Phantasm (1979)

Sick Product of a Sick System

How sad is this?

Best movie ever!

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

this film made shivers in the marrows of my bones like a rash of jelly? This long man is the pig spit of my uncle Callie - a repulsive fellow who used to laugh at me until I literally cried my eyes out. As you can imagine, the affect this fiml had on me was tenfold!. After viewing this film for the tenth time, I finally plucked up the courage to ring my estranged uncle. "Callie" I gobbled down the line. "Why did you used to mock me so? Why?" But of course the line was dead and I realized I never had an uncle Callie and the film had reawakened my other personality, archdeacon bubbles.

I first heard of Phantasm when its sequel came out. Barry Norman reviewed it and admitted that he hadn't even heard of the first film. Neither had I.Fortunately my sister in law had a friend who had closed down their video business and so gave her a lot of the videos he used to rent out. She lent me two films that could be classed as life- changing. One was The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The other was Phantasm.The film starts off like standard horror fare- sinister goings on at a small town American mortuary. But then the film starts to get more and more surreal. Its like a lot of the film inhabits a dark dream-like world.Check out the scene where the lead character goes to see a local seer. Add to that the chase scene in which Michael chops off The Tall Man's fingers and takes one home. This film is most famous for the flying silver spheres within the funeral home. These spheres certainly don't disappoint.And then there's the soundtrack which fluctuates between gritty analogue synths of doom and funereal organs. I found the soundtrack on CD and within the sale section of a local and long gone record store. One of the best purchases I've ever parted money for.Angus Scrimm as The Tall Man deserves recognition as one of the scariest and most sinister baddies of all time. Hes unrelenting, otherworldly and the inhabitant of many viewers nightmares.This film was remastered and released at cinemas across America last year. And it deserved the 4K treatment.File this film under 'underrated'. Also file it under 'masterpiece'.

I knew from the very first scene that I would love this movie, and I was totally right. Mike (played by A. Michael Baldwin) is still processing through the grief of losing his parents. He lives alone with his older brother, Jody (played by Bill Thornbury), who is growing a bit weary at his clinging and neediness. When Mike goes against Jody's request and spies on the funeral of a friend of theirs, he becomes suspicious of the undertaker — only known as the Tall Man (played by Angus Scrimm) — and what his motives really are. The rest of the movie unravels into delightful chaos — a bit disjointed at times, totally, but with some absolute gems, too.It's worth noting that the director, Don Coscarelli, not only wrote, directed, photographed, co-produced, AND edited this film, but he did so on a budget of around $300,000 (all privately funded). He was literally renting equipment just for the weekends, which dragged the filming process out to a full year. His father helped fund the movie, his mother designed some of the special effects and costumes, and the cast — unsurprisingly — was comprised of friends and aspiring professionals. They worked scene by scene and much of the script was improvised. But oh man, for what it lacks in cohesion and solid acting it makes up for in charm, creepiness, and some really awesome gore.It's an endearing story to begin with — two brothers just trying to make it through life alone after a tragic loss. Mike justifiably worried that Jody will leave him to retain some independence and freedom. And the naturally undeniable curiosity that comes from being a young teen — the only explanation for him busting a basement window at the funeral home to investigate further when most of us would have run for the hills after seeing the Tall Man.The scene where Mike slams the hand of his pursuer in the heavy metal door and yellow blood comes spurting out… awesome. The fact that he makes sure to take that finger home to convince his skeptical brother that he is, in fact, seeing some crazy things… even more awesome. And then you see the first glimpse of the Sentinels — the metallic orbs that latch onto your head and pump your blood out — and you're a fan for life (if you're anything like me, that is).Ultimately, the Tall Man is one of the creepiest goddamn villains I've seen in anything. He's just got this air about him that makes your blood run cold. I could relate deeply to the scene where Mike sees him out on the street and presses himself hard against the wall behind him in a vain effort to escape the mere sight of him from a distance. The fact that he is meant to represent death — and the morbid but honest idea that we can only escape it in our dreams — just makes him even more awesome.

Mike (A. Michael Baldwin) and his older brother Jody (Bill Thornbury) are mourning the death of their parents in a small Oregon town. Together with their friend Reggie (Reggie Bannister), an ice cream man, they must do battle with a nefarious undertaker known only as The Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) and his various minions...not to mention a neat flying sphere that can puncture skulls.Writer / director / cinematographer / editor Don Coscarelli truly hit paydirt with this enduring fan favorite, a horror / fantasy classic that spawned a franchise spanning over three and a half decades. A great film it is not, but it sure is a fun and entertaining one. Admittedly, the acting is mostly amateurish and our heroes less interesting than our villain. But Coscarelli clearly enjoys himself playing with as much "it's all supposed to take on the tones of a nightmare" shtick as he can. He never does worry about any of this making sense.Baldwin, Thornbury, and Bannister are at least likable as our heroes, especially Bannister, whose character turned into more of a badass as the series went on. Kathy Lester is alluring as a mysterious "lady in lavender". But "Phantasm" ultimately belongs to the imposing Scrimm, whose appearance is very memorable. "BOOOYYY!!!"The film also benefits from a music score by Fred Myrow and Malcolm Seagrave that is pretty catchy, in particular its haunting, somewhat "Halloween"-esque main theme.The main set piece involves the sphere mutilating a caretakers' face; Coscarelli fought the MPAA to keep this sequence in the film and actually succeeded.Worth watching, at least once, by devotees of the horror genre.Seven out of 10.