Phantasm (1979)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Jeff "

  
  I had been wanting to watch this for years. Unfortunately, the dvd was out of print. But then Anchor Bay re-released it, and I picked this title up. A very interested Horror film with many creative ideas on screen, Phantasm tells the story of a mortician who has unnatural Strength and… More
  I had been wanting to watch this for years. Unfortunately, the dvd was out of print. But then Anchor Bay re-released it, and I picked this title up. A very interested Horror film with many creative ideas on screen, Phantasm tells the story of a mortician who has unnatural Strength and owns a funeral home we're weird things happen. After witnessing the Tall Man (the mortician) lift a casket by himself into a hearse, Mike tries to investigate the strange happening at the local mortuary. What follows is a terrifying and bizarre happening inside the mortuary. Director Don Coscarelli crafts a terrific horror film. The story is intriguing and the scares are plentiful. Phantasm is yet another horror film somewhat inspired by Carpenter's Halloween. Horror had just been revamped as the horror films in the later part part of the 70's were getting less scary, and less inspired. But fortunately, Halloween came along and then Coscarelli created this classic. Phantasm has plenty of memorable moments and how can a horror fan dismiss the Tall Man? the character is one of the best villains in horror history. Even though this is not a perfect film, Phantasm is one entertaining film.A true classic of the genre, Phantasm single handedly created one of most iconic Horror villains in cinematic history. Not to mention an amazing theme song. Phantasm is one of the best Horror films of the 1970's. Along with Halloween, Phantasm brought glory back to the horror genre after a few tired horror films. A truly memorable and great horror flick.

• AJ V

  
  One of my favourite horror movies of the 70s, it's a surreal supernatural film with a surprising twist at the end. I loved it.

• Drew S

  
  There are so many ways of appreciating film. Initially, everything I saw was given a very typical "does it have a good plot/strong characters?" critical once-over, and if it didn't, then the movie sucked. End of story. Then I moved on to "is it well-made? Does it… More
  There are so many ways of appreciating film. Initially, everything I saw was given a very typical "does it have a good plot/strong characters?" critical once-over, and if it didn't, then the movie sucked. End of story. Then I moved on to "is it well-made? Does it accomplish what it needs to?" which is a good stopping point for any discerning film viewer. But then...there's stuff like Phantasm, which I thoroughly enjoyed. No, it does not have a good plot or strong characters, and the last thing I'd call it is well-made. Watching it made me realize that I just don't really give a fuck anymore - what I like is what I like, and there's never going to be a static standard applied to that. So thank you, Phantasm, for being deliriously crappy and yet so wonderful at the same time. To list Phantasm's flaws would be damning. The movie has a terrible sense of flow, with nearly every transition from scene to scene coming across as jarring or incomprehensible. The ensuing feeling of "what the fuck is going on?" is difficult to get around, but oddly exhilarating; there's a definite strength in Phantasm's willingness to thrust you into a bizarre situation and not really explain what's happening. The movie's pervasive use of the unknown, both on its characters and on the audience, allows us to really use our imaginations. The floating silver spheres? The tall man? The dwarf world? Who the fuck knows, but it's fun to think about! Phantasm may come across as a jumble of "scary" ideas, but the chaos of the experience is actually very appropriate, not to mention thematically relevant. On that note, the ending is a pleasant surprise, working well to shade the movie in a completely different light and give the preceding events a new depth. If evaluated on the craftsmanship alone, Phantasm is more or less a failure. The movie mostly looks muddy and dull (with a few really inspired shots), and some of the special effects are laughable. It should also be remembered that this is very low-budget horror, and though its achievements within the scope of its limitations aren't always impressive, the force of its ideas is what really shines here. If you can bring yourself to look past the dated filming, iffy acting and occasional sheer ridiculousness of the movie, it's actually a really original experience. Recommended to the offbeat horror fan.

• Anthony L

  
  Not quite sci/fi & not quite horror. It?s an odd film that makes very little sense, has very bad acting and isn?t scary! Not sure why it?s a classic really!?

