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{{Infobox Film
{{Infobox film
| name = Phantasm
| name = Phantasm
| image = phantasm.jpg
| image = phantasm.jpg
| caption = Promotional poster
| image_size = 215px
| alt =
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = [[Don Coscarelli]]
| director = [[Don Coscarelli]]
| producer = Don Coscarelli
| producer = Don Coscarelli
| writer = Don Coscarelli
| writer = Don Coscarelli
| starring = [[A. Michael Baldwin]]<br>Bill Thornbury<br>[[Reggie Bannister]]<br>Kathy Lester<br> and [[Angus Scrimm]]
| starring = [[A. Michael Baldwin|Michael Baldwin]]<br />Bill Thornbury<br />[[Reggie Bannister]]<br />Kathy Lester<br />[[Angus Scrimm]]
| music = Fred Myrow<br>Malcolm Seagrave
| music = Fred Myrow<br />Malcolm Seagrave
| cinematography = Don Coscarelli
| cinematography = Don Coscarelli
| editing = Don Coscarelli
| editing = Don Coscarelli
| studio = New Breed Productions
| distributor = [[Avco Embassy Pictures]]<br><small>([[Sony Pictures Entertainment]])</small>
| distributor = [[Avco Embassy Pictures|AVCO Embassy Pictures]]
| released = {{film date|1979|3|28}}
| runtime = 88 min.
| released = {{Film date|1979|03|28}}
| runtime = 89 minutes <!-- Theatrical runtime: 88:42 --><ref>{{cite web|title=''PHANTASM'' (X)|url=http://www.bbfc.co.uk/AFF016133/|work=[[British Board of Film Classification]]|date=1979-04-26|accessdate=2012-01-17}}</ref>
| country = {{Film US}}
| country = {{Film US}}
| language = English
| language = English
| budget = $300,000 (estimated)
| budget = $300,000
| gross = $11,988,469
| gross = $11,988,469<ref>{{mojo title|phantasm|Phantasm}}</ref>
}}
}}
'''''Phantasm''''' (also released as '''''Never Dead''''' in Australia) is a [[low-budget film|low-budget]] "[[cult classic]]"{{cn|date=April 2011}} [[horror film]] produced in 1977 and released in 1979. The film was directed, written, photographed, co-produced and edited by [[Don Coscarelli]]. It introduced [[Tall Man (Phantasm)|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.
'''''Phantasm''''' is a 1979 [[Low-budget film|low-budget]] "[[cult classic]]"{{cn|date=April 2011}} [[horror film]] directed, written, photographed, co-produced, and edited by [[Don Coscarelli]]. It introduced [[Tall Man (Phantasm)|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.

⚫
The film was originally rated X by the [[MPAA]] because of the silver sphere sequence 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.<ref name=imdb>[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079714/trivia IMDB Phantasm Trivia]</ref>

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]]''.


==Plot==
==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. [[Reggie (Phantasm)|Reggie]], 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.
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. [[Reggie (Phantasm)|Reggie]], 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.
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 [[Shaft mining|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.
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 [[Shaft mining|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.
Line 35: Line 32:
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.
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==
==Cast==
⚫
* [[A. Michael Baldwin|Michael Baldwin]] as Mike Pearson
⚫
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 Scrimm]] as [[Tall Man (Phantasm)|The Tall Man]]
⚫
* Pat Roman as The Mega Dwarf
⚫
* [[A. Michael Baldwin]] as Mike Pearson
* Bill Thornbury as Jody Pearson
* Bill Thornbury as Jody Pearson
* [[Reggie Bannister]] as Reggie
* [[Reggie Bannister]] as Reggie
* Kathy Lester as Lady in Lavender
* Kathy Lester as Lady in Lavender
⚫
* [[Angus Scrimm]] as [[Tall Man (Phantasm)|The Tall Man]]
⚫
* Pat Roman as The Mega Dwarf
* Terrie Kalbus as Fortuneteller's Granddaughter
* Terrie Kalbus as Fortuneteller's Granddaughter
* Kenneth V. Jones as Caretaker
* Kenneth V. Jones as Caretaker
Line 60: Line 50:
* Myrle Scotton as Maid
* Myrle Scotton as Maid


==Production==
==Awards and nominations==
;Rating
⚫
The film was originally rated X by the [[Motion Picture Association of America|MPAA]] because of the silver sphere sequence 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.<ref name=imdb>[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079714/trivia IMDb Phantasm Trivia]</ref>


;Deleted scenes
⚫
* [[Don Coscarelli]] won the Special Jury Award in [[1979]], and the film was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Horror Film in [[1980]].
⚫
In 1998, MGM re-released ''Phantasm'' on VHS and DVD, the film 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.

