Bill Cone only had one acting credit to his name, and that single screen appearance didn’t last very long, but it’s worth taking note of because it happens at the beginning of one of the best horror movies ever made, writer/director Don Coscarelli’s 1979 classic Phantasm (watch it Here). Cone plays a character named Tommy in that film, and it’s his death that gets the story rolling. Sadly, today we have to report that Bill Cone has passed away.
The news of Cone’s death was first shared on the official Phantasm Facebook page, where it was also revealed that he had contributed to the soundtracks of both Phantasm and Coscarelli’s earlier film Kenny & Company. Here’s the text from their post: “We are saddened to learn of the passing of one of the core Phantasm cast members, Bill Cone (aka Tommy from the...
The news of Cone’s death was first shared on the official Phantasm Facebook page, where it was also revealed that he had contributed to the soundtracks of both Phantasm and Coscarelli’s earlier film Kenny & Company. Here’s the text from their post: “We are saddened to learn of the passing of one of the core Phantasm cast members, Bill Cone (aka Tommy from the...
- 4/3/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Known to horror fans for his brief but memorable appearance as Tommy in Don Coscarelli’s original horror classic Phantasm (1979), actor and musician Bill Cone has passed away.
Bill Cone also worked behind the scenes on the horror classic, providing key contributions to its iconic soundtrack. Story goes that Cone was a fan of horror movies and expressed an interest in dying onscreen in one, which led to Coscarelli casting him as the ill-fated Tommy, whose death kickstarts the events of the film. And into the hallowed halls of horror history he went.
The official Phantasm page on Facebook writes, “We are saddened to learn of the passing of one of the core Phantasm cast members, Bill Cone (aka Tommy from the original Phantasm). In addition to acting, Bill was a superlative musician. He was a key collaborator on the original Phantasm soundtrack, providing skilled guitar work.
“Previous to that,...
Bill Cone also worked behind the scenes on the horror classic, providing key contributions to its iconic soundtrack. Story goes that Cone was a fan of horror movies and expressed an interest in dying onscreen in one, which led to Coscarelli casting him as the ill-fated Tommy, whose death kickstarts the events of the film. And into the hallowed halls of horror history he went.
The official Phantasm page on Facebook writes, “We are saddened to learn of the passing of one of the core Phantasm cast members, Bill Cone (aka Tommy from the original Phantasm). In addition to acting, Bill was a superlative musician. He was a key collaborator on the original Phantasm soundtrack, providing skilled guitar work.
“Previous to that,...
- 4/2/2024
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Hello, everyone! Before we say goodbye to the month of July, we have one last round of home media releases on tap, and there are a lot of great films headed to Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K that genre fans are going to want to check out. After a successful run in theaters, A Quiet Place Part II is getting released on a variety of formats, and if you haven’t had a chance to nab the first film as part of your collection, Paramount has also put together a 2-Movie Collection for the Quiet Place films on Blu-ray as well.
Both Dario Argento’s The Bird with the Crystal Plumage and Don Coscarelli’s The Beastmaster are getting the 4K treatment this Tuesday, and Scream Factory is keeping busy with a handful of releases this week, too, including The Dead Zone, Brotherhood of the Wolf, and Chamber of Horrors. Other...
Both Dario Argento’s The Bird with the Crystal Plumage and Don Coscarelli’s The Beastmaster are getting the 4K treatment this Tuesday, and Scream Factory is keeping busy with a handful of releases this week, too, including The Dead Zone, Brotherhood of the Wolf, and Chamber of Horrors. Other...
- 7/26/2021
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Forget the divide between baby boomers, Generation X, and millennials, our society can most easily be divided into those who are old enough to have seen Don Coscarelli’s 1982 sword and sorcery masterpiece The Beastmaster roughly one hundred times on HBO (or maybe TBS if you’re slightly younger) and those who have not. If you haven’t seen it, get thee to Amazon Prime in the US, where you can currently watch one of the best fantasy flicks of its era for free.
The Beastmaster stars Mark Singer as Dar, a young warrior in the kingdom of Aruk, which resides in a world that may or may not actually be our own. Because of some horrifying magical shenanigans surrounding his birth, Dar is able to communicate directly with animals, and his allies include a panther, an eagle, and two adorable ferrets who serve as his “thieves.” For kids of the early 1980s,...
