For the uninitiated, Phantasm is a surreal low-budget horror film
from the 70’s that has inspired a fervent cult and numerous
bad sequels. The loose plot tells of a thirteen year-old boy named
Mike (Micheal Baldwin) who must fight a relentless spectre called
The Tall Man (Angus Scrimm). It seems The Tall Man has been stealing
bodies from the local mortuary, shrinking them down to dwarf-size,
and…well, you kinda have to see it.
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As
fun as it is to look at pictures of yellow snot, I decided
to use stills from the actual movie being reviewed. -Mean
Mr. Editor
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I’ve
loved this movie since I was a kid, so I was excited to check out
the collector’s edition DVD. As far as audio and picture quality
go, this version is a must have. Phantasm is presented in its intended
aspect ratio, which makes the cinematography (the film’s best
technical feature) stand out even more. The only problem is that
the movie itself has not aged well. Always a campy flick, Phantasm
is now almost embarrassing to watch at times. Still, I was happy
to see the frequent endorsement of Dos Equis beer, which I’d
never caught in previous viewings.
If you’re a Phantasm phreak, you should buy this DVD just
for the extras. There are commentary tracks (by director Don Coscarelli
and stars Baldwin, Reggie Bannister and Bill Thornbury) as well
as interviews, trailers, behind the scenes documentaries, and deleted
scenes. You also get “audio extras” in the form of a
disco version of the theme song and Thornbury’s studio rendition
of the tune “Sittin’ At Midnight” (sadly missing
Reggie’s riff-rock breakdown at the end).
One thing that annoyed me was the inclusion of an extra scene that
was cut out of the original. This takes place during the “blackout”
near the end of the film, where the three protagonists get split
up after going into the room with the barrels.Apparently,
there was a segue between the power going out and Mike and Jody
finding themselves magically transported outside. This “new”
scene attempts to explain things better, but part of the film’s
charm lies in the fact that most of it makes little sense to begin
with. I would have preferred for this segment to be included with
the bonus footage instead of edited back into the film, but that’s
nitpicking.
Choice Quote:
"You think you go to Heaven? You go to us!" –The
Tall Man, from a deleted scene.
(Click
Here for DVD's Technical Specs)
RYAN-O
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