A flying silver sphere that latches onto victims' heads and drills into their skull. Monstrous hooded dwarfs that attack in darkness. A beautiful lady in a lavender dress equipped with a knife. A scowling, menacing middle-aged man that towers over you. These are all classic elements of Don Coscarelli's highly bizarre but wildly creepy 1979 horror film "Phantasm". I just recently revisited the movie after a long time, and was easily reminded of how undeniably scary it is.
13-year-old Michael Pearson spies on his brother Jody and his best friend Reggie, an ice cream vendor, as they lay their friend Tommy to rest in Morningside Cemetery after he supposedly committed suicide. But Mike sees too much when he catches a glimpse of a tall man in a black suit picking up Tommy's coffin with intimidating super-strength, throwing it in his hearse, and driving away. When things take a turn for the worse, Jody unfortunately doesn't believe his brother. Until he and Reggie become involved in this puzzling and dangerous game of where reality is broken and the dream becomes real. And The Tall Man has insidious plans for our three protagonists.
"Phantasm" is truly a product of its time, a horror flick that was released in the wake of "Halloween," "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and others. Director Coscarelli found the inspiration to scare the audience in his dreams and his previous drama "Kenny and Company". And he manages to scare us immensely by employing a strange and dread-filled atmosphere with surreal and dream-like imagery. Right from the opening sequence, Coscarelli establishes a bleak environment.
The film has some goofy effects by today's standards and some bad acting, but deep within its cheesy but inventive execution lies a fear that hits home for all of us: fear of dying. Most of us believe in Heaven or Hell. Others believe that when we die, we are nothing. "Phantasm" comes up with something different, a fate far worse than death. Not much of the movie makes sense, but is it supposed to? Perhaps not. And once the film ends, we are left with food for thought. Is there really a Heaven or Hell? Does The Tall Man represent the Grim Reaper or the Devil? Those who haven't seen "Phantasm" would laugh at such remarks, but once you watch it, you realize that Coscarelli, who not only directed the movie but also wrote and edited it, focuses on something we can be genuinely afraid of.
The Tall Man is easily one of the scariest bogeymen in horror cinema. With only five lines, he is able to effortlessly freak us out through his body language and facial expressions. He almost doesn't have to say anything to scare you.
Although the three main characters are mostly well-developed, they are all hammed up by C-grade actors. Sometimes, their delivery of the dialog can even be a little funny. But the performances are forgiven thanks to likable, nicely structured people. Kathy Lester's Lady in Lavender is seductive and creepy enough (even though we all know by now that those are not her real boobs). But the best acting job here goes to Angus Scrimm as The Tall Man. A man Coscarelli had previously worked with, Scrimm fits the role like a glove and does most of his own stunt work. His appearance is unforgettable, and he has made The Tall Man what he is today: one scary-as-hell villain.
Music is always a trait that could make or break any horror movie, and Fred Myrow and Malcolm Seagrave's combination of cymbals, guitars, and simplistic tunes holds up as one of the best horror movie orchestrations to date. It serves the movie well and adds a whole new layer to the already existent horror.
"Phantasm" may not be perfectly made, but a flawlessly characterized antagonist, eerie camera-work, surrealism, a bang-up finale and its ability to stand on its own cause it to remain a cult classic. It cannot be classified into a certain subgenre of horror, which may be the main reason why it works so damn well. And who could miss out on a movie with such a knockout tagline on its poster? "If this one doesn't scare you, you're already dead!"
13-year-old Michael Pearson spies on his brother Jody and his best friend Reggie, an ice cream vendor, as they lay their friend Tommy to rest in Morningside Cemetery after he supposedly committed suicide. But Mike sees too much when he catches a glimpse of a tall man in a black suit picking up Tommy's coffin with intimidating super-strength, throwing it in his hearse, and driving away. When things take a turn for the worse, Jody unfortunately doesn't believe his brother. Until he and Reggie become involved in this puzzling and dangerous game of where reality is broken and the dream becomes real. And The Tall Man has insidious plans for our three protagonists.
"Phantasm" is truly a product of its time, a horror flick that was released in the wake of "Halloween," "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and others. Director Coscarelli found the inspiration to scare the audience in his dreams and his previous drama "Kenny and Company". And he manages to scare us immensely by employing a strange and dread-filled atmosphere with surreal and dream-like imagery. Right from the opening sequence, Coscarelli establishes a bleak environment.
The film has some goofy effects by today's standards and some bad acting, but deep within its cheesy but inventive execution lies a fear that hits home for all of us: fear of dying. Most of us believe in Heaven or Hell. Others believe that when we die, we are nothing. "Phantasm" comes up with something different, a fate far worse than death. Not much of the movie makes sense, but is it supposed to? Perhaps not. And once the film ends, we are left with food for thought. Is there really a Heaven or Hell? Does The Tall Man represent the Grim Reaper or the Devil? Those who haven't seen "Phantasm" would laugh at such remarks, but once you watch it, you realize that Coscarelli, who not only directed the movie but also wrote and edited it, focuses on something we can be genuinely afraid of.
The Tall Man is easily one of the scariest bogeymen in horror cinema. With only five lines, he is able to effortlessly freak us out through his body language and facial expressions. He almost doesn't have to say anything to scare you.
Although the three main characters are mostly well-developed, they are all hammed up by C-grade actors. Sometimes, their delivery of the dialog can even be a little funny. But the performances are forgiven thanks to likable, nicely structured people. Kathy Lester's Lady in Lavender is seductive and creepy enough (even though we all know by now that those are not her real boobs). But the best acting job here goes to Angus Scrimm as The Tall Man. A man Coscarelli had previously worked with, Scrimm fits the role like a glove and does most of his own stunt work. His appearance is unforgettable, and he has made The Tall Man what he is today: one scary-as-hell villain.
Music is always a trait that could make or break any horror movie, and Fred Myrow and Malcolm Seagrave's combination of cymbals, guitars, and simplistic tunes holds up as one of the best horror movie orchestrations to date. It serves the movie well and adds a whole new layer to the already existent horror.
"Phantasm" may not be perfectly made, but a flawlessly characterized antagonist, eerie camera-work, surrealism, a bang-up finale and its ability to stand on its own cause it to remain a cult classic. It cannot be classified into a certain subgenre of horror, which may be the main reason why it works so damn well. And who could miss out on a movie with such a knockout tagline on its poster? "If this one doesn't scare you, you're already dead!"
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