrealistic quality. And when combined with bizarre imagery (e.g., an airborne chromed sphere drilling into a human head); gloomy, atmospheric sets and on-location sites; and a genuinely creepy, inscrutable antagonist like the Tall Man, the movie transcends the script and evolves into a 90-minute spine-tingling nightmare-on-film.

The excellent musical score also adds much to the nightmarish quality of PHANTASM. Composed by Fred Myrow and Malcolm Seagrave, it is stylistically reminiscent of John Carpenter's score for his groundbreaking film HALLOWEEN, released a year earlier. But unlike Carpenter's one-man synthesizer score, Myrow and Seagrave's music is performed on multiple instruments, delivering a rich, three-dimensional sound that makes PHANTASM's aural atmosphere seem much more ominous than that of HALLOWEEN.

Though it has been over 20 years since its initial release, PHANTASM has aged surprisingly well. As with its aforementioned predecessor HALLOWEEN, the gore is minimal, especially when compared to the wave of bloody horror films that splashed up on the cinematic shore in the 1980s and beyond. But the eerie, surreal ambiance of PHANTASM can still make a viewer's skin crawl, and the malignant Tall Man, with all his accursed accoutrements and paranormal paraphernalia, is still pretty damned creepy. Yes, PHANTASM has a certain ineffable 1970s drive-in quality that identifies it as a product of its era, but rather than being an annoyance, this seems to add yet another layer of "otherworldliness"--at least from a contemporary standpoint.

MGM's DVD release of PHANTASM offers the film in a non-anamorphic letterbox format in the film's original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The digital transfer is pretty clean, with only moderate filmic and digital artifacts sometimes apparent. Colors are bright and vivid, though darks are a bit on the muddy side. Soundtrack audio options include a new Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound remix, which sounds good, or the film's original 2.0 mono.

The supplements on MGM's DVD release of PHANTASM are outstanding. First off, the disc comes packaged with a very nice booklet that contains a note from writer/director Don Coscarelli, as well as a myriad of interesting tidbits about the film and its stars. On the disc itself, a really cool alternate audio track offers a feature commentary with Coscarelli and the film's principal actors. Also included are outtakes, deleted scenes, trailers and TV spots, TV interviews with Coscarelli and Angus Scrimm, and much more! These extras alone are worth the very reasonable retail price, but buyers get the cool film, too!

To recap, PHANTASM is a minor cult classic that both ardent horror fans and casual viewers alike will find genuinely enjoyable, and the loaded-with-extras DVD from MGM is nothing short of Phantastic!

As a successful director of kid's films, Don Coscarelli felt like moving into horror. But he was out of ideas so he shut himself in a mountain cabin for a few weeks and dreamt up Phantasm. God only knows what he was smoking or drinking in order to conjure up a story like this. I've been watching it for over six years, trying to get my head around it. But like the most complex of David Lynch films, there are still some parts of the puzzle that are too warped to fit.

Mike and Jody Pearson are two brothers living in small town California. Their parents have recently died, leaving twenty-something Jody in charge of 13-year-old Mike. But Jody is restless and cannot stay cooped up in such a small town for long. Mike dreads that Jody will dump him with an aunt or uncle and disappear beyond the horizon.

But that's the least of his worries for the moment. Jody's friend has mysteriously committed suicide and after his funeral Mike, hiding in the bushes, sees the undertaker, a sinister Tall Man, heave the coffin out of the ground all by himself and dump it back in the Hearse.

Knowing something ain't quite right about all this, Mike investigates the funeral home and is attacked by hooded dwarfs, flying killer chrome spheres (inspired by one of Coscarelli's nightmares) and is chased by the Tall Man. He gets away but loses a shoe and hacks off some of the Tall Man's fingers for proof.

It's not an ordinary finger, it oozes some kind of yellow puss (embalming fluid perhaps) and still pokes around on it's own. Convinced of supernatural interference, the brothers team up with their Ice Cream vendor pal Reggie to kick the Tall Man's head in. It ain't that easy I'm afraid and the film turns from weirdo horror into positively strange sci-fi as the trio discover more and more inexplicable activity going on at Morningside Cemetery.

