Newly orphaned teenager Mike Pearson, his older brother Jody, and their friends face off against a mysterious grave robber known as the Tall Man, who employs a lethal arsenal of unearthly we... Read allNewly orphaned teenager Mike Pearson, his older brother Jody, and their friends face off against a mysterious grave robber known as the Tall Man, who employs a lethal arsenal of unearthly weapons in their southern California town.Newly orphaned teenager Mike Pearson, his older brother Jody, and their friends face off against a mysterious grave robber known as the Tall Man, who employs a lethal arsenal of unearthly weapons in their southern California town.
- Awards
- 2 wins & 2 nominations
A. Michael Baldwin
- Mike
- (as Michael Baldwin)
Kenneth V. Jones
- Caretaker
- (as Ken Jones)
Lynn Eastman-Rossi
- Sally
- (as Lynn Eastman)
Dac Coscarelli
- Funeral Guest
- (uncredited)
Kate Coscarelli
- Funeral Guest
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDon Coscarelli rented all of the filming equipment used to make this movie, always on Fridays so he could use it all weekend and return it on Mondays, all the while only actually having to pay one day's rental on the equipment.
- GoofsWhen The Tall Man breaks down the door of Mike's house, at the bottom of the door, a crew person's feet are visible running and pushing the door.
- Quotes
The Tall Man: Boooy!
- Crazy creditsThe cable TV version has extra text in the credits that reads, "Enter the Tall Man's Mausoleum, if you dare, at www.phantasm.com"
- Alternate versionsNew Line/Image Collector's Edition laserdisc features a separate section with one deleted scene (struck from a what appears to be a work print as there is no music and sound is limited to dialogue only). The scene has Mike telling big brother Jody about weird goings-on he has witnessed at the cemetery. Jody then gets Mike drunk and takes him to Reggie's ice cream parlor, where they start a food fight. Then it cuts to a scene the next day where Jody stops by the bank where he works and visits his girlfriend.
- ConnectionsEdited into Phantasm: Behind the Scenes 1995 Featurette (1995)
Featured review
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.
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.
- Hey_Sweden
- Dec 25, 2016
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Morningside
- Filming locations
- Dunsmuir House & Gardens - 2960 Peralta Oaks Court, Oakland, California, USA(Morningside cemetery)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $300,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $11,988,469
- Gross worldwide
- $11,988,469
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