• Greg S

  
  Two brothers investigate seriously strange happenings at a nearby funeral home run by the mysterious Tall Man, who also appears in the younger brother's nightmares. Highly atmospheric, with ahead of its time effects and terrific atmosphere; unfortunately, poor characterization… More
  Two brothers investigate seriously strange happenings at a nearby funeral home run by the mysterious Tall Man, who also appears in the younger brother's nightmares. Highly atmospheric, with ahead of its time effects and terrific atmosphere; unfortunately, poor characterization and amateur acting hold it back from being the classic it could have been.

• Jason S

  
  A dated horror movie that I really didn't understand the first time I watched it. You have to give a watch if you are into horror though as it is one of the staples of the genre.

• Tim S

  
  Still as terrifying and unnerving as it was when I was kid when I first saw it. Gave me nightmares!

• El Hombre I

  
  Phantasm is Don Coscarelli's acid trip on the dark side. His low-budget film is just a bit dated in the special effects department, but remains a scary, bizarre trip centering around Morningside Mortuary. While some of the effects are low-tech, they play on the absurd terror… More
  Phantasm is Don Coscarelli's acid trip on the dark side. His low-budget film is just a bit dated in the special effects department, but remains a scary, bizarre trip centering around Morningside Mortuary. While some of the effects are low-tech, they play on the absurd terror of the situation, and the eerie, almost dreamlike situations that reveal more of the Tall Man's nature. Sometimes the film seems to be all over the place with one random thing after another, but deserves its' status as a cult-film for bringing new ideas to horror. One of the many movies I saw at the drive-in which surely added to its charm for me. <a href="http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/?action=view¤t=newphan1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/newphan1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

• Eric S

  
  Outstanding horror film with a splash of sci-fi in it. Creepy and funny at the same time with a perfect cast and eerie premise. The silver "sentinel" spheres a.k.a. "computerized vampires" are a brilliant, memorable touch to this 1979 horror classic.

• Cassandra M

  
  Two orphaned boys, Mike (Michael Baldwin) and Jody (Bill Thornbury) notice some strange things happening at Morningside Mortuary. Bodies are disappearing from coffins; a lady in lavender has sex with men in the graveyard and then stabs them to death; little midgets in brown cloaks… More
  Two orphaned boys, Mike (Michael Baldwin) and Jody (Bill Thornbury) notice some strange things happening at Morningside Mortuary. Bodies are disappearing from coffins; a lady in lavender has sex with men in the graveyard and then stabs them to death; little midgets in brown cloaks (making sounds like lions) are roaming about and there's a flying silver orb with spikes that embeds itself in people's heads! And then there's the Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) overseeing it all...Soon Mike, Jody and their friend Reggie (Reggie Bannister) are fighting for their lives... The story is pretty thin (and REALLY out of whack at the end), the acting dismal, there's no characterizations or depth and some of the special effects are horrible but...this is STILL a classic horror film. It takes a while to get going (nothing much happens in the first half hour), but when it does there's scarcely a letup. Action leaps into high gear, there's some fairly graphic gore (including the now infamous flying sphere killing), there are plenty of scenes guaranteed to make you jump and the music score is very spooky...right up there with "Halloween". Also some of the special effects are impressive (considering there was no budget). Also Michael Baldwin was a VERY attractive man and there's gratuitous male and female nudity. What's even more surprising is Don Coscarelli wrote, produced, directed AND edited this at the age of 24! He's never matched it since and all the sequels really suck...but this stands alone as a classic. A must-see for all horror fans. Also Scrimm is EXCELLENT (and damn scary) as the Tall Man. Trivia: This was awarded an X rating FOUR TIMES because of the sphere killing...Coscarelli went all the way to the head of the ratings board who overturned it and gave it an R--a rare occurrence that the ratings board kept in a gore scene!

• Dr Blood  

  
  The tall man is a really unnerving creation but he's far less scary than the flying spiked ball.

• Lafe F

  
  A classic horror film, which mixes in elements of science fiction perfectly to tell the tale of a teenaged boy investigating the strange body harvesting going on at his small town funeral home. There's a great villain in the form of the Tall Man and his army of carnivourous… More
  A classic horror film, which mixes in elements of science fiction perfectly to tell the tale of a teenaged boy investigating the strange body harvesting going on at his small town funeral home. There's a great villain in the form of the Tall Man and his army of carnivourous dwarves and killer chrome spheres. The design alone of the chrome sphere with blades flying through the marble hallways of a funeral home is an awesome image and lives up to the "Phantasm" name. The 70's clothing and furnishings stand out today, but that adds to the film's charm.

