Phantasm IV: Oblivion

PHANTASM IV: OBLIVION
1998 | Dir. Don Coscarelli | 90 Minutes

"Where do you think you're going, boy? Death is no escape from me."

Mike travels alone to Death Valley seeking answers to the mysteries behind his supernatural connection to the Tall Man and Jody's unexplained reappearance. Stepping through a dimensional fork in the desert, Mike discovers the origin of his nemesis dates back to the American Civil War. Meanwhile, Reggie follows close behind, doing his best to protect Mike from forces unknown.

A frustrating experience even for Phantasm series fans, Phantasm IV: Oblivion deepens the central mysteries of the series without providing definitive answers or conclusive resolutions. With considerably less action and humor than previous entries in the series, this sequel hinges on the audience's emotional connection to Mike's journey as a character with mixed results. Mike's trips to the past through the dimensional forks are revelatory but his conflict with Jody falls disappointingly flat and unfortunately, Reggie's adventures are sidelined for most of the film.

The film cleverly repurposes unused footage shot for the original Phantasm to serve as fractured memories and alternate scenarios playing out in Mike's mind. When these flashback sequences work, they are gratifying for fans of the series, offering a glimpse into bits of Mike, Reggie, and Jody's lives that were previously unseen. However, the sequences that don't add much to the plot only serve to pad out the movie's running time.

The practical makeup effects and stunt work is top-notch, though the number of special effects gags is considerably lower than in previous Phantasm movies. The makeshift sphere Mike builds out of car parts to serve as a diversion during his final confrontation with the Tall Man and an intense sequence early in the film featuring a demonic lawman played by stunt coordinator and frequent Don Coscarelli collaborator Bob Ivy are real highlights of the film.

Principal cast members A. Michael Baldwin, Reggie Bannister, and Bill Thornbury return as Mike, Reggie, and Jody. Baldwin does most of the dramatic heavy lifting acting against Angus Scrimm and Thornbury, doing considerably well considering the ambiguous nature of the script. Reduced screen time aside, Bannister is once again the heart of the movie and of the Phantasm series as a whole. Angus Scrimm is allowed to demonstrate more range than in previous Phantasm films, this time playing both the Tall Man and his affable nineteenth century counterpart Jebediah Morningside. The film also features Heidi Marnhout in a brief role as a pretty blonde woman that entices Reggie, naturally revealed to be one of the Tall Man's monsters in disguise with silver spheres for breasts.

Phantasm IV: Oblivion is unarguably the weakest entry in the series but it's not without its charms. The film is emotionally earnest, a showcase of resourceful and imaginative filmmaking, and true to the series' indie roots. The worst thing about the picture is its refusal to address pre-existing mysteries introduced in previous Phantasm movies in a satisfying way.


FRAGMENTS
- Produced on a shoestring budget, and released straight-to-video, the majority of the film's new footage was shot on location in Death Valley

- The film's Special Effects Makeup Coordinator, Gigi Porter, married series star Reggie Bannister in 2001

- Jennifer Bross, A. Michael Baldwin's wife, turned down the role of Jennifer but provides the voice of the cackling fortuneteller

- Screenwriter Roger Avary, who wrote an unproduced highly ambitious screenplay for a climatic fourth Phantasm film, makes a cameo appearance as a Civil War soldier

- Director Don Coscarelli's son, Andy, also appears as a Civil War soldier

- The ending theme song "Have You Seen It?" was written and performed by Reggie Bannister featuring the Phantasm motif composed by Fred Myrow and Malcolm Seagrave

- Identical to Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead, at the tail end of the film's closing credits reads these legal disclaimers:
"The characters and events depicted in this photoplay are fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons, living, dead, or undead, is purely coincidental. This motion picture is protected under the laws of the United States and other countries. Unauthorized duplication, distribution, or exhibition may result in civil liability, criminal prosecution and the wrath of the Tall Man."

Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead

PHANTASM III: LORD OF THE DEAD
1994 | Dir. Don Coscarelli | 91 Minutes

"Seeing is easy. Understanding, well... takes a little more time."

Seconds after his apparent destruction in Phantasm II, a duplicate of the Tall Man enters the world through a dimensional fork, kills Liz, and injures Mike. After a puzzling encounter with Jody, Mike's presumed dead brother - now a sentient silver sphere, Mike is abducted by the Tall Man. Guided by the Jody-Sphere, Reggie embarks on a perilous journey to rescue his friend. On the road, Reg is joined by crack shot kid with pistol Tim and nunchuk-swinging combat expert Rocky, warriors with personal vendettas against the Tall Man.

Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead blends the surreal supernatural elements of the first Phantasm film with the gory high-adrenaline action and production value of the second film. Reggie's adventure with Tim and Rocky in tow is solid entertainment, showcasing series mastermind Don Coscarelli’s talent for mixing horror, action, and comedy. Running parallel, Mike's metaphysical storyline builds heavily upon the series' mythology, providing intriguing exposition that introduces more new mysteries than explanations. A major plot revelation explains that each of iconic metal spheres contains the brain of one of the Tall Man's enslaved undead victims. Briefly hinted upon in the original Phantasm, the heroes exploit the Tall Man's weakness to low temperatures. During its final minutes, the picture reveals a supernatural connection between Mike and the Tall Man, putting into question Mike's ultimate role in the film series.

For his third appearance in the Phantasm series, Reggie Bannister takes center stage portraying his alter ego, Reggie the ice-cream-man-turned-horror-action-hero, carrying the film with a natural and humorous performance. Replaced by James Le Gros in Phantasm II, A. Michael Baldwin makes a welcome return as Mike disappearing for roughly half the film. Child actor Kevin Connors turns in a fun performance as Tim, most notable in the sequence that introduces character that plays like a dark R-rated take on Home Alone. Gloria Lynne Henry is convincingly fierce as Rocky, hilarious in scenes that play up Reggie's lustiness. Angus Scrimm once commands a dominating presence fully embodying the evil Tall Man. Absent from Phantasm II, Bill Thornbury reprises the role of Jody in brief, enigmatic capacity. The film also features Cindy Ambuehl, Brooks Gardner, and John Davis Chandler as Edna, Rufus, and Henry - comically campy as trashy looters who are converted into a new set of zombified henchmen for the Tall Man, nasty and menacing during the knock-down drag-out fight in the gothic mausoleum during the film's finale.

Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead is a fine sequel that heightens every aspect of what made the original Phantasm such a fun ride, including the inscrutability of the series' narrative, driving the plot deeper into a strange but undeniably intriguing direction. Action-packed and operating mostly on dream logic, it exemplifies everything that makes the film series appealing to Phantasm fans and understandably frustrating for viewers who prefer straight-forward storytelling.


FRAGMENTS
- Released straight-to-video and produced without financial support from a major film studio, director Don Coscarelli had more creative control over this film than Phantasm II

- Most of the film's musical score is recycled from Phantasm II featuring a synthesizer-heavy rendition of Fred Myrow’s memorable Phantasm motif by Myrow and Christopher L. Stone

- In the hospital sequence at the start of the film, Angus Scrimm plays the doctor, Kathy Lester (who played the Lady in Lavender in Phantasm) plays the nurse, and Jennifer Bross - A. Michael Baldwin's wife - appears as the nurse behind the desk wearing a walkman

- Two of Don Coscarelli's children appear in the orphanage scene

- At the tail end of the film's closing credits reads these legal disclaimers:
"The characters and events depicted in this photoplay are fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons, living, dead, or undead, is purely coincidental. This motion picture is protected under the laws of the United States and other countries. Unauthorized duplication, distribution, or exhibition may result in civil liability, criminal prosecution and the wrath of the Tall Man."

Phantasm II

PHANTASM II
1988 | Dir. Don Coscarelli | 97 Minutes

"Small towns are like people. Some grow old and die a natural death. Some get murdered."

Seven years after their first battle with the Tall Man, Mike and Reggie hit the road in pursuit of the monstrous mortician and his minions. Heading northwest, the duo venture through numerous dead towns left behind in their enemy's trail. Liz, a childhood friend of Mike with whom she shares a psychic bond, reunites with Mike after her family falls victim to the supernatural threat. Accompanied by a mysterious hitchhiker named Alchemy, the heroes attempt to destroy the Tall Man once and for all.

