Rank The Phantasm Films

[idoneus1957]

I loved it, even tho it seemed to me that the director, after some good ideas in Phantasm, spent the rest of his career trying to exploit those same ideas. It's a common mistake horror film makers make: if one flying blood-sucking steel sphere scary, then three must be three times as scary. I mean Silver Sphere. I thought it was witty when the critic, when the movie came out, said that it had the best flying blood sucking sphere so far that year.

I think I read this review in Castle of Frankenstein. The guy wrote that Phantasm has enough satisfying surprises for three horror movies, but not enough logic for one.

Here's what's the pay-off for me: When the door bursts open and there's the Tall Man, big as life and twice as ugly. He growls out "Boy-y-y-y!" and starts to chase Michael, and Michael starts to run, and that eerie music starts up again, and there we are, right back in the middle of a classic nightmare: being chased by the Bad Man.

The first half hour of the movie was slow. but the rest of the movie makes u for it.

And, of course, if you think the movie is over and leave a couple of minutes too soon, you miss the surprise ending.
What ever happened to Angus Scrimm?

[Jigsaw Killer]

Originally Posted by idoneus1957

What ever happened to Angus Scrimm?

He sadly passed away back in 2016.

My ranking for the series is still the same:


2
1
4
3
5


The series deserved a much better finale than 5. What a disappointment.

[BudMan]

All but II are showing on Shudder. Giving them a re-watch.....its been many years/

Just finished 1. Doesn't particularly age very well. Kudos for originality but some of the acting was sub par and overall the story was a tad weak. I'm not a big fan of remakes but I would welcome one for this.

[Elvis_Christ]

Originally Posted by BudMan

All but II are showing on Shudder. Giving them a re-watch.....its been many years/

Just finished 1. Doesn't particularly age very well. Kudos for originality but some of the acting was sub par and overall the story was a tad weak. I'm not a big fan of remakes but I would welcome one for this.

It has it's flaws but for the budget it's pretty impressive. Up there with Evil Dead in that respect. I think a remake would be tricky as Scrimm's performance and presence is too iconic... look at the reception to the Elm Street remake.

[cheebacheeba]

Jeremy Irons

[Sculpt]

Irons would make a good Tallman

[BudMan]

Ok...finished 2— story was a bit more cohesive and perhaps a bigger budget so as to add some of those practical puppet effects so commonly found in movies of the genre in the late 80s. A new Michael added to the cast a la James Le Gros. He was fine but still not overjoyed by the movie as a whole.

On the part III SOON

[cheebacheeba]

I remember #3 being more memorable to me.
4 was kind of a let down...but interesting in it's own way.

Have never seen the last one they did a few years back...largely because of the horrendous reviews, that and I'd like to see if I can get the entire collection on BluRay to kind of soften the value-hit if it's not up to scratch.

For as much as #4 and #5 have got crap - at least I know they haven't sunk to the depths of most of the Hellraiser subtitle-sequels.

Irons would make a good Tallman

and Mads Mikkelsen would make a good Krueger.
and Greg Kinnear would make a good Riddler.

[Elvis_Christ]

I was disappointed by III and IV. They did add some interesting backstory to the overall plot.

I should watch these again but I've still got shitloads of stuff I haven't watched before to get thru.

[Jigsaw Killer]

Phantasm II
Phantasm
Phantasm IV: Oblivion
Phantasm III: Lord Of The Dead
Phantasm V: Ravager


What a disappointment Ravager was. 18 years of waiting for that.