Solidrariol Am I Missing Something?

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Helloturia I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

dallasryan A very weird, bizarre, strange, neat kind of film. The acting is doable for what the film is. The flying ball is awesome and it's actually one of the better weird scary films out there even to this day.A film which takes us on a journey to dark voids and altering like universes which are kind cool. Gory and spooky all at the same time. Has a little bit of everything for all kinds of film genre fansI recommend this film, it' s a different and fun experience!

InjunNose A film overwhelmed by its own amateurishness, "Phantasm" is widely regarded as a classic...which only proves that the word "classic" means different things to different people. Presumably, the same criteria that a film in any other genre must meet to be considered a classic are applicable to horror movies, too: things like plot, characterization and atmosphere. "Phantasm" has none of these. It's just a patchwork quilt of visuals, a ninety-minute-long exercise in throwing nutty, surreal images at the wall to see what sticks. This gimmicky onslaught is accompanied by poor acting, crummy dialogue and lots of screaming (because, you know, it's a horror movie). But why are all these strange things happening to the characters? Why have Angus Scrimm and his army of dwarf slaves singled out these young men? Why is a shiny metallic ball equipped with multi-pronged blades hurtling through the corridors of the mortuary? Well, just because. It's like a story that one twelve-year-old kid might tell another, making it up as he goes along: "So there were these guys, and one day some really scary stuff went down." That's the level of intellectual sophistication one finds in "Phantasm". It scores a couple of points for sheer novelty, but that doesn't make it a good or even tolerable film.

Scott LeBrun Mike (A. Michael Baldwin) and his older brother Jody (Bill Thornbury) are mourning the death of their parents in a small Oregon town. Together with their friend Reggie (Reggie Bannister), an ice cream man, they must do battle with a nefarious undertaker known only as The Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) and his various minions...not to mention a neat flying sphere that can puncture skulls.Writer / director / cinematographer / editor Don Coscarelli truly hit paydirt with this enduring fan favorite, a horror / fantasy classic that spawned a franchise spanning over three and a half decades. A great film it is not, but it sure is a fun and entertaining one. Admittedly, the acting is mostly amateurish and our heroes less interesting than our villain. But Coscarelli clearly enjoys himself playing with as much "it's all supposed to take on the tones of a nightmare" shtick as he can. He never does worry about any of this making sense.Baldwin, Thornbury, and Bannister are at least likable as our heroes, especially Bannister, whose character turned into more of a badass as the series went on. Kathy Lester is alluring as a mysterious "lady in lavender". But "Phantasm" ultimately belongs to the imposing Scrimm, whose appearance is very memorable. "BOOOYYY!!!"The film also benefits from a music score by Fred Myrow and Malcolm Seagrave that is pretty catchy, in particular its haunting, somewhat "Halloween"-esque main theme.The main set piece involves the sphere mutilating a caretakers' face; Coscarelli fought the MPAA to keep this sequence in the film and actually succeeded.Worth watching, at least once, by devotees of the horror genre.Seven out of 10.

trashgang Famous for it's gore because it was rated X back in those days. So it became a cult flick but now that the new one is out (Ravanger) it was time to pick the old ones back up. The effects used are really outdated for nowadays and the story itself isn't that strong. It's only the scene's with the Tall Man that gives you the creeps. And indeed, when the 'Sphere' is released to kill one it is bloody, but to say gory, that it never became.If it wasn't for the Sphere it wouldn't be remembered at all. It's like those flicks on the British Video Nasties list, some doesn't deliver, they were only banned for the cover on the VHS.But it's cult this Phantasm so for all geeks a must see, but for me, a bit boring. And for the muscle car geeks, there's a Plymouth Barracuda from 1971 to spot.Gore 0,5/5 Nudity 0,5/5 Effects 1/5 Story 2/5 Comedy 0/5