Phantasm

Beyond Phantasm

Phantasm III

Phantasm IV

More from Anchor Bay - Re-Animator

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.


a horror classic   September 15, 2006
ChefBum (Fremont,, CA United States)
9 out of 11 found this review helpful

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: Great Film, Features, and Digital Sound   October 3, 1999
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

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.


Awsome! Great dark atmosphere!   February 23, 2005
Matthias Knaak (Germany, B.-Wtbg.)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

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!!


"What's out there?" "I don't know, but it was little, brown and low to the ground. "   September 14, 2005
cookieman108 (Inside the jar...)
6 out of 7 found this review helpful

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.