==Reception==
''Phantasm'' received mixed to positive reviews, currently holding a 64% "fresh" rating on [[Rotten Tomatoes]].<ref>{{rotten-tomatoes|phantasm|Phantasm}}</ref> The film was rated #25 on the cable channel [[Bravo (US TV channel)|Bravo!]]'s list of the "100 Scariest Movie Moments".

==Accolades==
⚫
* [[Don Coscarelli]] won the Special Jury Award in 1979, and the film was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Horror Film in 1980.

==Sequels==
As of 2012, the film spawned three [[sequel]]s:
* ''[[Phantasm II]]''
* ''[[Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead]]''
* ''[[Phantasm IV Oblivion]]''.

==Home media==
The film was released as a DVD by MGM in 1999 and then re-released on DVD by Anchor Bay Entertainment on April 10, 2007.


==References==
==References==
Line 68: Line 78:


==External links==
==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.phantasm.com/}}
* {{IMDb title|0079714|Phantasm}}
* {{IMDb title|0079714|Phantasm}}
* {{Amg movie|37911|Phantasm}}
* {{allrovi movie|37911|Phantasm}}
* [http://www.phantasm.com/ Official ''Phantasm'' website]
* {{mojo title|phantasm|Phantasm}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|phantasm|Phantasm}}
* [http://www.phantasmarchives.net The Phantasm Archives - a Series Resource]
* [http://www.phantasmarchives.net The ''Phantasm'' archives - a Series Resource]



{{Phantasm}}
{{Phantasm}}
{{Don Coscarelli}}
{{Don Coscarelli}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phantasm}}

[[Category:1979 films]]
[[Category:1979 films]]
[[Category:1970s horror films]]
[[Category:1970s horror films]]
[[Category:1970s science fiction films]]
⚫
[[Category:American films]]
[[Category:American science fiction horror films]]
[[Category:English-language films]]
[[Category:Horror films by series]]
[[Category:Independent films]]
[[Category:Supernatural horror films]]
[[Category:Supernatural horror films]]

⚫
[[Category:Horror films by series]]


[[de:Das Böse (Film)]]
[[de:Das Böse (Film)]]

Revision as of 04:19, 18 January 2012

Phantasm
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDon Coscarelli
Written byDon Coscarelli
Produced byDon Coscarelli
StarringMichael Baldwin
Bill Thornbury
Reggie Bannister
Kathy Lester
Angus Scrimm
CinematographyDon Coscarelli
Edited byDon Coscarelli
Music byFred Myrow
Malcolm Seagrave
Production
company
New Breed Productions
Distributed byAVCO Embassy Pictures
Release date
  • March 28, 1979 (1979-03-28)
Running time
89 minutes [1]
CountryTemplate:Film US
LanguageEnglish
Budget$300,000
Box office$11,988,469[2]

Phantasm is a 1979 low-budget "cult classic"[citation needed] horror film 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 zombies to do his bidding and take over the world.

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. Reggie, 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.

Cast

  • Michael Baldwin as Mike Pearson
  • Bill Thornbury as Jody Pearson
  • Reggie Bannister as Reggie
  • Kathy Lester as Lady in Lavender
  • Angus Scrimm as The Tall Man
  • Pat Roman as The Mega Dwarf
  • 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

Production

Rating

The film was originally rated X by the MPAA because of the silver sphere sequence 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.[3]

Deleted scenes

In 1998, MGM re-released Phantasm on VHS and DVD, the film 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.

Reception

Phantasm received mixed to positive reviews, currently holding a 64% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[4] The film was rated #25 on the cable channel Bravo!'s list of the "100 Scariest Movie Moments".

Accolades

  • Don Coscarelli won the Special Jury Award in 1979, and the film was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Horror Film in 1980.

Sequels

As of 2012, the film spawned three sequels:

Home media

The film was released as a DVD by MGM in 1999 and then re-released on DVD by Anchor Bay Entertainment on April 10, 2007.

References

  1. ^ "PHANTASM (X)". British Board of Film Classification. 1979-04-26. Retrieved 2012-01-17.
  2. ^ Phantasm at Box Office Mojo
  3. ^ IMDb Phantasm Trivia
  4. ^ Phantasm at Rotten Tomatoes
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