The Beastmaster stars Mark Singer as Dar, a young warrior in the kingdom of Aruk, which resides in a world that may or may not actually be our own. Because of some horrifying magical shenanigans surrounding his birth, Dar is able to communicate directly with animals, and his allies include a panther, an eagle, and two adorable ferrets who serve as his “thieves.” For kids of the early 1980s,...
- 8/22/2020
- by Mike Cecchini
- Den of Geek
November 6th’s home media releases are all about the Steelbooks apparently, as horror fans have four different titles that are coming home this week that would be great additions to anyone’s collections. Scream Factory’s Steelbook for John Carpenter’s The Thing is a work of art, and Well Go USA has put together two beautiful Steelbook releases for both Phantasm: Remastered and Train to Busan, and we even get a Grindhouse Steelbook to boot. Scream Factory is also pulling double duty with the Collector’s Edition of Sleepwalkers, and as far as recent horror offerings go, Mara, The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time, and All Light Will End are getting released this Tuesday, too.
Other notable releases for November 6th include Revenge of the Dead aka Zeder: Voices from the Beyond, Restraint, and Apartment 407.
Phantasm: Remastered: Steelbook Edition
In Phantasm: Remastered, Well Go USA presents...
Other notable releases for November 6th include Revenge of the Dead aka Zeder: Voices from the Beyond, Restraint, and Apartment 407.
Phantasm: Remastered: Steelbook Edition
In Phantasm: Remastered, Well Go USA presents...
- 11/6/2018
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
‘The Beastmaster’ is a sword and sorcery film that was released in 1982. Don Coscarelli directed the film and also co-wrote it with Paul Pepperman. It is based on a 1959 novel called ‘The Beast Master’ by Andre Norton’. The movie starred Marc Singer, Rip Torn, Tanya Roberts, and John Amos. It is about a witch stealing a baby from the womb of his mother and when the child, Dar, grows he can telepathically communicate with animals. He vows revenge on beasts who destroyed his village under the orders of a sorcerer called Maax. It is now 35 years since
10 Things You Didn’t Know About ‘The Beastmaster’...
10 Things You Didn’t Know About ‘The Beastmaster’...
- 8/25/2017
- by Nat Berman
- TVovermind.com
I hope you guys are ready, because April 11th looks to be an incredible day of home entertainment releases for genre fans, especially if you’ve been patiently waiting for the stunning new Phantasm Blu-ray set from Well Go USA, which features every film from the franchise together in one nifty package. Arrow Video has also assembled the first two House movies for a limited edition Blu-ray set that arrives this week, and Severin Films has resurrected the cult classic Cathy’s Curse in HD for the first time ever.
Severin Films is also keeping busy with a pair of other releases—Dark Water and The Other Hell—and Scream Factory is giving both The Vampire and Demented the Blu-ray treatment as well.
Other notable horror and sci-fi home entertainment offerings for April 11th include The Bye Bye Man (Unrated), The Violent Shit Collection, Chupacabra Territory, Naciye, Takashi Miike’s Dead or Alive trilogy,...
Severin Films is also keeping busy with a pair of other releases—Dark Water and The Other Hell—and Scream Factory is giving both The Vampire and Demented the Blu-ray treatment as well.
Other notable horror and sci-fi home entertainment offerings for April 11th include The Bye Bye Man (Unrated), The Violent Shit Collection, Chupacabra Territory, Naciye, Takashi Miike’s Dead or Alive trilogy,...
- 4/11/2017
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Beginning April 11th, you can invite The Tall Man into your home with The Phantasm Collection, and Well Go USA has provided us with one of their six-disc Blu-ray box sets to give away to one very lucky Daily Dead reader.
————
Prize Details: (1) Winner will receive (1) Blu-ray box set of The Phantasm Collection.
How to Enter: We're giving Daily Dead readers multiple chances to enter and win:
1. Instagram: Following us on Instagram during the contest period will give you an automatic contest entry. Make sure to follow us at:
https://www.instagram.com/dailydead/
2. Twitter: Follow us on Twitter and look for opportunities to "Retweet to Win" over the next two weeks:
https://twitter.com/dailydeadnews
3. Email: For a chance to win via email, send an email to contest@dailydead.com with the subject “Phantasm Collection Contest”. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.
