So, here you go. Hope this takes almost as many lunch breaks to read as it took for me to write them.
Title: PhantasmDirector: Don Coscarelli
Date: 1979
Ok, so this is where it all starts. I think one of the major requirements for a film to achieve cult status is its ability to present iconic imagery that becomes indelibly impressed upon both the viewer and popular culture. I would make the claim that modern popular culture is sort of a modern mythology. Certainly the old religions had their mythologies directly tied to them, and the attendant stories and legends were very relevant to those cultures in their respective time periods. Modern religion lacks mythology, I think (religion being a topic for another discussion here). We rely on popular culture, not only to tell "our story", which can sometimes to lapse into boring and self-congratulatory crap because of pop culture's implicit commercialism, but also to supply us with a sense of awe, imaginative inspiration, and a bit of the ultra-mundane which we need to survive psychologically in our often unfulfilling lives.
So what does this have to do with Phantasm? Well, Phantasm fits the bill for my hypothetical cult movie requirements. It is a piece of modern mythology. It is filled to the brim with iconic imagery which remains with a person long after having seen it. Don Coscarelli offers up some pieces from his own dreams and nightmares for us to digest, most of which are bizarre but effective.
The basic premise is simplistic, but novel. It sounds like something out of a dream: an inhuman undertaker, called the Tall Man, steals the dead in order to crush them and re-animate them into dwarf creatures that serve as his minions, depopulating towns, striving to take over the world. I first saw Phantasm on the Sci-Fi Channel when I was eleven or twelve and I have to admit the Tall Man gave me nightmares. Scary as shit. The idea is only a little less scary to me at twenty six.
For a low-low- budget flick, Phantasm pulls off a lot of cool and interesting effects. Everything from our first bloody encounter with the so-called Sentinel Sphere (actually named by fans, as they are never called anything other than 'spheres' in the movies), to the various nightmarish manifestations of the Tall Man (his severed fingers come to mind); Coscarelli takes us into some pretty ambitious territory. If I hold this movie up next to some modern J-Horror rip-off flick I have to say the modern stuff comes up smelling stale, while the ideas Phantasm deals with haunt you. Plus, honestly, this movie is way cooler than some hack screenplay where a bunch of good-lucking teenagers get offed, PG-13 style, by a vengeful ghost. There's just no comparison.
How many modern horror flicks come up with something as innovative as a flying metal ball that drills a hole in your head and drains all the blood out of you? How many modern horror flicks invoke an alternate dimension full of crushed dwarf-zombies crawling around in slime? How many modern horror flicks have a thirteen year old boy who runs around with a shotgun and drives a Dodge Hemi Cuda? You don't see anything that audacious anymore, that's for sure.
And that's why Phantasm works, and is probably one of the most memorable horror films ever made. My assessment: an absolutely essential film if you've never seen it, Phantasm kicks off a series that has more to offer with each installment.
Anchor Bay's DVD re-release is absolutely flawless. Excellent transfer, widescreen format, and a shit load of cool extras; the cast and crew interviews being among my favorites, just because it was neat to hear people talk about being part of a film and being completely baffled by it at the same time.
Title: Phantasm IIDirector: Don Coscarelli
Year: 1988
Almost ten years after the original, Mr. Coscarelli forays back into the world of Phantasm. This movie takes much of the iconic imagery from the first installment and puts it into overdrive, to excellent effect. The story of Mike Pearson and Reggie Bannister and their battle with the Tall Man continues, so it becomes apparent that this is no exploitation sequel (the "let's do the first movie over with a bigger budget" school of filmmaking [or film-marketing as the case may be]).
However, the film does in fact have a bigger budget, so consequently we do in fact get more zombie dwarves, more Hemi Cuda, more Tall Man, more Sentinel Spheres, and more gore and action…and a few explosions, too. But who's going to fault the director for this? Certainly no friend of mine.
We also get to see the first appearance of the infamous four-barreled shotgun. I've already spoken at length about the significance of crazy weaponry in horror films, so I won't spew too much redundant crap here, but I will say that I think the quad shotgun is FUCKING AWESOME.
Some people have expressed the opinion that Phantasm II isn't faithful to the original because of its more action-oriented plot, however I think the logic behind this fails for two reasons: One, Phantasm II isn't a re-make of Phantasm. It follows a specific plot premise based on the end of the first film in which Mike wants to pursue the Tall Man and destroy him. Obviously, this plot choice requires a bit more action because the protagonists are taking a more aggressive stance. I would get sick of characters in a sequel who are still running around being terrorized the same way they were in the original. The only way to make that tenable would be to start over with new characters, and there you have the "lets make Phantasm again but with a bigger budget" conclusion. This would have pretty much killed the series and made any sequels into a set of redundant do-overs that no one would have taken seriously (much like several other 1980's horror franchises).
