Phantoms (1998)

14% of critics liked it
(28 reviews)
31% of users liked it
(11,680 ratings)

Dean Koontz scripted this adaptation of his fantasy novel. The tale begins when two sisters, Lisa (Rose McGowan) and Jenny (Joanna Going) arrive for a ski vacation in the mountain resort town of Snowfield, Colorado, where they discover their landlady is dead and the town is deserted except for a… More Dean Koontz scripted this adaptation of his fantasy novel. The tale begins when two sisters, Lisa (Rose McGowan) and Jenny (Joanna Going) arrive for a ski vacation in the mountain resort town of Snowfield, Colorado, where they discover their landlady is dead and the town is deserted except for a single dead police officer. Lisa and Jenny are soon joined by Sheriff Bryce Hammond (Ben Affleck) and his deputies Stu Wargle (Liev Schreiber) and Steve Shanning (Nicky Katt). The five conclude that the entire town is missing or dead, but after they head for a local hotel, they hear a Patsy Cline tune emanating from the second floor -- where a scribbled message mentions "Timothy Flyte" and the "Ancient Enemy." After Wargle is attacked by a bizarre creature that sucks out his brain, Hammond radios for help. The Feds find Flyte (Peter O'Toole), a British professor who explains his theory of an Ancient Enemy, periodically emerging from inside the Earth to decimate civilizations. Human extinction looms, but Flyte and an Army commando unit arrive in Colorado with a plan of action. Directed by Joe Chappelle, who made Thieves Quartet (1994). ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 35 min.
Directed By: Joe Chappelle
Written By: Dean Koontz
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Horror

In Theaters: Jan 23, 1998 Wide
On DVD: Aug 28, 2001
Studio: Miramax

Critic Reviews

Douglas Pratt, DVDLaser
A dandy Halloween feature with a good needle-in-the-butt jump every five minutes or so
Pete Vonder Haar, Film Threat
Affleck, you weren't the bomb in Phantoms, yo. But Rose McGowan is hot.
Michael Dequina, Movie Poop Shoot
Quickly degenerates from X-Files to Baywatch Nights once the culprit is ultimately revealed.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
O roteiro é absolutamente ridículo e jamais consegue explicar exatamente que coisa é aquela que se transforma nas pessoas. Affleck deveria sentir vergonha de se submeter a isso, e O'Toole tenta manter a dignidade como pode.
Oz, Hollywood Bitchslap
Rose McGowan continues her habit of appearing in worthless movies.
John R. McEwen, Film Quips Online
...A rather silly concept, drawn out to terribly silly lengths, with so many horror-movie clichés that the good devices are drowned out by the schlock

Read all 6 critic reviews

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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Melvin W

Sheriff Bryce Hammond: All right, enough. Sheriff Bryce Hammond: Enough! It's not a god, it's not a devil. It's just a fucking animal, and any living thing can be killed. Timothy Flyte: But this thing is what wiped out the dinosaurs! Which were pretty tough fucking… More
Sheriff Bryce Hammond: All right, enough. Sheriff Bryce Hammond: Enough! It's not a god, it's not a devil. It's just a fucking animal, and any living thing can be killed. Timothy Flyte: But this thing is what wiped out the dinosaurs! Which were pretty tough fucking customers! Phantoms is now one of the worst movies I have ever seen. Everything about it is a complete waste of time. The acting is complete shit. The dialogue is complete shit. The story is complete shit. The sound is complete shit. I could go on, but I think you get the point. For me the sound was the most annoying thing, besides Ben Afflecks horrible performance. During dialogue I would have to turn the volume up because the characters are whispering and I can't hear their worthless dialogue. Then, Bam, 5 minutes of screeching and banging that about blows my speakers. So I turn it down, then I have to turn it back up. That was the whole movie experience for me. The two actresses, while clearly easy on the eyes, are absolutely horrible and almost rival Affleck performance. I feel bad for O'Toole because he's such a great actor. I just can't see what made him want to be in this.
Jeff "

