Phantasm

Phantasm
by Don Coscarelli

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Category: DVD
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DVD details

Actor: A. Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornbury, Kathy Lester, Reggie Bannister, Terrie Kalbus
Director: Don Coscarelli
Brand: STARZ/SPHE
Cinematographer: Don Coscarelli
Editor: Don Coscarelli
Producer: Don Coscarelli
Writer: Don Coscarelli
Producer: Paul Pepperman
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; Spanish (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 88 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-04-10
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: AVCO Embassy Pictures

DVD Reviews of Phantasm

DVD Review: A Classic
Summary: 5 Stars

Becoming a "classic" horror movie is very difficult. Mainly because each generation becomes more desensitized to violence, and more used to horror conventions. As such, they come to expect the gore and monster jumping out of nowhere tactics. This is why Phantasm's ability to achieve classic status, especially given its modest budget and production value is such a feat. Unlike most, I did not see this movie until very recently, meaning I've seen a very large amount of horror flicks prior to this so did not expect to find anything new in an old low budget horror flick. How wrong I was.

Phantasm is a creepy, scary, psychological movie. The movie is more interested in playing with your mind than with a body count, which is the way I prefer it. There's an air of mystery throughout the movie, some of which is not resolved. I liked that a horror movie, especially one from a few decades ago, found ways to surprise me and keep me on the edge of my seat. Sure the effects and makeup is a bit dated, but that doesn't stop this from being a classic movie. If you haven't seen this, I highly recommend giving it a chance.

DVD Review: The Anchor Bay Edition
Summary: 5 Stars

PHANTASM has fared pretty well on home video over the years with 3 VHS editions that I am aware of, 3 laserdisc issues and so far two (region 1) DVD releases (where's the bluray?). This latest version from Anchor Bay is the first time we have gotten an anamorphic release and it sure is nice to have it. Anchor Bay generally does an amazing job at putting together all sorts of cool extras and animated menus for their releases and they do a fairly good job here. The anamorphic transfer on this DVD does not seem to me to be the same print used for the MGM and laserdisc releases. I think this transfer looks a little more grainy and the color a little more off than the previous DVD. It looks okay but it isn't remarkable in any way. I suppose this could be because I'm now watching on a large HD screen and flaws are more apparent than before. It is difficult to compare this print accurately with the previous non-anamorphic ones. The Dolby 5.1 soundtrack sounds the same as the previous releases and it is quite good however this new DVD DOES NOT include the original mono soundtrack that was provided on the MGM release. There are a couple of new extras exclusive to this Anchor Bay edition. There is a short version of the PHANTASMAGORIA documentary and some interview segments called ACTORS HAVING A BALL. Those are the only features that are exclusive to this release. The commentary track is the same one I have been listening too since the collectors edition LaserDisc. Strangely, there are things MISSING from this Anchor Bay DVD that were on the LaserDisc and MGM DVD. There are ten minutes of deleted scenes on the MGM and only 8 minutes here (2 deleted scenes are missing). Angus Scrimm in australia doing his tall man schtick is not included on this release. The Coscarelli/Scrimm TV interview is here though, as are cleaned up versions fo the trailers and TV ads. There are NO radio spots included on this one, also gone is the Angus Scrimm introduction to the film (an especially sad ommission by Anchor Bay). The stills gallery is not included and neither is the complete version of "Sittin Here At Midnight" by Bill Thornbury, or the "Disco Phantasm" music tracks. We do get the Fangoria convention footage. One big improvment is the restoration of the original poster art for the front cover. This is also a two sided DVD cover in a transparent keepcase that has cool inside cover photography and a disc that looks like a silver sphere. This is a far from a definitive video release of PHANTASM but the anamorphic transfer makes this the best edition we have gotten so far. And by the way, I think PHANTASM is the greatest horror film ever made.

DVD Review: Scary in 1979, hilarious now, but still a treasure
Summary: 5 Stars

This movie is a classic. I am sure it scared the heck out of the viewers the first time it was released. It is funny for us now in 2009, but it is still a treasure for collectors of movie memorabilia. I collect horror movies from the original "Nosferatu" until the stuff like "Drag me to hell". It is not that I like to be frightened, but it is exciting to scream and laugh afterwards because of how silly was what got us scared. Excellent movie to see the traditional middle 70s to middle 80s horror movies.

DVD Review: Great movie, I met Angus once...
Summary: 5 Stars

One tall man, three heroes, several small jawas, one black Plymouth Cuda, a flying ball that'll drill ya, and a partridge in a pear tree!