Though it boasts a considerably larger budget than its predecessor, with financial backing from Universal Pictures, Phantasm II is an entertaining horror action road picture that is unfortunately compromised by studio involvement. The ethereal quality of the original film is largely absent, and though some viewers may prefer the rather conventional straightforward storyline of this picture - playing almost like a remix of the iconic visuals of the first movie with higher production value (even Fred Myrow's musical score featuring the signature Phantasm motif is considerably beefed-up) - the sequel is less psychologically interesting, trading in subtext for flamethrowers, chainsaws, modified four-barrel shotguns, and thrills that look more-polished but feel cheaper.

Despite its drawbacks, the film is not without its share of creative moments. Notable sequences include an encounter with a decoy Liz with the Tall Man's face growing out of her back, a chainsaw duel between Reggie and a psycho in a gas mask, a longer glimpse into the nightmarish hellscape beyond the dimensional fork featuring an oozy dwarf that spilled out of its canister, and the Tall Man disintegrating after our heroes pump him full of hydrochloric acid.

The deadly spheres from the first film make a gruesome return with new features. Most memorably, Phantasm II introduces the golden sphere, armed with a deadly laser beam and rotating blades capable of busting through doors and tunneling through flesh. Point-of-view shots from the perspective of the spheres as they pursue their prey bring a new level of intensity to the mausoleum chase scenes.

James Le Gros does a serviceable, if somewhat dull, job as Mike; his performance never quite capturing the same vibe as A. Michael Baldwin from the first film. Paula Irvine takes on an equally thankless role as Liz, spending most of the movie in peril and doing little else to forward the plot, not much to work with for any actress. Reggie Bannister is truly the co-lead of this picture and the movie is all the better for it. Turns out the character of Reggie is a bit of a horndog, allowing for comedic situations in which Bannister excels, especially in scenes that pair him with the strange-yet-alluring Alchemy played by model Samantha Phillips. Angus Scrimm returns as the menacing Tall Man, again taking full ownership of the role and of the picture whenever he is on screen. The film also features veteran character actor Kenneth Tigar in a relatively early role as a troubled priest with a drinking problem who meets a grizzly fate when he confronts the Tall Man.

Phantasm II is a leaner, shinier, more expensive sequel that in some ways pales in comparison to the low-budget original. It's entertaining and action-packed, but some of the magic is stripped away owing to major studio demands. It isn't a bad follow-up but it lacks the independent charm and earnestness that made the first film a unique and adventurous experience.


FRAGMENTS
- Director Don Coscarelli was forced by Universal Pictures to choose between keeping only one of the two stars from the first Phantasm film, A. Michael Baldwin as Mike or Reggie Bannister as Reggie (A. Michael Baldwin reprises the role of Mike in all subsequent Phantasm films)

- Other compromises Coscarelli was required by the studio to make include maintaining a linear storyline for the film, eliminating dream sequences from the final cut, and having to create a love interest for Mike

- A bag of ashes in the crematorium scene is labeled "Mr. Sam Raimi, Male 170 lbs., Deliver in brass urn" as a tribute to director Sam Raimi (most famous for directing the Evil Dead film and television series and the Spider-Man film trilogy starring Tobey Maguire), a close friend of Don Coscarelli who frequently visited the set of this film during production

- Special effects makeup master Greg Nicotero, currently best known for his work on the television adaptation of The Walking Dead, was as a member of the makeup team on this film

- At the tail end of the film's closing credits reads this disclaimer regarding film piracy:
"This motion picture is protected under the laws of the United States and other countries. Unauthorized duplication, distribution, or exhibition may result in civil liability, criminal prosecution and the wrath of the Tall Man."


MCU CONNECTIONS
- Kenneth Tigar (Old German Man in The Avengers)

Phantasm

PHANTASM
1979 | Dir. Don Coscarelli | 89 Minutes

"You play a good game, boy. But the game is finished, now you die."

A resourceful teenager named Mike, his adult brother Jody, and their friend Reggie discover that mysterious deaths plaguing their small town are linked to the machinations of an otherworldly funeral director operating out of a labyrinthine mausoleum. Dubbed the Tall Man, the inhuman mortician conspires to enslave the dead. Together, the heroes battle the Tall Man and his supernatural forces but at every turn, reality is not as it appears.

Independently financed and assembled, Don Coscarelli's Phantasm is an astonishingly imaginative and inventive horror film. The plot unapologetically refuses to provide its audience with simple or consistent logic, unfolding in dreamlike fashion. While it may be frustrating for some viewers, unbound by conventional plot structure, Phantasm is free to be as innovative and bizarre as Coscarelli's imagination allows.

