Phantasm: Ravager (2016)

DIRECTED BY

David Hartman

STARRING

Angus Scrimm - The Tall Man

A. Michael Baldwin - Mike Pearson

Reggie Bannister - Reggie

Bill Thornbury - Jody Pearson

Kathy Lester - Lady in Lavender

Daniel Roebuck - Demeter

Dawn Cody - Dawn/Jane

Gloria Lynne Henry - Rocky

Genre - Horror/Supernatural

Running Time - 85 Minutes

*This can also be found on That's Not Current*

Eighteen years. Eighteen years I had waited to learn whether or not Reggie, Mike, and their friends would stop The Tall Man from turning their surreal reality into the red world we were teased with in the first PHANTASM from 1979. Eighteen years I had wondered whether or not we would get some answers, or closure, after the questions left wide open at the end of 1998’s PHANTASM IV: OBLIVION.  For years, there was just speculation whether Don Coscarelli would bring back the fan-favorite universe he had created 37 years ago to tie up loose ends and close the chapter to the PHANTASM franchise.

We had heard the rumors. Titles like PHANTASM'S END popped up for years, exciting fans before telling them that the rumors weren’t true. Don Coscarelli’s focus on other projects, such as 2002’s greatly underrated BUBBA HO-TEP and 2012’s adaptation of JOHN DIES AT THE END, also didn’t help PHANTASM fans in believing we would truly get an end before that inevitable remake veers its head.

There were talks around 2004-2005 with New Line Cinema about doing a new trilogy, with Mike coming-to-age as a horror hero against The Tall Man. But nothing came from that. But in 2013, Coscarelli confirmed that his protege, David Hartman, had filmed a short film involving Reggie that would end the franchise. Additional footage was then filmed in order to deliver a feature film, calling itself RAVAGER. It sat on the shelf for years until PHANTASM was back in the minds of the public, due to JJ Abrams restoring the original film for theatrical and Blu-Ray release in 4K resolution. With fans excited for a long awaited high-definition edition of PHANTASM [as well as its sequels], Coscarelli revealed that RAVAGER would finally see its release date as well.

Eighteen years. Eighteen years I waited for this moment to finally sit down and go back into the world of PHANTASM to see how it would all end. I can finally say that I watched PHANTASM: RAVAGER and be satisfied by the final chapter.

Eighteen years… and I wish they didn’t bother. Few films have disappointed me as much as PHANTASM: RAVAGER.

PLOT

Continuing with PHANTASM IV: OBLIVION left off, Reggie (Reggie Bannister) finds himself wandering around the desert looking for Mike (A. Michael Baldwin) and The Tall Man (Angus Scrimm). Along the way, he finds Jodi’s car, as well as several spheres waiting for him. Suddenly, Reggie wakes up outside a hospital with Mike, who tells him that Reggie is suffering from early dementia. Mike believes the stories of The Tall Man are all in Reggie’s head, but Reggie disagrees. Has the entire franchise been a figment of Reggie’s imagination, or is the Tall Man truly getting back at Reggie in the most evil way possible?

REVIEW

PHANTASM: RAVAGER is a film that has heart and soul, but has no idea how to execute what it’s trying to tell. The fact that it even exists is admirable enough, but we waited eighteen years for an epic finale. And unfortunately due to many outside factors, PHANTASM: RAVAGER ends on a whimper and a huge question mark.

I know this review already sound negative, but there are things that I did enjoy with PHANTASM: RAVAGER. I actually liked the first half of the film. I thought the montage to the previous films to catch us up was well done. I enjoyed the scene with Reggie in the desert, finding someone had stole Jody’s car while he was hitchhiking and being a bad ass. The scenes with a beautiful girl he meets down the road named Dawn feel a bit old hat when it comes to Reggie, but it’s such a PHANTASM staple that it almost felt welcoming. Then when the shift happens and we see Reggie at a retirement home of sorts struggling to figure out what’s going on in his head while Mike pities him, I was captivated. I started questioning what was real - the desert stuff, or the dementia stuff? Isn’t that what this PHANTASM franchise is about? Confusing us and giving us questions rather than answers? I liked this aspect of the narrative. I also found most of the scenes with The Tall Man very interesting, as they gave you more insight on who he is and what he was willing to do and exchange in order to make his goal be met. I was grooving to the first 40 minutes, even with some technical flaws I’ll get to shortly.