Phantoms based on the novel by dean Koontz is a surprisingly scary ride, and is a non stop thrills, jolts and good scares. Phantoms is an awesome horror film, and it is very tense and thrilling. Before watching this film I had low expectations\, but luckily my expectations were… More
Phantoms based on the novel by dean Koontz is a surprisingly scary ride, and is a non stop thrills, jolts and good scares. Phantoms is an awesome horror film, and it is very tense and thrilling. Before watching this film I had low expectations\, but luckily my expectations were exceeded. Phantoms is a roller coaster ride of horror that doesn't rely on Teen Horror cliches to create Horror. Dean Koontz does a terrific job adapting his story to the big screen. Director Joe Chappelle directs Koontz's story. Phantoms starts off with a taste of old fashioned horror films, and ultimately sets the tone for the entire film. The second half is just as impressive as the first half. Phantoms is a terrific example of to make a good monster horror film. Phantoms features a creature with many tentacles who fed on the population of a small town. Phantoms is guaranteed to give you a few good scares, and the film is much better than what people have said about it. Ben Affleck does give a decent enough performance, compared to his other dreadful performances in Armageddon, Pearl Harbor and Daredevil. He isn't bad here, but he's not great either. Peter O'toole gives the best performance here and manages to give this film better credibility. Because after all, O'toole is a legendary actor. Both Koontz and director Joe Chappelle manage to create a terrific horror film and the end result is very impressive. There's plenty of dismembered bodies and tense and suspenseful horror moments to keep you tense throughout the film. Phantoms is an underrated film, and you should at lease give it a look and decide for yourself.
Conner R

This was complete torture to watch. The story is just plain stupid, but Dean Koontz has never been exactly intelligent. The horrible acting, poor production value and directing make it hard to enjoy at all. It is almost funny how incredibly bad this is.
Luke B

Phantoms is a film most famous for being name-checked in Jay and SIlent Bob Strike Back "Affleck was the bomb in Phantoms, yo". The joke being that this is a rather simplistic B-Movie with nothing extraordinary about it. It's a solid effort and most enjoyable. It starts… More
Phantoms is a film most famous for being name-checked in Jay and SIlent Bob Strike Back "Affleck was the bomb in Phantoms, yo". The joke being that this is a rather simplistic B-Movie with nothing extraordinary about it. It's a solid effort and most enjoyable. It starts out as a very creepy film, empty town, dead bodies, heads falling out of ovens. The suspense and mystery is enough to hook you in. Soon the cops arrive and it turns more gung-ho before O'Toole shows up as Professor Exposition. All this great actor has to do is explain what the hell is going on. It's a bit of a waste but he does give it his all. The effects are passable and it's an adequate genre piece for any fan. But was Affleck, really the bomb? I'd give that award to Schreiber, with a refreshingly different OTT performance. Nice to see him laughing it up with his limbo scene.
xGary X

A small town found completely deserted by a local sheriff is found to be inhabited by an ancient creature than can absorb and mimic its prey. Rose McGowan must have felt right at home when she made Planet Terror because this is exactly the kind of daft B-movie horror it parodied. Dean… More
A small town found completely deserted by a local sheriff is found to be inhabited by an ancient creature than can absorb and mimic its prey. Rose McGowan must have felt right at home when she made Planet Terror because this is exactly the kind of daft B-movie horror it parodied. Dean Koontz scripted his typical brand of dumb schlock and manages to rip off John Carpenter's The Thing AND Prince Of Darkness along the way. Ben Affleck plays the bemused lawman in his usual blank and mechanical way but Peter O'Toole, clearly just in it for the paycheck, brings a necessary sense of humour to it and it's a short and easily digested slice of cinematic junk food. Plus it's so unbelievably stupid it's almost endearing...
A.D. V

Better than expected considering I'm not a fan of Koontz or McGowen or director Joe (Halloween:The Curse...) Chappelle. The first 45 minutes is a creepy thrillride but once the calvary shows up it loses its footing due to hammy acting, poor editing and the lack of some much… More
Better than expected considering I'm not a fan of Koontz or McGowen or director Joe (Halloween:The Curse...) Chappelle. The first 45 minutes is a creepy thrillride but once the calvary shows up it loses its footing due to hammy acting, poor editing and the lack of some much needed exposition.
Dr Blood

Phantoms is one of the best versions of a Dean Koontz story to be filmed so far.
Ken S

Ben Affleck is the bomb in this movie
Michael G

Horrible. Absolutely horrible.
Aaron N

Affleck's the bomb in Phantoms yo.
Dann M

Affleck is the bomb in Phantoms yo!
Joseph E

I've always wanted to see this film
Chad R

HAHA Ben Affleck way to step up after Good Will Hunting- Rose was hot though - Book was great!