Review of Phantasm (1979) by George W — 05 Feb 2013

I've seen this one a few times, and for some reason, I own it. It is very creative and has a number of curious elements that are not your run-of-the-mill horror typecasts. The tall man, the hooded midgets, the deadly barfly hooker, the animated finger-fly, and the infamous flying death sphere all contribute to the strange world that is Phantasm.

The acting is pretty terrible in most parts, and a couple of the effects are as bad as what you'd expect from a film made on such a shoestring budget, but what saves this film from getting a two star rating is its sheer originality.

Although not really scary at all, it does have a charm to it and a pretty good sense of atmosphere. The main theme is pretty badass, too. Worth renting if you're a horror/fantasy buff. Top honors go to Reggie, the balding, pony-tailed ice cream man, tearing it up on his acoustic with the red-headed kid's older brother on the Fender Strat.