Phantasm (film)
Encyclopedia
Phantasm is a low-budget "cult classic
" horror film
produced in 1977 and released in 1979. The film was directed, written, photographed, co-produced and edited by Don Coscarelli
. It introduced The Tall Man
(who was portrayed in the film and its sequels by Angus Scrimm
), a supernatural and malevolent undertaker who turns the dead into dwarf zombie
s to do his bidding and take over the world. This film was released as a DVD by MGM in 1999 and then re-released on DVD by Anchor Bay Entertainment on April 10, 2007.
The film was originally rated X by the MPAA because of the silver sphere sequence, and due to a scene involving a man urinating on the floor after falling down dead. After Los Angeles Times
film critic Charles Champlin made a telephone call in a favor to a friend on the board, the rating was changed from the (commercially non-viable) X-rating to R. Champlin's positive review was quoted on the film's promotional posters.
This movie was number 25 on the cable channel Bravo!'s list of the "100 Scariest Movie Moments".
To date the film has three sequels, Phantasm II
, Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead
, Phantasm IV Oblivion.
, a family man and ice cream vendor, joins the brothers in their suspicions that the local mortician, dubbed "The Tall Man", is responsible for the deaths. Mike relays his fears to a fortuneteller and her granddaughter about the possibility of Jody departing and leaving him in the care of his aunt, along with his suspicions about The Tall Man. Mike is shown a small black box and told to put his hand into it. After the box grips his hand, Mike is told not to be afraid and as the panic subsides, the box relaxes its grip. The notion of fear itself as the killer is established and is what propels Mike towards his final confrontation in the film with The Tall Man.
Mike is pursued by minions of the Tall Man, alien dwarves,(which are kept in a small room that houses a gateway device between the two worlds), who are made from the bodies of the recently deceased, and tries to convince his brother of what is happening.
After convincing his brother and Reggie, they find a strange white room with containers in the mausoleum
. There is also a gateway to another planet that Mike enters briefly where he sees the alien dwarves that have hunted him through the movie being used as slaves. While trying to escape the Tall Man, Reggie is killed while Mike and Jody barely escape. They devise a plan to lure the Tall Man into a local deserted mine shaft
and trap him inside. After doing so successfully, Mike wakes with a start in his house, lying by the fireplace with Reggie sitting next to him.
Reggie tells Mike he was simply having a bad dream, something that has been a common occurrence since Jody died in a car crash. Mike goes into his room where the Tall Man is waiting and pulls Mike through his bedroom mirror.
Cult Classic
Cult Classic is a Blue Öyster Cult studio recording released in 1994, containing remakes of many of the band's previous hits.-Track listing:# " The Reaper" - 5:05# "E.T.I...
" horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
produced in 1977 and released in 1979. The film was directed, written, photographed, co-produced and edited by Don Coscarelli
Don Coscarelli
Don Coscarelli is an American film director, producer and screenwriter best known for horror films. His credits include the Phantasm series, The Beastmaster, and Bubba Ho-Tep.-Biography:...
. It introduced The Tall Man
Tall Man (Phantasm)
The Tall Man is a fictional character and main antagonist of the Phantasm series of horror films. The Tall Man first appeared in the first Phantasm in 1979, and last appeared in Phantasm IV Oblivion in 1998. In all of his appearances; the Tall Man has been portrayed by Angus Scrimm.-Fictional...
(who was portrayed in the film and its sequels by Angus Scrimm
Angus Scrimm
Angus Scrimm is an American actor, best known for playing the Tall Man in the 1979 horror movie Phantasm and its sequels.-Life and career:...
), a supernatural and malevolent undertaker who turns the dead into dwarf zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
s to do his bidding and take over the world. This film was released as a DVD by MGM in 1999 and then re-released on DVD by Anchor Bay Entertainment on April 10, 2007.
The film was originally rated X by the MPAA because of the silver sphere sequence, and due to a scene involving a man urinating on the floor after falling down dead. After Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
film critic Charles Champlin made a telephone call in a favor to a friend on the board, the rating was changed from the (commercially non-viable) X-rating to R. Champlin's positive review was quoted on the film's promotional posters.
This movie was number 25 on the cable channel Bravo!'s list of the "100 Scariest Movie Moments".
To date the film has three sequels, Phantasm II
Phantasm II
Phantasm II, also known as Phantasm II: The Ball is Back! is the 1988 sequel to Phantasm. It was written and directed by Don Coscarelli, starring Angus Scrimm, James LeGros and Reggie Bannister...
, Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead
Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead
Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead is a 1994 horror film sequel to Phantasm II written and directed by Don Coscarelli. The film starred Angus Scrimm as the Tall Man, Reggie Bannister and A. Michael Baldwin. Filming wrapped up in mid-1993 but the film sat unreleased for over a year before being released...
, Phantasm IV Oblivion.