Unfortunately, the film fell apart for me once new characters were introduced in the Tall Man’s world. I’m not sure why it rubbed me the wrong way to see a short person named Chunk and his beautiful redhead partner Jane being led as some sort of resistance soldier unit led by Mike. We’ve seen so many other characters other than the principal cast in the sequels that fit in well and added something to the narrative. While Chunk has a lot of personality, even if his dialogue is questionable, and Jane is pretty hot, I felt this was the wrong path for PHANTASM: RAVAGER to go. I think if this was intended as the last film as advertised [and with Angus Scrimm’s passing earlier this year, how could they believably continue this franchise without a reboot], the final confrontation should have been between The Tall Man, Mike, and Reggie. Ever since the first film, this battle has been real personal. Having outsiders who were barely introduced fifteen minutes before the final confrontation, and be a major aspect of what happens to The Tall Man is kind of insulting. If you wanted to bring some survivors from previous films to help out, then I’m cool with that. But the last battle should have been Tall Man vs Mike and Reggie. That’s what this franchise has been building on, besides the surreal takes on reality vs. fantasy/life vs. death. To say I was not happy with the film’s ending is an understatement. I honestly don’t understand how some thought it was fitting. It didn’t really solve anything in my opinion.

In fact, PHANTASM: RAVAGER added more questions than answers by the post-credits scene. Is this the last PHANTASM film? Are they planning on making more films [I hope not]? Was this all in Reggie’s head? Was the Tall Man stuff real? Are there different dimensions and universes all happening in parallel with each other at once, with different versions of these characters dealing with similar things? I get that PHANTASM was built on confusing people and keeping things surreal like a dream. But Angus Scrimm isn’t coming back to make more of these films. And judging by the filming of this film, the man didn’t look to be in the best health. There should have been a definitive answer that would please fans who have loved this franchise since 1979. If Coscarelli and Hartman want to do more sequels, all the power to them. But at least finish what you started before leading fans down another path. All we wanted was some closure. I didn’t get any of that honestly. And it’s sad because I thought the character stuff was interesting. They just weren’t executed property and felt truly disjointed. You can tell this was meant to be a short film with Reggie, with other scenes added in to fill up a running time. PHANTASM fans deserve better than that after eighteen years.

PHANTASM: RAVAGER was shot for about $200,000 and it shows. The film looks like a fan-made film with the original cast starring in it. Fortunately it’s not too bad in the first half, where the special effects aren’t really in the forefront. The spheres look good flying around, but look a bit cartoony when they’re murdering people. The CGI blood is pretty terrible, considering it’s not that expensive to create your own fake practical blood. The last half of the film, where the characters are on the red planet, really highlights the cheap look of the movie. You can tell the actors are in front of a green screen. PHANTASM: RAVAGER was developed as a web-series of sorts, which these scenes capture pretty well. But for a feature, it definitely stands out from the other movies - and not for the better. It’s a shame Coscarelli and Hartman weren’t able to get a bigger budget to tell this story. I admire and respect them for making it work as best as possible, but sometimes too much ambition is a bad thing if it doesn’t exactly go the way it ought to.