Entry Details: The contest...
————
Prize Details: (1) Winner will receive (1) Blu-ray box set of The Phantasm Collection.
How to Enter: We're giving Daily Dead readers multiple chances to enter and win:
1. Instagram: Following us on Instagram during the contest period will give you an automatic contest entry. Make sure to follow us at:
https://www.instagram.com/dailydead/
2. Twitter: Follow us on Twitter and look for opportunities to "Retweet to Win" over the next two weeks:
https://twitter.com/dailydeadnews
3. Email: For a chance to win via email, send an email to contest@dailydead.com with the subject “Phantasm Collection Contest”. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.
Entry Details: The contest...
- 4/6/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Well Go USA plays a good game, indeed. The distributor today revealed an April 11th release date for their new Blu-ray box set, The Phantasm Collection. Comprised of six discs and all five Phantasm films, this box set also comes packed with hours of new bonus features from director Don Coscarelli himself, including audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes footage, and featurettes.
For the complete list of new bonus features, we have the official press release, and in case you missed them, check out the list of previously announced special features for the box set, which is also teased in new images below.
Press Release: Plano, Texas. (March 9, 2017) – Well Go USA Entertainment announced today the all-new bonus materials included in the upcoming The Phantasm Collection, scheduled to release in a limited edition, six-disc Blu-ray™ box set on April 11. In addition to the previously released archival material included in the box set, Phantasm creator...
For the complete list of new bonus features, we have the official press release, and in case you missed them, check out the list of previously announced special features for the box set, which is also teased in new images below.
Press Release: Plano, Texas. (March 9, 2017) – Well Go USA Entertainment announced today the all-new bonus materials included in the upcoming The Phantasm Collection, scheduled to release in a limited edition, six-disc Blu-ray™ box set on April 11. In addition to the previously released archival material included in the box set, Phantasm creator...
- 3/9/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Though he was just 25 years old when Phantasm hit theaters, many don't know that the cult 1979 horror film was actually director Don Coscarelli's third movie. In fact, at the age of 19, he became the youngest director ever to have a film distributed by a major studio (a statistic that's often been alleged but which I cannot independently confirm) when Universal acquired his teen drama Jim, the World's Greatest for distribution. That film, which was financed by Coscarelli's father -- who put up the money for production after having "a good year in the stock market," in Coscarelli's words -- landed the teenage filmmaker and his co-director Craig Mitchell an office on the studio's lot to finish the movie. It was an unusually auspicious Big Hollywood start to a career that ended up taking a less-mainstream turn as the years went on. "I've been working my way downward ever since,...
- 10/7/2016
- by Chris Eggertsen
- Hitfix
A remastered Phantasm took SXSW by storm Monday, March 14, in Austin, Tex. Director/writer Don Coscarelli was joined by series stars A. Michael Baldwin and Kathy Lester, co-producer Paul Pepperman, and J.J. Abrams himself, who, through his production company, Bad Robot, spearheaded the effort to get the film back to as pristine a condition as possible. The 1979 feature underwent a meticulous 4k restoration based off the original 35mm negative. While we’re sad that the Tall Man, Angus Scrimm, passed on last year, we’re hoping the flick will screen across the country soon so we can celebrate his contribution to horror cinema!
All photos by Jim Bennett...
All photos by Jim Bennett...
- 3/17/2016
- by Harker Jones
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
As with most things in life, the fault rests with Brian Salisbury. I’ve had Don Coscarelli‘s The Beastmaster on the brain since late January when Salisbury and Robert Cargill covered the movie on their Junkfood Cinema podcast, and the recent announcement of a beautiful new 4k restoration of Coscarelli’s most famous film, Phantasm, sealed the deal. It was time to re-watch some Coscarelli. My favorite of his films is also his most recent, John Dies at the End, but I decided to go back to the one I thoroughly enjoyed as a pre-teen thanks to its PG-rated sword, sorcery, and topless bathing action. Coscarelli is always a fun listen — we’ve previously covered his commentaries for Phantasm and Phantasm II — and he’s joined here by his frequent collaborator, Paul Pepperman. Keep reading to see what I heard on The Beastmaster commentary. The Beastmaster (1982) Commentator: Don Coscarelli (director, co-writer...
- 3/9/2016
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.