Plot: What’s it about?
Last year was a stand-out year for fans of horror films. There were an incredible amount of releases to sort through from labels like Arrow Video and Shout Factory, but one of the last releases of the year is not held by either of those labels. Well Go USA released a fully remastered version of Don Coscarelli’s Phantasm, that easily ranks as one of the best releases of the year for the genre.
The plot of Phantasm centers on a mysterious funeral parlor named Morning Side and the tall frightening man who runs it. The movie begins with a hippie hooking up with a girl at the cemetery when she stabs him to death. The next scene shows the funeral procession as the dead man’s friends, Jody and Reggie, pay their respects. From the bushes Jody’s little brother Mike spies on him and the cemetery. When the funeral procession leaves, Mike watches as the Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) easily picks up the coffin and throws it into the funeral parlor hearse. Mike begins to investigate the happenings at the funeral parlor and cemetery while many insane things begin to happen. There are so many tricks up the movie’s sleeve that it is best to let the viewer be surprised. That said, Phantasm is known for a particular floating metal orb that viewers will not forget any time soon.
Phantasm is a fever dream of a movie. It is one of the most whacked-out horror films that I have ever seen. It alternates between humor and frights effectively and doesn’t let up on the thrills for the duration. It does not try very hard to make sense, instead it tries out numerous different ideas that somehow work together for something greater and more fun for the viewer. All of it is tied together by one of the best horror scores ever by Fred Myron and Malcolm Seagrave. I agree with other reviewers that the score for Phantasm is as effective and unique as the ubiquitous Halloween score. It really is that good.
Phantasm is directed by the fantastically madcap Don Coscarelli who directed the fantastic Bubba-Ho-Tep and John Dies At The End. It is just as off-the-wall as those films and is beautifully shot. Honestly, the camera work on the film is fantastic. Performances are good in that sort of off-kilter free-wheeling way that you can expect from low-budget Seventies cinema. Honestly, I really love The movie and think any classic horror buffs will also. The movie itself has been remastered by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot team, because J.J. is a huge fan of the film. I was blown away by the results of the remastering. Fans should go purchase this immediately.
Video: How’s it look?
Well Go USA and Bad Robot did a fantastic job on the transfer of the film using an MPEG 4 AVC codec of a new 4K restoration. I was absolutely blown away by the transfer. It looks absolutely stunning. This is literally on the level that I typically see in Criterion releases. Clarity is fantastic. The colors pop. Detail is as good as any restoration this year. This is going to please the most die-hard visual critique. Obviously, in the future I want Bad Robot to assist in restoring films whenever possible.
Audio: How’s it sound?
Well Go USA has provided a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that sounds fantastic. The score by Fred Myron and Malcolm Seagrave is absolutely fantastic and has never sounded better. The surrounds on this track are surprisingly effective, considering it was originally a Mono track. The surround track has good directionality and there is no overbearing hiss or hollowness to the sound field. Obviously, a lot of tender loving care went into making this sound so damn good. I was blown away.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- Graveyard Carz Episode (1080p; 11:24) – a quick episode of a show where they try to pay tribute to cars from horror films by recreating them. In this episode they build a recreation of the ‘Cuda from the movie and get the approval of Don Coscarelli and A. Michael Baldwin.
- Interviews from 1979 (480i; 27:58)- this archival interview with Coscarelli and Angus Scrimm lasts for nearly half an hour. I enjoyed the interview and that it caught them both right at the time that they had just released the film. Solid.
- Deleted Scenes: Given the unique nature of the movie, I actually thought that the deleted Scenes are pretty worthwhile (for once)
- 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. – This is obviously an enjoyable track with the people that are most associated with the film discussing it. I really enjoyed when they got to the scene where the guys are playing guitar. Hilarious.
The Bottom Line
Phantasm is an incredibly unique horror film. Personally, I love it. It has a lot going on throughout it to where the film can easily be replayed numerous times without getting old. This release has solid special features (despite there not being a ton of them) but the real star here is the incredible transfer by Bad Robot and Well Go USA. This new 4K transfer is one of the best transfers of an older film I have seen this year. This edition comes very highly recommended. God bless you J.J. Abrams!