Great movie. Weird as heck, but fun! I met Angus Scrimm at a Fangoria horror movie convention as a teen back in 1987. Wow. What fun. He was really adept at being able to laugh about the Tall Man character and enjoying the role for what it was. He talked about how little dialogue he actually had in Phantasm I and II. He actually had it all memorized and said it to us...something like, "Boy! Boy! Boy! You play a good game boy but the game is finished, now you die! Boy!" and a few other lines. It took him like fifteen seconds lol. We all cracked up. I got his autograph. It was my first convention for sci fi/horror.

Reggie Bannister is the greatest. "We're hot as love!" oh man, classic

And for corn's sake, the CUDA! Plymouth Cuda! Oh baby! That and the Dodge Challenger, the two greatest cars ever made!

This is a fun frightfest. My wife is just terrified of this flick so it's fun to watch at Halloween.

I think it's an UTTER TRAVESTY that Phantasm II is STILL not available on Region I! Total blasphemy folks!

DVD Review: It was little and brown and low to the ground!
Summary: 2 Stars

Right from the first scene in the movie you know this isn't going to be your average horror movie. There really isn't much of a plot, but what little there is isn't revealed until about halfway through the movie. The acting is sub-par, but it's not to the point of turning the whole movie into a joke. The cinematography is interesting to say the least. It isn't bad or anything, just really weird. The special effects are pretty corny and laughable, but they have their uses. The soundtrack is one of the better ones I've heard in a horror movie. The movie has it's moments, but they are few and far between and very short. Horror fanatics will want to watch this once through just for the heck of it, everyone else probably shouldn't bother.

Description of Phantasm

The Original Classic From The Director Of THE BEASTMASTER and BUBBA HO-TEP Michael Baldwin and Bill Thornbury star in the shocker that started it all, in which two brothers discover that their local mortuary hides a legion of hooded killer dwarf creatures, a flying drill-ball, and the demonic mortician known as The Tall Man (an iconic performance by Angus Scrimm) who enslaves the souls of the damned. More than 25 years later, it remains unlike any fright film you've ever seen. Reggie Bannister co-stars in the heart-stopping classic from writer/director Don Coscarelli that launched the most uniquely chilling series in horror history and is still hailed as one of the scariest movies of all time. Experience PHANTASM again, now featuring frightening extras never before seen in America! Features:Widescreen Presentation TV Spots Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Don Coscarelli and Stars Michael Baldwin, Angus Scrimm and Bill Thronbury Deleted Scences, Also on DVD PHANTASM Trailer, PHANTASM III Trailer PHANTASM: Behind-the-Scences, PHANTASM: Actors Having a Ball Phantasmagoria, 1979 PHANTASM Interview, 1988 Fangoria TV Commerical

Jody is the kind of guy that every 1970s teen looked up to. He's in his early 20s, has a cool car, splendid '70s hair, leather jacket, plays guitar and (naturally) snags all the girls. His little brother, Mike, in particular, admires him and emulates him at every turn. Things start to go astray, however, when the two brothers and their friend Reggie attend a funeral for a friend. Mike notices a tall man working at the funeral home; in the course of his snooping, he sees the tall man put a loaded coffin into the back of a hearse as easily as if it was a shoebox. Jody doesn't believe his little brother's stories, though, until he brings home the tall man's severed finger, still wriggling in what appears to be French's mustard. From there, the film picks up a terrific momentum that doesn't let up until the sequel-ripe twist ending. Phantasm was one of the first horror movies to break the unspoken rule that victims were supposed to scream, fall down, and cower until they were killed. Instead, Mike and Jody are resourceful and smart, aggressively pursuing the evil inside the funeral home with a shotgun and Colt pistol. Furthermore, the script has a great deal of character development, especially in the relationship between the two brothers. The film even has a surprisingly glossy look, despite its low-budget origins, and little outright gore (except for the infamous steel spheres that drill into victims' heads). This drive-in favorite was a big success at the time of its release, and spawned three sequels. Little wonder; it includes an inventive story, likable characters, a runaway pace, and, of course, evil dwarves cloaked in Army blankets. The end result is one of the better horror films of the late 1970s. Hot-rod fans take note: Jody drives a Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda, the pinnacle of 1960s muscle cars, rounding out his status as a Cool Guy. --Jerry Renshaw

Stills from Phantasm (Click for larger image)

Beyond Phantasm

Phantasm III
Phantasm IV
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