Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Phantasm Blu-ray Movie Review

The impossible dream.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 23, 2016

There seems to be something about the horror genre that invites newcomers to the film industry to try their hand at it, often without any (or at least many) previous professional credits, and also often without much funding for the current effort. Who could have foreseen a lo-fi outing like the original 1968 Night of the Living Dead spawning so many sequels or quasi-sequels, not to mention (supposedly) inventing a whole new subgenre for horror fans to thrill over? Something at least a little similar was at play with Phantasm, Don Coscarelli’s 1979 film which introduced the now iconic Tall Man (Angus Scrimm), the mysterious mortician who seems to have it out for Mike Pearson (A. Michael Baldwin). Phantasm traffics in some of the almost hallucinatory ambience that informs other films where it’s not quite apparent if what’s being depicted is a dream (and/or nightmare) or not, something that gives the film a rather distinctive ambience but which also may tend to occasionally confuse some first time viewers. Despite its miniscule budget (something Coscarelli addresses in the engaging commentary included on this Blu-ray), Phantasm is technically at least proficient if not inspired, and it seems to have touched something actually kind of profound in a large segment of the horror viewing populace, though why this should be the case is up for debate. There have evidently been some high falutin’ theories promulgated by some folks, including Coscarelli himself, that the film’s subtext of death may speak to subliminal fears that haven’t yet been consciously dealt with by younger males, this film’s apparent target demographic. Whether or not that’s the case, Phantasm is fun, if goofy, and this new 4K restoration may excite the film’s fan base at least as much as the film itself.

Even Don Coscarelli himself seems to wryly understand that elements of Phantasm don’t make a whale of a lot of sense, at least as evidenced by some of his jokes on the commentary included on this Blu-ray. The film seems to be grounded in almost a morose realism as it begins, with brothers Jody (Bill Thornbury) and Mike Pearson (A. Michael Baldwin) mourning the recent death of their parents. Jody has kept Mike away from the funeral services, at least ostensibly, but Mike has ideas of his own, which is where his increasingly frightening interchanges with The Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) begin occurring.

The film’s decidedly odd sensibilities include a sidekick named Reggie (Reggie Bannister), a ponytailed guy who works driving an ice cream truck (remember those?) but who, like Jody, fancies himself a musician. As Mike’s suspicions that the Tall Man is up to no good increase, Jody and Reggie are initially skeptical until Mike is able to finger a clue (that’s a joke for those who have seen the film). The “explanation” for the supernatural events depicted in the film is frankly not all that explicatory, and may in fact raise more questions than it answers, but it involves a parallel dimension featuring dwarf like creatures (who will no doubt remind many folks of similar small folks in a certain science fiction classic, though it’s evidently a coincidence, at least according to Coscarelli). Perhaps notably, then, Coscarelli kind of hedges his bets with regard to any and all plot dynamics by going what might be termed The Wizard of Oz route, at least that is until a final "sting" makes the audience question even that gambit. It’s all patently silly, and in fact probably nonsensical, but there’s no denying that there are several good scares at various moments in Phantasm.

Despite the film’s miniscule budget, there are some relatively impressive effects utilized, including the iconic Sentinel Spheres the Tall Man uses, as well as the high contrast “secret room” Mike, Jody and Reggie discover, one which Coscarelli admits was inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s legendary 2001: A Space Odyssey. Performances may just edge toward “not ready for prime time” status, but overall the film’s unique tone and admittedly outré subject matter manage to keep its cinematic head above water, if just barely at times. The perhaps unexpected cult status of Phantasm might best be understood by the fact this new restoration was done at the behest of J.J. Abrams, certainly no slouch when it comes to science fiction tinged exploits.

Phantasm Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Phantasm is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. As discussed above, J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot oversaw a 4K restoration of this cult classic, and the results are almost sure to please the film's ardent fan base, especially for those who have only seen the film courtesy of some of its substandard previous home video releases. There's a nice new vividness to the palette now, with elements like the goofy jets of blood that spit out through the spheres (once they've impaled heads, of course) or the fun (if brief) looks at the alternate world through the secret room's portal having excellent saturation (no pun intended). Detail levels are generally very good, especially in close-ups, but the film has always had a somewhat soft appearance and that continues in this iteration even with an uptick in fine detail levels. Grain is rather fine looking a lot of the time, but resolves naturally. Black levels are impressive throughout the presentation, though shadow detail is a little iffy at times. Well Go USA has released this on a BD-25, and there are some very brief flirtings with compression issues in some of the darkest scenes, though nothing that I'd term overly problematic. Bit rates are also fairly low quite a bit of the time, tending to hover in the mid-teens and only rarely elevating above the 20 benchmark.

Phantasm Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Phantasm features a rejiggered DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that offers decent surround activity with regard to the rather interesting amalgamation of score and sound effects (some of which almost sound electronic in nature, kind of like Alfred Hitchcock's approach to the sound design of The Birds), though as with many "new, improved" surround efforts, there's a kind of boxy ambience to some of the elements, and immersion isn't necessarily that organic sounding. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly and is well prioritized. For the record, Well Go USA has also provided lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 and Dolby Digital Mono tracks (the latter recreating the film's original theatrical exhibition experience), both of which sound fairly anemic when stacked up against the lossless track.

Phantasm Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Graveyard Carz Episode (1080p; 11:24) is a fun vignette with Don Coscarelli and A. Michael Baldwin.


• Interviews from 1979 (480i; 27:58) is an older tv show with Coscarelli and Angus Scrimm.


• Deleted Scenes:

  Bank Scene (480i; 1:14)

  Casket Room (480i; 1:45)

  Ice Cream Scene (480i; 4:28)

  Jody Visits Mike (480i; 00:59)

  Tall Man Fire Extinguisher (480i; 1:39)

  Tall Man Smile (480i; 00:17)

• Phantasm 1979 Trailer (480i; 2:13)


• Remastered Trailer (1080p; 1:56)


• Audio Commentary features Don Coscarelli, A. Michael Baldwin, Angus Scrimm and Bill Thornbury.

Note: As with most Well Go USA releases, the disc has been authored for the (video) supplements to follow each other automatically, though oddly there's no "Play All" option on the Deleted Scenes. Also as with many Well Go USA releases, trailers for other releases are authored to follow the trailers for this film automatically.

Phantasm Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I have some (younger) friends who grew up with Phantasm and consider it to be one of the greatest horror-science fiction hybrids ever made. I was outside of the teenage demographic when I first saw the film (which was admittedly via one of those aforementioned substandard previous home video releases), and so its whole "death and transfiguration" aspect perhaps didn't get to me the same way it evidently did to a lot of teenaged males, but there's no denying the film has a really distinctive flavor, even if its plot mechanics stretch credulity to the breaking point. This new 4K restoration has really revitalized the film's video presentation, though I for one wish this release had perhaps been granted a BD-50, if for no other reason than the film's original mono track could have had a lossless presentation. Otherwise, though, this release is almost certain to be applauded by the film's ardent fan base, and for those folks at least, Phantasm comes Recommended.