Phantasm IV: Oblivion poster & wallpaper

A. Michael Baldwin, Angus Scrimm, Bill Thornbury

The horror that is the Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) rises again as he goes in search of a successor in this Phantasm series installment. Our hero, Mike (Michael Baldwin), is trying to learn how and why the...( read more  read more... ) Tall Man became so powerful while simultaneously attempting to escape the madman's clutches. Mike will need help from his friends, Reggie (Reggie Bannister) and Jody (Bill Thornbury), but can they make it in time?

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44% liked it

1,013 ratings

R, 90 min.

Directed by: Don Coscarelli

Release Date: October 13, 1998

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DVD Release Date: August 14, 2001

Stats: 184 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (184)

  • SirPant
    September 29, 2009
    SirPant
    This franchise is getting boring now! Nothing happens and nothing is really explained. Don Coscarelli relies too heavily on the artistic licence that horror movies can have i.e. not having to be Oscar winning, just scary, fun and memorable. This film is none of the above, in fact...( read more) it?s one of the worst horror films I?ve ever seen. Half the film is basically everything that was cut from the first film!! oh, and Reggie will never be as cool as Ash!!
  • FangsFirst
    October 31, 2007
    FangsFirst
    In case you didn't get that, that's Phantasm: OblIVion.

    I put off buying or watching this sequel for a long time, not because I was bored of the series or disinterested in seeing more, but because I heard it was not the end. I hate being left hanging, and I'd heard...( read more) that was the case here, with rumours flying for some years now about the possibility of a Phantasm V (supposedly in pre-production now, 9 years later...). But, since it showed up cheap and I'd been planning to re-watch Phantasm and Phantasm III from the new Anchor Bay Collection releases, and have been on the prowl for good cult-y horror stuff to watch, I snagged it. AS BEFORE: Don't read this if you haven't seen Phantasm through Phantasm III.

    Since I just re-watched Phantasm III, I figured, "What the hell, may as well while it's still fresh, so I can put together the things I should be able to." Well, this was a definite step up from Phantasm III. Kinda funny, in the same sort of sense as Critters 4 was, which I also watched earlier today after its own prior installment. It's more "adult" than the previous film, though in this case not in being cynical or bleak, but in being more philosophical, epic, and apocalyptic. Reggie (Reggie Bannister, as always the man) and Mike (A. Michael Baldwin, still continuing after his hiatus for Phantasm II) have gone on separate paths after the incidents in Phantasm III, and Reggie is trying to abandon their lifelong quest to stop The Tall Man (still the awesome Angus Scrimm), while Mike is trying to avoid or change his current situation, or do something to finally stop The Tall Man.

    This film is a lot less busy, a lot more ponderous and thoughtful as it addresses Mike's newfound condition (sorry, not explaining that one!), bringing to mind the more internal westerns I've seen as much of it is set in a very desolate desert with Mike in a hearse stolen from the Tall Man experimenting with newfoudn powers, use and abuse of the tools of the Tall Man and introspection all his own. It's fascinating and Baldwin is more and more capable of the role as time goes on. Reggie is a little more restrained (though we do see a repeat of his sexual antics, it's a lot more low-key and a bit more amusing when seen as a parallel to the previous one) and a bit more tired as a character--in the sense of physical and mental exhaustion, that is. One never gets tired of Reggie, who is best thought of as a more "everyman" version of The Evil Dead's Ashley "Ash" J. Williams (or, more appropriately, as he appears in its sequels). He's an ice cream vendor--and I've got to mention he does, in fact, put the suit back on--who has taken on a quest to stop an unrelenting evil assault on the world.

    We finally learn who the Tall Man is and where he came from, even if not what, or how, exactly he is. We see more of his fatalistic approach that began to show up in the sequels to the original, seemingly painting him slightly less clearly as villain--I've even got theoretical possibilities that suggest he isn't. We see the introduction of an all-new element, too--time, and time travel. Now, when I say that, it's like when I say Clive Barker writes "fantasy." Immediately someone thinks, "Oh boy..." and banal clichés dance through their heads, but that isn't at all what I mean. The vibrational "dimension forks" that we've seen through all of the movies (and rarely, but occasionally, seen into) are now shown to breach the walls of time, showing Mike one of their own earliest incarnations. More mysteries crop up around Jodie, some dispelled, some muddied even further. The nature of Mike's new existence is also both muddied and clarified, both to a level of simultaneous satisfaction and eagerness to find out the final truth.

