7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.4 |
Mike is released from psychiatry, when he agrees with the doctors that the terrible happenings in his past were just in his imagination. But once he's free, he contacts Redge and they team up to hunt down and eliminate the "Tall Man", who plunders the graveyards and abducts the sleeping with help of his terrible gnomes. A beautiful strange girl starts to appear in Mike's dreams. He assumes she's in danger and needs their help - will they find her before the Tall Man can do her any harm...?
Starring: Angus Scrimm, James Le Gros, Reggie Bannister, Paula Irvine, Samantha Phillips (I)Horror | 100% |
Thriller | 13% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Have you ever had a dream where you’re dreaming in the dream? Usually these bizarre multi-layered experiences feature some level of lucidity, where you kind of know you’re dreaming, and just as often, in the dream within the dream, you’ll “wake up”, only to discover later (when you really wake up), that in fact you had still been dreaming. Sometimes a kind of disturbing element will occur, where you are completely aware you’re dreaming (even after you’ve supposedly “woken up”), but are helpless to prevent the dream from continuing, even if you are struggling mightily to rouse yourself. There’s something akin to that last feeling running rampant through Phantasm II, a lo-fi horror effort from 1988 that was a rather late to the (embalming) table sequel to 1979’s Phantasm. Phantasm II attempts to pick up more or less where Phantasm left off, but due to a variety of issues, including the recasting of one central role and an odd decision to not mimic the original film’s production design, there’s a disconnect in evidence from the first scene that fans of the first film have long had issues with. Those without any attachment to the first Phantasm will probably be more readily able to overlook those particular issues, but they may end up just as dissatisfied in the long run, for the film, while entertaining enough in its own small scale way, is often pretty confusing and convoluted, leaving a host of unanswered questions in its wake, rather like a half remembered dream (or nightmare) that you very thankfully finally wake up from.
Phantasm II is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Scream Factory (an imprint of Shout! Factory) with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Anyone who has ever wondered what the term "telecine wobble" means will have a perfect example in the opening few minutes of this film, rather incredibly including the Universal logo, which in this rendering seems to start on the wrong planet before panning madly to Earth (I exaggerate of course, but not by much). Once those issues are overcome, the elements here are in rather good condition overall. Colors are nicely saturated, and while the film has a general softness (something endemic to a lot of relatively low budget eighties fare), close-ups pop rather well and extreme close-ups offer appealing fine detail. There are some contrast issues here, especially in the many dark scenes, which hamper shadow detail at least a little bit. There may have been some modest DNR applied to this transfer, though fine grain is still quite apparent, especially in outdoor shots where it's readily visible in elements like the sky.
Phantasm II features DTS-HD Master Audio mixes in both 5.1 and 2.0. While the 5.1 mix does open things up in some key sequences, and offers some nice panning effects when the "ball" comes into play, overall the 5.1 offering is pretty front heavy, with only occasional foley effects and the score ever significantly penetrating the side and rear channels. Fidelity is very good, with dialogue cleanly and clearly presented, and dynamic range is quite wide.
- Makeup and Effects (1080i; 9:12)
- On the Set (1080i; 9:08)
- 'Phantasm' Trailer (1080i; 2:17)
- 'Phantasm II' Trailer (1080p; 1:27)
- 'Phantasm III' Trailer (1080i; 1:27)
- Behind the Scenes (1080p; 4:17)
- Makeup and Effects (1080p; 3:12)
- Posters and Stills (1080p; 5:17)
I watched two horror Blu-rays back to back over the past day or so, this one and The Collection. Sometimes horror fans have taken me to task for what they perceive is a uniform dismissal of overly violent films, but (with all due deference), they completely miss the point of my critical umbrage. Violence is fine if it's done with a modicum of artistry and context. What I object to is the wholesale use of blood, gore and guts for nothing other than shock value. Few would accuse Phantasm II of being non-violent (though truth be told, at least some of its violence is of the goofy, cartoonish kind), and yet I rather enjoyed revisiting this film again after not having seen it for years. Objectively speaking the film is as full of logical holes as any good slice of Swiss cheese, but it is something that films like The Collection resolutely aren't: it's fun to watch. This Blu-ray offers good if unspectacular video and very good audio, and it comes replete with some superb supplements that should certainly please the film's many fans. With caveats noted, Phantasm II comes Recommended.
Phantasm Collection Version
1988
The Phantasm Sphere Collection Version
1988
Phantasm I and II Special Edition Version
1988
5 Movie Collection Version
1988
1998
2016
1994
Remastered
1979
2003
70th Anniversary
1953
2018
1985
1988
1988
1995
Alien 2 - Sulla terra | Limited Edition of 30000 | SOLD OUT
1980
1982
Collector's Edition
1989
Puppet Master 2
1990
4K Restoration
1981
Five Million Years to Earth
1967
Collector's Edition
1983
1988
1981