The film doesn't have many faults. But it is quite frustrating seeing the characters do no more than go to the cemetery and go home, then go to the cemetery and go home for, more or less, the entire running time. Don Coscarelli shot about 3 hours worth of footage and only ended up using half that. There are loads of fun scenes left out that, while not essential to the film's plot, could have kept things more balanced.

The total 70s feel is a major plus though. Man, I wish I were a kid back then. The big hair, the flares, the cool cars, the loose women and the funky music are all part of this film. The hip 70s score is also incredibly funky and spooky at the same time. Once you start humming it there's no stop.

It's also very different from the typical 70s horror formula. There are no masked killers, no women being chased through the woods and no slasher fodder characters. Mike, Jody and Reggie are bold and decisive and choose to fight instead of running and hiding. The setting of rural California is also a refreshing change from medieval castles, hick villages or haunted houses.

Angus Scrimm, who plays the Tall Man, is no doubt the film's best asset. He hardly says a word but he OWNS every scene he's in. His physical presence and menace makes him a damn cool horror villain and he ought to be as iconic as Freddy or Jason.

No matter what way you look at it, Phantasm never makes complete sense. You can turn it upside down, inside out and back-to-front and you might be able to work most of it out, but there will always be one thing that sticks out. Don Coscarelli claimed he wanted it to be open-ended and ambiguous as a way of not having to make any sequels.

That tactic didn't work.

I'm sitting here trying to find a way to effectively summarize the plot of Don Coscarelli's cult horror classic...and I can't. What I will say is this: don't expect Alien/Halloween style horror. This one works on a completely different level. The plot holes, the gaps in common sense, and the surreality of the world in which _Phantasm_ occurs are what is "frightening". Don't expect too much in the way of endearing characters; they're flat as a board with plastic lines and even more plastic acting, but that doesn't really get in the way of the movie's enjoyment all too much; it's the environment, the profound sense of place that Coscarelli has(by the end of the movie, you'll know the layout of Morningside Cemetery, the Funeral Parlor/Mausoleum, and Jody's house as if you had actually lived in these structures,) as well as his wonderful cinematography; every shot is absolutely gorgeous and takes full advantage of the distortion/fuzz quality that film possessed in 1979.

The music is superb, fitting the slightly ridiculous, euphoric feel of the photography and story perfectly, tinkling, vintage synths and gothic chorus put through a kind of vo-coder-esque electronic filter.

Some cult movies truly do not deserve their cult status, this I will admit, but _Phantasm_ does. It is imminently watchable despite its flaws, over and over again somehow fascinating; you're always discovering something new or having a new revelation to pertain the "what the hell was that?" that was running through your mind during your last viewing. And...who can't love Angus Scrimm's ominous presence as the ubiquitous and ever short-spoken Tall Man?

Though I have no intention of giving the twist ending(s)(there are two, technically) away, I will say that you may feel a tad disappointed with their sudden execution the first time you see it, but in retrospect and especially in consecutive viewings, the twist ending lends a bit of sense to the otherwise non-sensical flow of the plot.

Note: Okay, I lied, I'm going to spoil the ending below.

The notion the entire film is an adolescent boy's fantastical nightmare lends some artistic credibility to Coscarelli's admittedly convoluted science fiction/horror storyline, the things that don't make sense(e.g. the blackout after which all of the characters are inexplicably transported to different sections of the cemetery and funeral parlor, and Jody's moving of the boulders that are way too heavy for any human being to even budge) suddenly are put in a context that, while admittedly a tad cop-outesque, saves the movie on the whole.

Art film, horror film, fantasy film? Hell if I know, really. Just see it...you'll like it.