Plot
After the death of their parents, 24-year-old musician Jody Pearson is raising his 13-year-old brother Mike in a small town disturbed by the mysterious deaths of its citizens. ReggieReggie (Phantasm)
Reggie is a fictional character and main protagonist of the Phantasm series of horror films. In all of his appearances, Reggie has been portrayed by Reggie Banister....
, a family man and ice cream vendor, joins the brothers in their suspicions that the local mortician, dubbed "The Tall Man", is responsible for the deaths. Mike relays his fears to a fortuneteller and her granddaughter about the possibility of Jody departing and leaving him in the care of his aunt, along with his suspicions about The Tall Man. Mike is shown a small black box and told to put his hand into it. After the box grips his hand, Mike is told not to be afraid and as the panic subsides, the box relaxes its grip. The notion of fear itself as the killer is established and is what propels Mike towards his final confrontation in the film with The Tall Man.
Mike is pursued by minions of the Tall Man, alien dwarves,(which are kept in a small room that houses a gateway device between the two worlds), who are made from the bodies of the recently deceased, and tries to convince his brother of what is happening.
After convincing his brother and Reggie, they find a strange white room with containers in the mausoleum
Mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...
. There is also a gateway to another planet that Mike enters briefly where he sees the alien dwarves that have hunted him through the movie being used as slaves. While trying to escape the Tall Man, Reggie is killed while Mike and Jody barely escape. They devise a plan to lure the Tall Man into a local deserted mine shaft
Shaft mining
Shaft mining or shaft sinking refers to the method of excavating a vertical or near-vertical tunnel from the top down, where there is initially no access to the bottom....
and trap him inside. After doing so successfully, Mike wakes with a start in his house, lying by the fireplace with Reggie sitting next to him.
Reggie tells Mike he was simply having a bad dream, something that has been a common occurrence since Jody died in a car crash. Mike goes into his room where the Tall Man is waiting and pulls Mike through his bedroom mirror.
Deleted Scenes
During 1998 MGM re-released Phantasm on VHS and DVD, the movie had a newly remastered Dolby stereo soundtrack. Also, both the VHS and DVD included deleted scenes. The cut footage included two scenes:- The first involved Mike entering a room with 2 coffins; one is open and a body is inside, the other is closed but Mike hears sounds from inside it and thinks it’s Reggie. As he tries to open the coffin, Reggie enters the room. When Mike sees him and realizes that something unpleasant is in the coffin, the two of them close it. Mike then tells Reggie that they need to find Jody. This scene is not included on the Anchor Bay release.
- The second scene shows Mike and Jody encountering the Tall Man in the funeral home. Jody shoots the Tall Man several times with his shotgun but it has no effect on him. The Tall Man knocks Mike onto the floor and picks up Jody by the neck with one hand. Mike sees a fire extinguisher and remembers that the Tall Man reacted badly when he passed by Reggie's Ice Cream truck with its refrigerator open. Realizing the Tall Man can be hurt by cold, Mike takes out the fire extinguisher and blasts the Tall Man with it as he tries to kill Jody. The Tall Man withers in pain, screams and his head explodes.
Cast
- Angus ScrimmAngus ScrimmAngus Scrimm is an American actor, best known for playing the Tall Man in the 1979 horror movie Phantasm and its sequels.-Life and career:...
as The Tall ManTall Man (Phantasm)The Tall Man is a fictional character and main antagonist of the Phantasm series of horror films. The Tall Man first appeared in the first Phantasm in 1979, and last appeared in Phantasm IV Oblivion in 1998. In all of his appearances; the Tall Man has been portrayed by Angus Scrimm.-Fictional... - Pat Roman as The Mega Dwarf
- A. Michael BaldwinA. Michael BaldwinA. Michael Baldwin is an American actor, producer, and screenwriter.He is the son of animator Gerard Baldwin, who worked on classic shows such as The Jetsons, Rocky and Bullwinkle, George of the Jungle and many more. Michael Baldwin began acting in his teens and was also a member of the Teenage...
as Mike Pearson - Bill Thornbury as Jody Pearson
- Reggie BannisterReggie BannisterReginald Horace "Reggie" Bannister is an American musician, actor, producer, writer, and activist. He is often referred to as "The Hardest Working Man in Horror".-Biography:...
as Reggie - Kathy Lester as Lady in Lavender
- Terrie Kalbus as Fortuneteller's Granddaughter
- Kenneth V. Jones as Caretaker
- Susan Harper as Susie
- Lynn Eastman as Sally
- David Arntzen as Toby
- Ralph Richmond as Bartender
- Bill Cone as Tommy
- Laura Mann as Double Lavender
- Mary Ellen Shaw as Fortuneteller
- Myrle Scotton as Maid
Awards and nominations
- Don CoscarelliDon CoscarelliDon Coscarelli is an American film director, producer and screenwriter best known for horror films. His credits include the Phantasm series, The Beastmaster, and Bubba Ho-Tep.-Biography:...
won the Special Jury Award in 1979, and the film was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Horror Film in 1980.