DVD Review: Phantasm - 5 Movie DVD Collection

The Phantasm franchise is an odd one to approach. It is one of those franchises that has a lot of fans, but still seems to fly under the radar. You don’t often hear it spoken of in the same context as other horror franchises, like the big slasher series, or even a questionable series as Leprechaun. Of course, it does seem that the longer the series go, the more steep the drop off in quality becomes. Still, there is a lot to like about the series, it is as the budgets go down, the surreal and experimental side goes up. The later entries aren’t for everybody, but if you watch them in close succession, things become much clearer. I will say that initially it doesn’t help that there is so much time in between entries.

Movie Review: Bonejangles

What do you get when you combine a subpar slasher and a subpar zombie movie? Bonejangles, of course. Toss in a healthy dose of horror themed comedy and a not quite efficient level of exposition and you end up with a movie that is actually somewhat entertaining. It is funny, almost in spite of how mediocre the pieces are on their own, the movie still manages to entertain enough to be worthwhile. To take that a step further, I feel you could have had a good film if you picked one side and expanded that into a feature. With that said I do like the idea of combining the disparate elements, if not the execution.

Blu-ray Review: Phantasm

In the late 1970's the slasher film was getting ready to explode, riding on the shoulders of movies like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Black Christmas, and the genre defining Halloween. There was also the growing zombie world with Dawn of the Dead, the man versus nature of Jaws, and sci-fi monsters of Alien. Then there was Phantasm, released in 1979 and not really being like anything that had come before it. While it may not be a personal favorite, it is, indeed an original horror film made on a tight budget that has withstood the test of time, has grown on me, and is still, to this day, straight up creepy. It also has to be said that this newly remastered Blu-ray is gorgeous and the best the movie has ever looked.

"If this one doesn't scare you.... You're already dead."

Movie Review: Phantasm - OblIVion

Following the release of Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead in 1994, plans were made for a fourth film. A screenplay was penned by none other than Roger Avary (Pulp Fiction, Silent Hill) with an eye towards a release in 1999. Well, it took a little while to try and pull it together so Don Coscarelli made his own fourth film, OblIVion. The intention was to use this as a bridge to the Avary penned film. Unfortunately, it appears that the ship has sailed and this supposed bridge has more of an air of finality to it. This is not really a bad thing, as the movie really is not all that bad and definitely has a few things going for it.

Movie Review: Phantasm III - Lord of the Dead

Phantasm arrived in 1979 and proved to be a unique voice with a wicked bad guy at its core, a movie that stood out in the early days of the slasher cycle. It was not a slasher, but the bad guy easily stands with the most evil of that bunch. It took nine years for its sequel to arrive. Phantasm II gave the franchise a new, more straightforward focus, as well as cementing the series' reality, its bad guy, and the hero's desire to stop him, as well as bringing some more action and even some road movie elements. Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead arrived in 1994, fifteen years after the original, with another slice of eerie road movie horror.

Movie Review: Phantasm II

In 1979 the world was taken by storm when Don Coscarelli unleashed his unique vision of horror upon us. Phantasm introduced us to the evil of the Tall Man as well as the heroes, Mike, Reggie, and Jody. The film delivered a nightmarish world upon the screen where an evil creature, disguised as a mortician would take the dead and change them into dwarf slaves, which he would send through a gate to another dimension. It was a scary film that tackled themes of loss, death, and abandonment. It is a movie that has grown on me, gotten under my skin, and proven itself worthy of my love. Now, it only took nine years but a sequel was finally made, the aptly titled Phantasm II.

Movie Review: Silent Night, Deadly Night 4 - Initiation

With three Silent Night, Deadly Night movies in the can, the series made the shift to video and they started churning them out, one a year for three years. The first was 1990's Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation. This slice of DTV badness was directed by Brian Yuzna, settling into the director's chair after producing such classics as Re-Animator, From Beyond, and Dolls. Now, this is not a good movie, features some rather sloppy storytelling and acting that is pretty poor. On the plus side, it does feature Clint Howard and a small role for Reggie Bannister.