    Honestly, this is probably the best made of all of the Phantasm movies. It's well-produced, paced, written, plotted and performed. The tone is even and clear, the humour is not darkened to match the dark tone, but manages not to feel quite so incongruous or over-the-top at the same time. I am very excited for Phantasm V now, which is pretty much exactly what I didn't want since it isn't even financed yet. Alas. Catch onto this train now, and when we get some unbelievably awesome box set of all five movies, I will be quite happy.
  • stopitgoaway
    August 29, 2007
    stopitgoaway
    The first two films in Don Coscarelli's excellent Phantasm series were prime examples of how imagination and dedication can transcend budget and still ensure that a film project is successful in spite of being made on a shoestring. The third part of the series was a big disappoin...( read more)tment in relation to the other two, however, and the same can be said of this third sequel. The film isn't any worse than the third part, which was something of a surprise; it's just more of the same quality. I was worried before seeing this film as I had read the plot outline and it became apparent that Coscarelli has seen fit to do what most filmmakers do when it comes to a third sequel, and just go and do some back story building; which often turns out to be rather dull, and doesn't bridge any of the gaps anyway. But yes, Phantasm 4: Oblivion is one of those films that attempt to fill some holes from the first films, and here we are treated to finding out how 'the tall man' became 'the tall man'. Actually, it's not THAT bad.

    While the film lacks the brilliant invention of the first two, the back story that Coscarelli has created is intriguing and while he could have delved a bit deeper into it, if you don't go in expecting too much; Phantasm 4 will not disappoint fans of the series. Poor man's cult hero Reggie Bannister returns along with his usual arsenal of cheesy one-liners and womanising 'skills', and although it can become a bit tiresome after a while, it's always entertaining and seeing this completely non-hero guy battling legions of the undead has a subtle and absurd twinge of humour to it, which is nice. Unfortunately, the original Mike, A. Michael Baldwin returns once again to his character, and this is a shame as his replacement in the second instalment, James LeGros, did a much better job in the role. All the usual Phantasm staples are present in this film, from The Tall Man himself to the creepy little dwarfs, all the way to the very cool shiny metal balls that fly around and stick in people's heads. Shame about the atmosphere, but this is still a nice film.
  • YosemiteSamFan
    July 13, 2007
    YosemiteSamFan
    The Phantasm series comes full circle, literally, as they cleverly intercut Phantasm IV's new scenes with unused footage from the first film. The end meets the beginning, as the Tall Man's origins and future takeover are glimpsed, while the present-day battle between Mike and the...( read more) Tall Man comes to an explosive conclusion. All of this sounds more exciting that it really is; which is very small and low budget like Phantasm III. I think what was supposed to be The Tall Man's Red Planet was instead changed to Death Valley Desert. But the story is good, with a big time-loop built into the plot. I'm afraid the ending is open for interpretation. I liked it a lot, but was somewhat let down initially that there was no epic showdown between Mike and the Tall Man.

    Favorite Scene: When Mike remembers the last perfect day before the Tall Man arrived.
  • nuheart
    December 26, 2006
    nuheart
    Look, I know it was cheesy, I know it brought up more questions than it answered, and I know it ended on a cliffhanger that's likely never to be resolved, but I LOVE the way Coscarelli used footage excised from the original film; that's what elevated this one for me.
  • garysobekmusic
    September 27, 2009
    garysobekmusic
    The weakest of the series, it still rules!
  • ElCochran90
    September 16, 2009
    ElCochran90
    Extremely dark. Good dosis of gore for horror fans. Needs patience and an opened mind, I say...

    45/100
  • wataki2
    August 8, 2009
    wataki2
    I've seen all the films in the Phantasm series..........
  • champichon
    August 7, 2009
    champichon
    They should still make part 5
  • CallumSanderson
    June 21, 2009
    CallumSanderson
    Phanstam 4
    Confusing? They over used the cut endings from Phantasm 1. And making Tallman a old inventor Jebodiah Morningside was a bad mistake. Hes a mortician! Really confusing, watching Mike use his mind to crush things was cool though. And first the other guy Reggie said all t...( read more)he stuff on part 1 was Mike's dream now he remembers its real.. whaa? confusing sorry.

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