• Cindy I

  
  Heard this was scary. Wasn't. Really isn't when you find out what the big secret is.

• Ryan M

  
  7.8/10 "Phantasm" is a strange film. But that's a part of its charm; which I find almost impossible not to like. It's a horror film, but those who have tried to classify it within a sub-genre-within-a-genre (indeed, the horror genre) have failed. It's… More
  7.8/10 "Phantasm" is a strange film. But that's a part of its charm; which I find almost impossible not to like. It's a horror film, but those who have tried to classify it within a sub-genre-within-a-genre (indeed, the horror genre) have failed. It's truly something else. That doesn't necesarilly make it a great film, but it certainly makes it a solid feature that I could see myself watching again-and-again; benefiting from repeated viewings. It's an intelligent little low-budget chiller; relying mostly on atmosphere and the kind of imagery that we're bound to remember whether we find ourselves entertained or not. Many critics find this movie, shall I say, distasteful? I can understand somebody not enjoying or admiring "Phantasm", but dare I say, I think most of these detractors don't get what writer-director Don Coscarelli was trying to do and say here. The film was shot in the English language, but Coscarelli obviously has some Italian in him, and his film is really no different from the surreal cult shockers from that country; films that carried what I call "dream-logic" with them, as well as some of the finest imagery available. Sometimes, it's enough to just look at the movie, which more than likely will allow the most open-minded movie-goer to have a lot of fun. Coscarelli has a really good idea, so he decides to make a film centered on that idea, as well as many other concepts. In the end, he makes "Phantasm"; a film that is essentially critic-proof, for the most part, and will be appreciated by those who can discover admiration in its absurdity. There's an artistry to the way "Phantasm" is crafted; from the make-up effects to the most odd, bizarre, and surreal of moments. Unlike a few memorable installments in the Italian horror surrealist movement, the film has a story, and it makes perfect sense, if you think about it. It's the underlying themes that matter most at the end of the day; but the simplicity of the storytelling methods adds to the quality. Just try to buy into the story; which concerns two brothers. They have lost their parents, and are trying to cope. This leaves Jody (Bill Thornbury) to care for the younger brother, Mike (Michael Baldwin); who fears the eventual death that will someday come to his brother. He visits a fortune teller and seems to be questioning what will happen once Jody himself has reached the end of the rainbow. However, these questions are the least of Mike's worries; he believes that little dwarves (which closely resemble the Jawas of "Star Wars") are chasing after him, although he doesn't know why. His theory is that they may be the slaves of a mysterious figure whom Mike refers to as "The Tall Man" (Angus Scrimm). It is suggested that this villainous being, who is indeed very tall, could be an alien, a demon, or perhaps just another human. That can't be it. Mike claims to have seen this "Tall Man" single-handedly lifting a casket, and we all know that no mortal can do this. The film is at its best when Mike is running, scared and alone, from the forces of darkness (the dwarve slaves, The Tall Man). Eventually, Jody invests in Mike's tall-tales and agrees to help him fight back against "The Tall Man", who seems to be gathering bodies for an unknown reason. Much of the film is taken up by this highly engaging and suitably entertaining sub-plot; which never drags on for too long, and never had me snoring. The film is a consistently entertaining exercise in pure movie-making. It has some dazzling and very dream-like images, such as a glimpse of an alternative realm where the dwarves are put to work, hands coming out of muddy ground and reaching for the heroes, and of course, a small, metal sphere which flies towards its enemy and causes quite a mess indeed. People seem to remember the sequence in which the said sphere hits its target in the form of an assistant of The Tall Man; who gets a hidden drill right through the fore-head. The sphere absorbs a lot of his blood, spits it back out, and then leaves his body to die. He then urinates as he dies. This is an intense, gory scene; one of the only blood-filled sequences in the entire film, in fact. "Phantasm" cares more about creepy effectiveness through its music score, its cinematography, and its images; which is something admirable. Clearly, it isn't the best film ever when it comes to storytelling and characters; as well as dialogue, but there's just something about it that I find impossible to resist. I liked it because it allowed me to escape into another world for an hour and a half, which is always nice. Films about reality and things capable of having within it were beginning to bore me; which is why I watch horror films in the first place. You never know when someone like Don Coscarelli is going to make his way into the horror scene and make use of nightmare fuel. He creates an entirely different universe; a different world where different things can exist and anything can happen. Maybe this is why I find "Phantasm" so good when it comes to escapist entertainment. Not everyone will "get it". But for those who do; a salute you.

