Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Fantasm Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf September 16, 2021

While Richard Franklin went on to achieve some career success with hits such as “Patrick,” “Road Games,” and “Psycho II,” he started small, exploring a world of softcore entertainment in 1976’s “Fantasm.” A playful take on the rise of adult cinema in the 1970s, “Fantasm” isn’t meant to be heavy, with Franklin (credited here as “Richard Bruce”) and writer Ross Dimsey trying to explore the world of female fantasies without reaching the depths of perversion, offering vignettes that detail possible sexual adventures and necessary distractions.

“Fantasm” is hosted by Professor Jungenot A. Freud (John Bluthal), a German man of analysis offering short stories concerning the “innermost mechanisms of the female mind.” He details stories from his patients, with each chapter examining a particular kink, desire, or fetish that gives Franklin a chance to stage some softcore adventures, getting his cast out of their clothes as quickly as possible.

Abby (Dee Dee Levitt) enjoys an evening of full-body pampering and touching from multiple men at a beauty salon. Barbara (Maria Arnold) experiences an awakening as an evening of strip poker turns into an orgy. Gabrielle (Gretchen Rudolph) elects to punish a cross-dressing laundry thief. Diane (Rene Bond) endures a sexual assault inside an empty boxing ring. Francine (Mara Lutra) enjoys time with a seductress (Uschi Digard) inside a sauna. Imogen (Maria Welton) dreams of fruit-based foreplay with Neptune (John Holmes). Belle (Candy Samples) is happy to bathe her son, who’s recently returned from war. Celeste (Shayne) is a call girl eager to perform for three clients. Harriet (Roxanne Brewer) delights in teasing her schoolteacher. And Zelda (Serena) is used during a satanic church ritual.

These experiences are varied in tone, with most played for weirdness, entering strange scenarios of fantasy that hope to titillate without spilling over into graphic couplings. Professor Freud is here to provide some sense of purpose, droning on about the made-up psychology in play during the run time, trying to justify the film’s existence. It’s actually quite amazing how much time “Fantasm” spends with Freud, who isn’t amusing, taking attention away from the vignettes, which, obviously, are the most interesting parts of the feature. “Fantasm” gets into fetish play for the most part, including Abby’s bodily submission, and Imogen elects to bring fruit into her sex life. Some light BDSM is offered, and the effort slips into murkier waters as it explores incest and, because it’s the 1970s, rape, which Freud insists is a common fantasy among women. Unfortunately, there’s not another psychoanalyst in the picture to debate such claims.

Fantasm Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.33:1 aspect ratio) presentation is sourced from a 2K scan of the 16mm original negatives and "other vault elements." Wear and tear is present during the viewing experience, as speckling, mild scratches, a few hairs, and rough reel changes are detected, along with some jumpy frames. However, nothing is distracting, and clarity is good for this low-budget endeavor, with detail reaching as far as the original cinematography permits, surveying exposed bodies and sparsely decorated sets and locations. Skin surfaces are appreciable, along with period clothing. Color has some brief patches of fluctuation, but hues are appealing, with natural skintones throughout. Outfits offer brighter primaries, along with interior lighting. Delineation is satisfactory. Grain is heavy and film-like.

Fantasm Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA track provides a simple understanding of dialogue exchanges, spending most time with Professor Jungenot A. Freud and his cartoonish German accent. Scoring dominates the listening event, with light jazz present, including pronounced xylophone playing, and some sharper synth is worked into the picture.

Fantasm Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features producer Antony I. Ginnane.

Fantasm Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Fantasm" is slight but entertaining for the most part. Franklin meets expectations with the endeavor, delivering a relatively peaceful ride of sexual gamesmanship and wish fulfillment starring a variety of adult film actors from the 1970s, as most of the Australian production was shot in Los Angeles. It's not especially amusing, but Franklin maintains pace, offering odd encounters and sexual cravings for mature audiences, keeping things manageable even when the effort enters a few troubling scenarios.