Review of Phantasm (1979) by Reiyan B — 12 Jun 2009
Don Coscarelli's Phantasm may have the most bonkers of horror movie premises; an alien Tall Man, working at a funeral mauselium, steals dead bodies, crunches them down into barrels, takes them to his home planet via a dimensional doorway, where they are turned into Jawa-looking dwarf slaves and returned back to Earth to do his bidding.
And he also has a hovering chrome ball that can drill into his victim's brains. Yep, not your average horror film then. Working off a miniscule budget, Coscarelli does wonders, bringing his imaginative vision to the screen.
The actings fairly amatureish (minus Angus Scrimm as The Tall Man), but the effects look fairly impressive even today, espicially when you consider the budget and year it was made. More creative and imaginative than a million horror remakes, Phantasm promised more than Don Coscarelli's subsequent career has offered (bar the brilliant Bubba Ho Tep).
3 sequels followed this film plus an in-the-works remake. A slightly strange but brilliant little horror film, full of eccentricities and creative little touches. Well worth a look.
This review of Phantasm (1979) was written by Reiyan B on 12 Jun 2009.
Phantasm has generally received positive reviews.
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