Second, I think Coscarelli actually is pretty faithful to his first attempt in that he does go out of his way to continue the dream-like quality of the mood and pacing found in the original. That feeling of skewed cause-and-effect relationships and distorted reality carries over brilliantly from film to film. And here, Phantasm II introduces the idea that the Tall Man is actually depopulating the world, emptying out small town after small town. It pulls the plot out of its original narrower limits and starts globalizing it, expanding it. Rather than carrying the series in a different direction, I think Phantasm II actually expands on the themes of the original. Plus, the first film did have a fair amount of action in it to begin with and I think some people forget that.
Some people also dish on Phantasm II because a different actor (James LeGros instead of A. Michael Baldwin) picks up the role of Mike Pearson.
Over all, an excellent addition to the series, and a movie that managed to prove that a horror sequel didn't have to be a bigger budget rendition of the original (a rather obvious aspect of, say, Evil Dead 2). This movie continues the Phantasm journey into a completely new and innovative horror landscape.
A note on the DVD:
There is no domestic release of Phantasm II and, for now, I can't find any plans for one. I had to get my copy from a previously-mentioned dude who does DVD bootlegs. Excellent bootlegs, but bootlegs nonetheless. The version he sells is the widescreen European release and comes on two discs, the second disc containing the director's "work print" (original rough cut of the movie, prior to adding optical or visual effects, and even prior to cleaning the negatives).
While this is actually a pretty nice set, which my Canadian friend actually put together himself, I have to bitch a little bit about the quality. Not the bootlegger's quality. I'm talking about the quality of the European transfer. I've picked up other things from this guy before, and they were all perfect, crisp DVD quality (I have a fan edit of Star Wars, Episode I from this guy and I can't tell the difference between my DVD-R and the original cut on factory-pressed DVD) so that means that the European original is at fault. It looks like it was transferred from fucking video, and sounds like it, too. I wouldn't be surprised. Before special editions got popular, pressing companies would just release what the fuck ever version they could find. I have heard of companies literally just transferring a movie from an old video version, cutting the top and bottom off the screen and calling it widescreen, rather than going after the original negatives, restoring them, and digitally re-mastering them, which is more common now. These older practices are inexcusable and they're kind of a rip-off for consumers.
So, when I watch Phantasm and then watch the second, I can see the difference. I mean, you can tell it's not just that one is a DVD and the other a burned bootleg. You can see the care that Anchor Bay put into its re-release of Phantasm, and the lack of care that went into the European release of Phantasm II. So, this is the real reason why I wish Phantasm II would find a domestic DVD release. I can watch my bootleg anytime, and it really isn't that hard to get a copy. But, I'm not necessarily ready to settle for the crappy European release. I would prefer that some company, like Anchor Bay, put in the care that is necessary and restore this movie to its original crisp splendor. Plus, they could probably use the work print as well and extend some of the gorier scenes to their original length. Phantasm II came out just when the MPAA was cracking down on horror film violence, so some of what's in the theatrical release was actually cut heavily from the original version to secure an R rating.
Still, overall essential viewing if you can track down a bootleg. Or maybe you can talk me into showing it to you. Hah.
Title: Phantasm III: Lord of the DeadDirector: Don Coscarelli
Year: 1994
I don't know if I'm going to take shit for saying this, but I think that this is the best movie in the series. A lot of reviews I read prior to seeing the film indicated that Phantasm III was the weakest of the four films, and that it suffered from too much goofiness (something that the reviewers never exactly explained). Some even said that you should skip this one and just see the 4th film. The Anchor Bay re-release of Phantasm III is an all-new uncut version so differences of opinion may rest on which respective cut of the film you've seen. However, I still have to emphatically say that I went into this movie expecting little because of what other folks lead me to believe only to come away with my mind blown.
This film takes the Phantasm saga to new heights. Yes, things definitely get crazier, but I think as Mike and Reggie get closer to the Tall Man, things are definitely bound to turn from fucked up to much more fucked up. We've got a crazy little kid bristling with homemade weaponry, a nun chuck wielding chick, and some post-apocalyptic bandits who end up getting turned into zombie fodder. We get more explanation by way of how the Spheres are actually created by the Tall Man, and we have some more excellent experiences with his other-worldly physical makeup.
The film continues the series with its dream-like plot progression and backdrop of desolate and depopulated small American towns. The look of the film is great, the abandoned towns looking better than ever. The effects are top notch with some excellent gore (more than either of the previous Phantasm movies) and some pretty over-the-top kills courtesy of the Sentinel Spheres. The four-barrel shotgun makes its return, and Reggie actually gets a lot more mileage out of it than he got in Phantasm II, and of course, we get a lot more car porn as the camera lovingly caresses the Hemi Cuda.
