Pnantasm ~1979~ Classic or Crap?
 

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This film seems to carry with it a great deal of baggage, and is one of those love it or hate it films. Its detractors claim its juvenile, meandering, poorly acted and incoherent.

It's fans (me included) think its iconic, groundbreaking and surrealistic....and scary!

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Your thoughts?

Classic. I love it!!:D

I thought the film was very ground breaking, its a awesome movie, before Phantasm most films were about madmen running about with knifes.:cool:

I watched them all back to back, for the first time maybe about a year and a half ago...
I thought 1&2 were good, 3 was ok, 4...well I sat through it but didn't really enjoy it all that much. I really liked some of the interesting concepts going on, I liked the atmosphere, the weirdness, and the kind of mind-fucky elements to it.
Great sountrack too.

Who can hate Angus Scrimm?

The atmosphere Coscarelli generates in the first Phantasm is amazing. Everything about that movie works so well to create a perfect dream like atmosphere. The cast works perfectly and gel really well and the actual style and story that drives the franchise is real quality.

My thoughts on Phantasm are nothing but good. This is my fave series out of the main genre of horror.

I don't normally go to Horror- cons, but I did go for the Phantasm cast in Burbank in 2007. Wonderful cast, Reggie kept referring to me as sexy,:D and Bill Thornbury and I held up the line because we were talking for a quite a long time, of which angered a few people, which is typical of people.

The Tall Man and Michael weren't there, sadly.

I had a wonderful conversation with Michael Baldwin sometime ago in 2003. I was on Richard Gabia's email list, (they are friends), and so nautrally I thought I'd say hey to Mike as he was my first crush when I went to go see the movie in 1980. I sent him a pic of myself via email and he was so sweet the things he said. he said I had an awesome curvy figure and a sexy cute smile.:p then he sent me a personal movie photo still of himself from the Obvilion 4 film.:D autographed and all.

anyways, as I tend to get carried away on memories, here's an awesome and rare record of the theme song. I need this for my next party!

While I am not a big favorite of "Phantasm" (especially not of the second, that one was just plain crap, sorry to say, but it was), I value its effort to be quite creepy. Ironically, however, the only part that truly freaks me out is the fly scene. What is up with that? I mean, come on.

- Horrorman

Definitely a classic in my eyes. Scared the shit out of me as a kid and in watching later on as an adult realized that it had incredibly creepy atmosphere which is something i hold in high reguard in the horror genre. Straker also made a good statement in saying it has a dreamlike atmosphere as well.

Genuine classic, The Tall Man is an underrated icon of horror.

As a few have already said. the dream like atmosphere was fairly unique at he time and, I think, opened up the genre more.

It's been so long since I have watched it, can't remember all that well....

Thanks for reminding me!

*goes to netflix*

I would rate it as a classic basically for the terror and scare factor.

It certainly comes through in that area.

think the 1st was and is a classic,but went a bit down hill from there.like most good films really.still own the sphere box set!

I agree 4 was strange.... im wondering if the director was wanting to end with some thought provoking issues, whilst giving us some story about the questions we had.
Personally id prefer to keep the "Tall man's" past out of it, but now we know.

I thought 1 and 2 were spectacular, seminal at the time. In fact it was only after seeing 2 i tracked down 1 and then saw 1-4 and enjoyed every moment. I still see the second as my fave, but the 1st is very close.

I was watching carefully for a while to see if theyd make a 5, theres so much info on it. Although Angus is growing old, hes almost 90 now, and theyre still doing the rounds signing for fans.. i cant see it happening but would love if they did. Its rare these days to find a truly creepy yet in some ways almost cheesy character who you never tire of, in movies nowadays :)

Anyone who doesnt like these must be on another planet, and are probably the same ones who ensure movies like "Teeth" are still made!

I couldn't agree more! :cool:

I just hope no one decides to "re-imagine" Phantasm.

fav line.... "bbboooyyyyyyy, time to die"

I just realized the title of the thread said "Pnantasm"... :D

I am a retard.

Film at 11.

I never regarded Phantasm as very scary but it takes a lot to frighten me. However I did enjoy the movie, with its originality and inventive story line. I also liked the idea that a very non-hero looking guy (Reggie) could be heroic, how he silenced the big tuning fork and such.

Little items, like the Tall Man pausing to happily sniff the carbon dioxide fumes from the ice cream truck were nice. Those small touches are what make a film memorable.

Film 2 was okay but the other two were too repetitious. Still they were okay.

I'm not dissing these films as non-scary but you gotta realize, I was reading Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, Bradbury, Poe, and others since childhood and have continued as a horror fan all my life, so when you've read the really scary stuff and have watched nearly every horror film made, you can pretty much tell what's coming and not get too scared. But you can still appreciate it.

It's classic crap.


BOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!

What? The second film is one of my favorite horror flicks and one of the films that turned me onto horror.

classic

first two were good, the other two were pretty bad.

100% Agree.

Loved the first two films,the first in particular had quite an impact on me when I was lad,the music from the film still creeps me the fuck out!

probably the best theme song of any horror movie.

I didn't mind the third film but was really disappointed with the fourth.

Yeh it's killer.

I picked classic. But i haven't seen it for years. So i might think it's shit.