Phantasm was a great film in VHS. It is even better in the DVD format. This is perhaps one of the greatest surprises of the year in DVD. Not only is the film great, but also the commentary and the behind the scenes footage add so much to the entire package! I especially appreciate the digital re-master of the original! The 5.1 Dolby Surround is incredible, especially with the benefit of a good subwoofer! The purists can even listen to the fantastic original score. This film is testimony that a person with vision and imagination, in this case Don Coscarelli and crew, can accomplish a great deal on a small budget. I have seen all the Phantasm installments and believe this one belongs in every fans video library. For the real fan of Phantasm it should be noted that one of the deleted scenes of the Tall Man's, Angus Scrimm's, dialogue was included in the fantastic sequel Phantasm II. He says in the latter case to the Priest "You think when you die you go to heaven, you come to us!" This film is a study in surrealism. There are a few elements of very dark humor. The sequels are technically superior, but on a budget of approximately $300,000 they accomplished wonders. They all worked as a team and a very unique film was born. I suppose the Tall Man represents on one level a person's fear of death, but as can be seen in Phantasm IV: Oblivion there is a lot that is still unanswered in this saga. Angus Scrimm's character of the Tall Man is possibly one of horror film's most sinister if not the most intriguing concepts to date. If you haven't viewed any Phantasm film, this one is worth the price! As the old TV ad goes "if this one doesn't scare you your're probably dead." This is one sci-fi/horror classic, I don't that will leave an impression on you as it has me since seeing it in 1979. The girl in purple is waiting, as is the Tall Man. If you are a fan visit the official Phantasm website at for all the latest.

I think that Phantasm was a big surprise hit back in '79 for different reasons than why it has endured as a cult movie to this day.

Sure, the special effects haven't aged as well as some, but they were remarkable for a low-budget movie made only two years after Star Wars came out. At the time, Phantasm did not come across as a low budget movie at all and I think it shocked everybody. It's taken decades and many technical developments in SFX along the way to finally make this movie's technical limitations more glaringly obvious. At the time? There wasn't a 12-year old in the country who didn't think it was impressive.

Phantasm was bizarre enough and had enough shock moments to scare and thrill young viewers, and the killer silver balls were such a unique cinematic experience that nobody else has even tried to emulate them in a similar horror film.

But while Coscarelli was able to brilliantly evoke and convey his unique nightmare vision of the strange tall man, the mysterious silver balls, and grave-robbing interdimensional evil cloaked dwarves, what makes this film endure is what I believe is the human element.

As opposed to the shallow, vapid, teen slasher flicks to follow it, Phantasm's characters are allowed to develop into involving, three dimensional people. I believe that is what gives this movie some legs, and what has allowed for relevant Phantasm sequels (ii- iv). There is a unique, profound sadness in Mike Pearson's compulsive need to follow his big brother around after the deaths of both of their parents. And in the end, there is an even deeper sadness when the audience realizes that his big brother Jody has been dead all along as well. The characters are allowed to show and feel emotional depth-- sorrow, fear, anger, frustration. They aren't cardboard props to be slashed by the villain. They're intrepid, resourceful, and you can't help but like them and relate to them... especially when they're just sittin' on the porch strummin' the guitar and singing some tunes.

Phantasm's surrealness is only reinforced when it is made the backdrop of such normal human characters and behavior. Otherwise, cloaked dark dwarves and flying silver balls would seem quite random and stupid if put in the context of your typical teen slasher flick (another sorority/campfire bimbofest, anyone?). This is where most of the low-budget cookie-cutter horror films fail nowadays.

Phantasm (1979) is one of those films I wish I could unwatch, just so I could watch again for the first time, as this was one of a handful of movies that really creeped me out back when I first saw it. I can't even begin to tell you how much time my friends and I spent futilely debating the various aspects of the storyline, speculating on just what the hell was going on in this movie...written, produced, directed, photographed, and edited by Don Coscarelli (Kenny & Company, The Beastmaster, Bubba Ho-tep), the film stars A. Michael Baldwin (Kenny & Company, Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead) and Bill Thornbury (The Lost Empire, Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead). Also appearing is Reggie Bannister (Phantasm II, Bubba Ho-tep), Kathy Lester (Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead), and Angus Scrimm (Subspecies, Munchie, Death to the Automatons), as the enigmatic Tall Man.