• Daniel P

  
  Written, directed, produced, photographed and edited by Don Coscarelli on a pretty meagre budget, this is a rather fantastic flick from 1979, combining elements of horror, thriller, comedy and sci-fi. <p>Mike, spying through binoculars at the local cemetery, witnesses a… More
  Written, directed, produced, photographed and edited by Don Coscarelli on a pretty meagre budget, this is a rather fantastic flick from 1979, combining elements of horror, thriller, comedy and sci-fi. <p>Mike, spying through binoculars at the local cemetery, witnesses a mysterious 'Tall Man' lift a coffin from the ground single-handedly and load it into a hearse. Mike (whose parents are dead and is plagued by fears of losing his older brother, Jody) does some investigating, heading to the mortuary, which has an ingenious security system that almost kills him. <p>Initially sceptical, Jody is eventually convinced by Mike that something strange is happening in their home town, and together they attempt to understand what the hell is going on. <p>Killer dwarves, flying spheres, ice-cream trucks and a bizarre door to another world are all thrown into the mix. The film is perhaps a bit too haphazard and 'out there' to be entirely successful, but it has a wonderfully creepy atmosphere to it and a few nice shocks. <p>It's rather too dated to still be scary exactly (though it terrified me as a kid), but it's definitely worth a watch for fans of horror (think <i>Evil Dead</i> crossed with <i>Halloween</i>).

• Sylvester K

  
  Incredibly eerie and bizarre, one of the best low budget films!!! Acting was OK, Mike was memorable so did Reggie. The camera angles were superb, Don Coscarelli did a great job directing. I love how he used the unseen to scare the audience. Some scenes are unnecessary however, and the… More
  Incredibly eerie and bizarre, one of the best low budget films!!! Acting was OK, Mike was memorable so did Reggie. The camera angles were superb, Don Coscarelli did a great job directing. I love how he used the unseen to scare the audience. Some scenes are unnecessary however, and the ending was crap. But overall good!!!

• nefnie l

  
  I remember watching this as a little girl and being somewhat scared. Now older, I had a really difficult time getting through this movie. Unfortunately, I'm one of those people who have to finish a movie once I start it; so I muddled through the whole thing. Everything about… More
  I remember watching this as a little girl and being somewhat scared. Now older, I had a really difficult time getting through this movie. Unfortunately, I'm one of those people who have to finish a movie once I start it; so I muddled through the whole thing. Everything about this film, from the acting to the storytelling, just fell flat.

• Eduardo C

  
  I've been wanting to see this one for ages

• MJS M

  
  What is The Tall Man? He?s no mere serial killer, he?s not a vampire, he doesn?t really appear to be an alien, and he?s not any kind of ghost I can readily identify. I can?t really put a label on what The Tall Man is, he doesn?t fall into any existing horror movie trope, and that?s… More
  What is The Tall Man? He?s no mere serial killer, he?s not a vampire, he doesn?t really appear to be an alien, and he?s not any kind of ghost I can readily identify. I can?t really put a label on what The Tall Man is, he doesn?t fall into any existing horror movie trope, and that?s the main thing that makes this movie special; it?s original. The fact that Angus Scrimm is a very creepy presence also helps, and so does the really gory death scene midway through the movie. What do no help are the poor performances by everyone involved other than Scrimm, nor do the film?s occasionally shotty production values. Don Coscarelli does not strike me as a master filmmaker, and I don?t think he?s really able to make this film everything it could have been, but for the aspects that work it is worth a viewing.

• Lauren D

  
  The acting was horrible as were the effects. It was kind of lame and weird, but it was sort of fun, but I probably wouldn't bother watching it again.

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