Don Coscarelli's 1979 Phantasm stands out among horror movies released during the late 1970s. Where so many American films cashed in on the slasher movie craze, Coscarelli (who also wrote, shot, and edited the film) created a much trippier experience with the imagery and logic of a nightmare. Michael Baldwin and Bill Thornbury star as orphaned brothers in a small town where strange things begin happening at the local mausoleum that is run by an intimidating, scowling figure (Angus Scrimm) who is referred to in the credits only as "The Tall Man." As the pair investigate, they are pursued by flying silver orbs with spikes that drill into victims' heads, and by gnome-like people in brown robes, who turn out to be reanimated corpses compressed to the size of dwarfs. Given the small budget of an independent production, the special effects here are remarkably effective and the sheer weirdness of the imagery and plot (which involves raising the dead and sending them through a portal to work as slaves on an alien planet) overcomes the confusing storytelling and gives the film a strange, unsettling atmosphere. Although it was not a big hit, it did become a minor cult horror film and spawned four sequels from 1988-2016 (available with the original in The Phantasm Collection boxed set, bowing March 28). Remastered from a new restoration produced by J.J. Abrams (a fan of the film), extras include a cast and crew audio commentary, archival interviews, and deleted scenes. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)
Phantasm Remastered
Well Go USA, 90 min., R, DVD: $24.99, Blu-ray/DVD Combo: $29.99 Volume 32, Issue 2
Phantasm Remastered
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