We learn a bit more about the Tall Man's plans for Earth, and how he intends to implement those plans. We also get to see how he builds his army, both of dwarves and of spheres. And we get introduced to the idea that the Tall Man has some special designs for Mike, that their meeting was no accident, and that Mike's ability to see the Tall Man when no one else could is also no accident.
The ambitiousness of the plot and the inclusion of a lot more over-the-top craziness parallels the direction of another low-budget horror franchise that waded into some pretty improbable territory only two years earlier. The Evil Dead movies culminate in Army of Darkness during roughly period that Phantasm III comes out.
When you compare the two series, and look at their relatively similar release dates, it brings some interesting insights into the viewing of Phantasm III. While Phantasm III doesn't quite achieve the scale that Army of Darkness goes for, Phantasm III doesn't ever become comic or slapstick, which was the decided direction of Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness. There are funny moments, sure, but they are more darkly humorous than outright comedic. The third Phantasm film still retains the series' aura of haunting malevolence and mental disorientation.
So, the upshot is that there is a whole lot to enjoy in this movie, and that if you've gotten this far with the Phantasm series, you won't be disappointed.
Anchor Bay's restoration of Phantasm III is absolutely beautiful and some of the extras on this DVD are also worth a good look. Special kudos for releasing the movie in its uncut version, because I have to say ratings are overrated. Give me back the gore.
Title: Phantasm IV: Oblivion (sometimes Phantasm: OblIVion)Director: Don Coscarelli
Year: 1998
So this is where it ends (for now, anyway). Phantasm IV shows that Don Coscarelli still has a wealth of ideas to mine for this decades-spanning film series. While there's noticeably less action in Phantasm IV, there is still the same weirdness of plot and the same sense of revelation as Mike and Reggie continue their hunt for the Tall Man.
This film definitely does put a new unexpected twist on the history of the Tall Man and his origins, and elaborates more on his plans for Mike. There are some hallmark Phantasm moments, some of my favorites including Reggie's rather ridiculous (and a little bit disturbing) encounter with an unexpected pair of spheres, Reggie's battle with the monster cop, and Reggie suiting up for battle in his ice-cream vendor outfit, breaking out the quad shotgun.
Come to think of it, most of the action happens to Reggie, while the scenes with Mike focus more on his psychological state as he deals with whatever it is the Tall Man has in store for him. We follow Mike as he travels solo through the Tall Man's dimensional forks looking for some clue that will help him destroy the malevolent undertaker.
The effects are great, they just get better and better, and the look of the film is once again excellent. I'm actually a huge fan of the Death Valley stuff. Great agoraphobic, empty location for a film. This installment also makes use of a ton of discarded footage from the original Phantasm, which is both an excellent way to tie the movies back together (it's especially neat to see A. Michael Baldwin who plays Mike in Phantasm, Phantasm III, and Phantasm IV go from being a scared but spunky thirteen-year old boy to a thirty-something psychotic deranged by years of hunting for, and being mentally tormented by, his supernatural nemesis) and a great way to instill that sense of dream-continuity. Things that seemingly never happened now appear to have happened, and vice-versa.
Of course, we get more zombie dwarves (eh, I just realized I'm using Tolkien's pluralization), a horde of spheres, more quad shotty, more Hemi Cuda, a very interesting use for the Tall Man's notorious black hearse, and a whole lot of dimensional forking. There are some ambitious moments in the movie, especially when Mike stumbles upon the origins of the dimensional forks and the origins of the Tall Man himself. I won't say more, you've got to see it, but I want to get it across to anyone reading this that Coscarelli isn't just milking the series by the fourth movie (something I sort of expected when I picked this up), but is really just continuing the odyssey, taking it in the direction that dream-logic would dictate for it.
It's an excellent flick, stands on its own, as any of these movies do. The ending is actually kind of heavy, and leaves me wondering if there's more in store or not. It's one of those few movie endings where the director could go either way, where the viewer could find himself both contented with the series ending there, even with a lot of unanswered questions, but also willing to continue with another film if Coscarelli decides to take us there. There are, as I just said, a lot of unanswered questions. They could either be mined for another film, or, in true Phantasm-style, just be left that way.
The DVD is still in print in the US, and is pretty easy to get a hold of. Widescreen format, decent transfer (it is a recent film, so I don't imagine we're losing a lot, even without digital re-mastering, etc) no real special features (bummer).
So, to conclude this extra-long run of reviews, see the Phantasm movies! Pick up the Anchor Bay re-releases (especially if you just like DVDs, because a lot of lovin' obviously went into these), pick up Phantasm IV, and hunt down a boot of Phantasm II (ah, the internet, you have your uses).
Or don't see them, and enjoy your psychologically desolate existence.
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