The direction by David Hartman is a big flaw for PHANTASM: RAVAGER  A protege of Don Coscarelli, Hartman is more accustomed to working on animated work such as Transformers Prime and Winnie the Pooh stuff. PHANTASM: RAVAGER is his first live-action feature, and you can tell. The editing is a bit weird at times, with the dimension shifts ending up as jarring by the end rather than interesting. The editing was much more solid in the first half, as the time shifts made more sense. The flow is terrible here as well. Even in the other films, the narrative would still move along naturally even with all the different universes, dimensions, and time travel. You had questions, but you still knew what was happening. PHANTASM: RAVAGER is terrible at this, as every scene change feels jarring. Maybe it’s meant to be Reggie’s bout with dementia and how dementia patients’ minds work. But the film never really gets in depth with this aspect, using it as a plot device rather than a meaningful character arc. So it’s just weird. The film does look nice though, even though the CGI uglies it up unfortunately at times. But I wish Coscarelli would have directed this film and finished his story visually. I’m not sure why he didn’t. Maybe he wanted to give Hartman a chance to stamp his own take on the series. But if this was meant to be the end, Coscarelli should have finished what he started. It looks and feels like a different film from the rest of the franchise, and not in a good way.

I will say the acting is good, considering Hartman doesn’t have much experience directing actors. Reggie Bannister does very well playing different versions of Reggie, capturing the bad ass and confused personality we’ve seen in the last five films. I think he carries the film as best as he can. A. Michael Baldwin is decent as Mike, even though he doesn’t get a whole lot to do. His Kyle Reese impersonation is an interesting move. I just wish Baldwin was allowed to play around with the role more. Angus Scrimm, who sadly passed away earlier this year, still brings class and gravitas to the Tall Man. His dialogue is probably the best in the film and Scrimm conveys all of them powerfully well. The other characters are decent, especially Stephen Jutras as Chunk, who brings a lot of personality and charisma to a small role. I wish the cast were in a better film and in a better “finale”, but they do their best with the material.

THE FINAL HOWL

PHANTASM: RAVAGER is a film I really wanted to like more than I did, especially since I waited eighteen years for it. It has an interesting and good first 40 minutes, but quickly falls apart in the last half. The CGI is shoddy. The direction is wonky and ruins the flow of the narrative throughout the runtime. RAVAGER has interesting ideas and the actors are game. And RAVAGER does contain a heart and soul some other horror films don’t have these days. But it’s not enough, as PHANTASM: RAVAGER is a disappointment and the worst in the series in my opinion. Some things aren’t worth the wait, I guess.

SCORE

1.5 Howls Outta 4

Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead (1994)

DIRECTED BY

Don Coscarelli

STARRING

Angus Scrimm - The Tall Man

A. Michael Baldwin - Mike Pearson

Reggie Bannister - Reggie

Bill Thornbury - Jody Pearson

Kevin Connors - Tim

Gloria Lynne Henry - Rocky

Cindy Ambuehl - Edna

Brooks Gardner - Rufus

John Davis Chandler - Henry

Sarah Scott Thomas - Tanesha

Genre - Horror/Aliens/Zombies/Supernatural

Running Time - 91 Minutes

**This review can also be found at That's Not Current.**

The early-to-mid 1990’s were a rough time for the horror genre. The big names in horror [Freddy, Jason, and Michael] were struggling with their installments. Leatherface was attempting a serious comeback, while Chucky and Candyman were establishing their own franchises to mixed results. The more critically acclaimed horror films, such as MISERY and SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, were classified as “thrillers” rather than “horror” to maintain some sort of class. Until the revival that SCREAM started in late 1996, the genre was in rough shape.

Don Coscarelli was feeling the blow from this rough period. The 1970s allowed PHANTASM to be this arthouse, surreal, low-budget horror film that fit right in what was going on at the time, making it a success. The 1980s switched the surrealism into a more fun, action-packed film for PHANTASM II that fit the MTV generation. PHANTASM II  while not a big hit for Universal Studios, still managed to double its budget. Still desperate for a horror franchise, Universal was willing to fund another PHANTASM film if Coscarelli was still involved in a major way. Coscarelli, feeling somewhat slighted by the control the film studio had over PHANTASM II  would only do it if he had more of a say on the project. Universal granted him that. Coscarelli decided right away to bring back the man who helped forge the Mike character, A. Michael Baldwin, even though he appreciated James LeGros as the replacement in II. He also decided to bring back Bill Thornbury as Jody, who was killed in the first film. Universal still wanted a PHANTASM film that matched the tone of the second film, so Coscarelli continued the action-oriented feel of the sequel. However with his principal cast all returning and wanting to connect the new film more with the first movie, Coscarelli decided to add the more dreamy and surreal atmosphere that some fans were craving in PHANTASM II. 