Through the perspective of young Mike, Phantasm is thematically centered on the psychological trauma of growing up, facing fear, and coming to terms with the concept of death. The Tall Man, a stand-in for death, occasionally takes the form of a provocative woman in a lavender dress. When the woman entices Jody to follow her to a cemetery, Mike inadvertently interrupts Jody's intimate encounter with her. Despite the supernatural threat of the Tall Man, Mike's greatest fear is that Jody would abandon him. In the picture's closing minutes, it is revealed that Jody had passed away and that Mike was in the care of Reggie the entire time, suggesting for a moment that the horrors Mike experienced throughout the film were a nightmare spawned from his grief.

During the film's most iconic sequence, a flying silver sphere with retractable blades and drill pursues Mike in the halls of the mausoleum, eventually penetrating the head of one of the Tall Man's minions, liquefying and immediately dispelling the contents of his skull. Considering the movie's relatively low budget, the effects work for this sequence alone is virtually seamless and absolutely impressive. Another excellent effects sequence that augments the ambitious and ambiguous storytelling involves a portal to another world that works like a tuning fork.

While its memorable set pieces and visuals bring a unique quality to Phantasm, the picture would not work without its excellent cast. A. Michael Baldwin is a natural and charismatic as the teenage dirt-bike riding lead, maintaining believable chemistry with his co-stars Bill Thornbury as Jody and Reggie Bannister as Reggie. As the physically imposing Tall Man, Angus Scrimm brings a uniquely creepy presence with a resonant sinister voice and unnaturally rigid strut. Though featured briefly, Reggie Bannister nearly steals the show as the affable, comically upbeat ice cream man.

The film features a brilliant musical score by Fred Myrow and Malcolm Seagrave, an excellent blend of equal parts horror and action motifs. Charmingly, Thornbury and Bannister also contribute their musical talent to the movie. In one sequence, Jody and Reggie have an impromptu jam session performing a song written by Thornbury.

The plot may not make much logical sense, but Phantasm plays by its own rules, offering as much meaning as the viewer is willing to attribute to it, and is ultimately a better horror film for it. Unique in execution out of budgetary and technical necessity, but emotionally earnest and artistically ingenious, the feature stands apart from other horror features of its time, earning its much-deserved status as a cult classic.


FRAGMENTS
- Appropriately, the inspiration for the silver sphere chase in the mausoleum, and the film as a whole, came to director Don Coscarelli in a dream

- Don Coscarelli and Reggie Bannister's parents appear as extras in the funeral scene

- The scene in the fortuneteller's house in which Mike puts his hand in a black box that inflicts pain in a lesson intended to teach him to conquer fear is a direct reference to Frank Herbert's science fiction novel Dune

- The black Hemi Cuda driven by Jody and Mike is featured in every film of the Phantasm series

- A rough cut of the film was over three hours long and a portion of excised footage was repurposed for Phantasm IV: Oblivion

- Director J.J. Abrams is a fan of Phantasm, spearheading a remastered restoration of the film released in 2016 and naming the Star Wars character Captain Phasma after the film

Delusion of a Disordered Mind: Phantasm

"You think that when you die, you go to heaven. You come to us!"

The Tall Man, a monster from an alien world posing as a gaunt undertaker, leaves a trail of destruction hidden in plain sight. Destroying one small town after another, he converts the bodies of his victims into an army of dwarflike undead slaves and uses their brains to power a legion of floating metal spheres - relentless high-tech killing machines. Everyday heroes Mike, Jody, and Reggie battle the Tall Man but their reality is never as it seems.

Drawing inspiration from the Ray Bradbury novel Something Wicked This Way Comes, American filmmaker Don Coscarelli's 1979 horror film Phantasm is an seminal work of independent cinema - low on budget but high on ingenuity, entertainment, and emotional content. Shot on weekends working off a loose and constantly evolving script, the film operates on dreamlike logic, trading in plot coherence for creative freedom of the macabre.

With fleeting major film studio involvement and fluctuating production budgets, four sequels were released on a highly irregular schedule over nearly four decades, retaining the surreal quality of the 1979 original in varying degrees. The Phantasm series is imbued with Coscarelli's earnest spirit, adventurous sensibilities, and appreciation for the weird, exemplifying the challenges and often overlooked benefits of indie filmmaking.