As the film begins, we see a buxom blonde woman (Melons! Get your melons here! Two for a dollar!) and a dude named Tommy (nice mutton chops) getting some creepy loving in a graveyard in the middle of the night, and not long after the big finale (if you know what I mean), it's bye bye Tommy...Tommy literally gets it after getting it...how? You'll have to watch and see. Anyway, the following scenes involve Tommy's funeral, attended by his family and friends, including Jody (Thornbury) and Reggie (Bannister). Jody's younger brother Mike (Baldwin) isn't in attendance, as the thinking was he's too young, and still suffering from the loss of Jody and Mike's parents two years earlier...but Mike's around, hiding in the bushes, spying on the proceedings with a pair of binoculars (seems Mike is deathly afraid Jody will pick up and leave, so he follows him nearly everywhere). After the ceremony ends and the mourners leave, Mike watches as the Tall Man, who works at the cemetery and oversaw the service, proceed to lift the 500 plus pound casket out of the ground, by himself, place it in the hearse, and drive off....well, that was odd. After various events (including a visit to a fortune teller and spying on Jody during a romantic interlude, which was kinda creepy in itself), Mike returns to Morningside Cemetery under the cloak of night to investigate further...after breaking into the funeral parlor, Mike gets caught by a caretaker, but not for long as the man suffers a nasty workplace accident involving a flying silver sphere, complete with blades and a drill bit (better call OSHA)...man, the human head sure has a lot of blood...Mike flees, but pursuit isn't far behind as the Tall Man appears, along with some evil Oompa Loompas dressed in brown cloaks. Something hideously evil is going on at Morningside Cemetery, something involving the recently dead...oh, did I mention Jody and Mike's parents are interred there?

Severed fingers, a nasty, mutant fly, murderous dwarfs, deadly flying spheres (where does he get those wonderful toys?), hearses, guns, a muscle car, coffins, dead bodies, a graveyard at night, a creepy mausoleum...this is a weird and wild trip, one where the fun is more in the ride itself than in getting to the destination...which is good as the first time you see the movie, it probably won't make a whole lot of sense. Initially the film does play off like a series of loosely related events, but, if given a chance (along with a couple more viewings), elements of the story do fall into place, and even make sense...or you could just listen to the commentary track and understand a lot more than I did the first time I saw the film. Regardless, Coscarelli pulled off quite a feat here, as normally I find this type of movie annoying, as it essentially presents a whole lot of questions, many left unanswered by the end. The difference here is that the characters are engaging, the sequences well paced and exciting, and the overall material just so very bizarre, all for a budget of about $300,000. Sometimes there are instances where things happen for no other reason that because it's in the script, I'd recommend just going along with the story, as you'll have a lot more fun that way. The story may seem to drag a bit in the beginning, but sit tight as it kicks into gear about 35 minutes in...the performances, while not highly professional, do feel realistic in the sense that the actors are regular people, easily identifiable to the average viewer, and this goes a long way towards mitigating any inadequacies. The most memorable performance for me was Angus Scrimm, and the enigmatic Tall Man. If you saw this film as a little kid, you probably had creepy nightmares about his menacing character. One other aspect worth mentioning is the original music by Fred Myrow and Malcolm Seagrave, proving the value of an appropriately haunting and memorable score. On this particular DVD version, Scrimm performs an introductory segment which lasts a couple of minutes, and the man seems to not age aged at all, except, perhaps for the fact he's sporting a wicked comb over. I think Scrimm's probably done all right for himself, milking every ounce of juice from his character he could over the years (more power to you, brother). All in all, this is a wicked fun film, and required viewing for fanatics of creepy horror/fantasy films. If I learned anything from this movie, it's the following;

1. You don't aim a gun at a man unless you intend to shoot him.
2. You don't shoot a man unless you intend to kill him.
3. Warning shots are bullsh*t.
4. Never mess around with a transdimensional tuning fork.

The widescreen (1.85:1) presentation on this DVD looks really sharp and clean, and includes a newly mastered Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack (the original mono version is also available), which is great for those of us who've only ever seen it in the past on VHS or broadcast TV. There are a ton of extras on this special edition DVD, including a commentary track with director Don Coscarelli and stars A. Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornbury, and Reggie Bannister, 10 minutes of deleted scenes, a 1979 interview with Coscarelli and Scrimm, an original theatrical trailer, three televisions spots, radio spots, behind the scenes footage (19:58), a still gallery featuring pictures and promotional materials, a goofy Australian TV promo (3:42), a 1995 recording of "Sittin' Here at Midnight" by Bill Thornbury, a disco version of the Phantasm theme, Fangoria convention footage (featuring Scrimm), a Fangoria TV commercial, and an informational insert booklet...whew! This film was followed by three sequels, including Phantasm II (1988), Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead (1994), Phantasm IV: Oblivion (1998).

Cookieman108

By the way, I had an opportunity to trade a few emails with co-producer Paul Pepperman after he contacted me about my review for Kenny & Company (1976), and I asked him when we might see a domestic DVD release of the 2nd and 3rd movies in this series...he couldn't really tell me, but he did mention a newly created special edition set featuring all the films, soon to be released in the UK. Perhaps (hopefully) a similar set will be released in the U.S.

This is a movie at it`s best.When I watched it 1st time, I adored it, cause Don Coscarelli had created a suspense, dark PhantasMy. The characters are as well selected as the locations. There is a lot crap in the genre, but fortunately this is one of the greatest movies the 70`s gave us. You'll hiding behind your couch when stell balls flying towards you, but first you have to rent or buy this movie , if you're fan of great, good entertaining Horrorthriller!!

It goes without saying that Don Coscarelli's original Phantasm still has that cerebral effect on the viewer that few horror films can have. Watching it now only solidifies the fact that Phantasm is undoubtedly one of the best horror films to come out of the late 70's. Michael Baldwin and Bill Thornbury star as brothers who inadvertantly come across the demonic practices of a mysterious mortician dubbed the Tall Man (Angus Scrimm), and the terrifying happenings that begin to follow them after their discovery. For those who haven't seen any of the four Phantasm films, I won't divulge any more storywise, but I will say that this movie manages to pack in enough surprises, shocks, and metaphor that you'll marvel at how this film isn't always mentioned in the same breath as many other iconic horror features. Despite the three sequels that would follow, all of which crafted by Coscarelli (Bubba Ho-Tep) as well, the original Phantasm still remains the very best. Thanks to Anchor Bay, Phantasm lives on DVD once again as the celebrated DVD publisher of classic and cult horror films packs this single disc with an assortment of extras. There is a great commentary track from Coscarelli, Baldwin, Thornbury, and Scrimm; as well as a half hour long documentary, and a bombardment of deleted scenes, as well as trailers for this film and Phantasm III (which was released on DVD by Anchor Bay at the same time as this edition), which only begs to question when Phantasm II will see the light of day on DVD again. All in all, saying that the original Phantasm is a must own for horror buffs is saying it lightly.

this movie is very scary and entertaining. it is so out there and weird it makes you want to watch it over and over again. there are some parts that are so scary that they stick with you and(good luck trying to go to sleep) you're f**ked for the rest of the night. there are also parts that are so entertaining and just terrific that you just laugh out loud, not from humor, but just because you are having so much fun. though i was skeptical upon renting it, i used my free rental card on this and i am really glad i did. i have watched it once, am about to go watch it again, and plan on either buying it now or getting it for christmas. the ending is actually one of the best i have ever seen, and look out for a tall man who doesn't say much, except for(...).