This led to some disputes between Coscarelli and Universal, to the point where nothing was settled - leading Universal to wash their hands off of the project and refusing to distribute what would be known as PHANTASM III: LORD OF THE DEAD. Luckily due to the small successes of the first two films, he was able to find a distributor that was willing to release the film directly to video in 1994. According to the Los Angeles Times in 1996, PHANTASM III was one of the top 100 highest selling direct-to-video titles, making the film a success. It also allowed enough faith in Coscarelli to make a fourth film. But we’ll get to that one shortly.

PHANTASM III: LORD OF THE DEAD is a film I didn’t remember much about when I re-watched it for this retrospective. I had remembered it being pretty average, while a lot of my peers consider it “meh”. Watching it again was like watching it for the first time, finding these recognizable characters on a new adventure I had no recollection of. And while PHANTASM III is flawed in many ways, it also manages to be somewhat entertaining and interesting. The first two films may be better, but PHANTASM III isn’t a slouch either.

PLOT

PHANTASM III begins where PHANTASM II left off. Reggie (Reggie Bannister) saves Mike (A. Michael Baldwin) from The Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) and his minions when the hearse crashes during a struggle with Alchemy (Samantha Phillips). Unfortunately, Liz (Paula Irvine) is murdered in the crash and taken by the Tall Man. Mike is in a temporary coma, waking up to a nurse who has been corrupted by the Tall Man, killing her as Reggie goes to visit him. The two try to find some sanctuary, but are visited by a flying sphere. Instead of killing them, the sphere transforms into Mike’s older brother Jody (Bill Thornbury), whose brain has been placed inside to control the sentinel. Before Jody can explain what’s really going on, the Tall Man kidnaps Mike and punishes Jody by keeping him inside of the sphere.

Reggie takes the sphere, driving down roads to find Mike and the Tall Man. Along the way, he meets a young boy named Tim (Keith Connors), whose parents were murdered and taken by The Tall Man. He also encounters a tough female warrior in Rocky (Gloria Lynne Henry), who knows karate and can handle nunchucks. Fighting through zombies, dwarves, spheres, and even redneck thugs, the three are guided by Jody via dreams and telepathy towards Mike’s location. They soon learn that Mike is the Tall Man’s special project, wanting him for an evil purpose none were expecting.

REVIEW

PHANTASM III: LORD OF THE DEAD, while admirable, struggles with the amalgamation of bringing back the surreal nature that made the first film a classic, while keeping the fan-favorite action tone of the second film. Coscarelli probably felt he had the best of both worlds now once Universal backed out of the project. This allowed Coscarelli to go crazy in terms of narrative ideas - some that answer established questions and others that create new ones.

The explanations of certain story elements that have been present since the start are refreshing, especially since PHANTASM II was more focused on action and special effects, rather than telling us what’s really going on. We finally learn what the spheres are - human brains shrunk down that have been brainwashed by the Tall Man to control his flying sentinels. We learn the loyal dwarves are really transformed corpses that the Tall Man has kidnapped from their graves. We also get hints that the Tall Man is actually a malevolent alien wanting to take over Earth by using corpses as his soldiers to complete his evil invasion. That explains the ghost towns the characters drive through in each film. And the biggest revelation of all involves the true relationship between Mike and The Tall Man. I won’t spoil it here, but the two characters are related in a way that no one would have seen coming in the first film. It does explain The Tall Man’s obsession with Mike though, and why Mike was having nightmares about The Tall Man and experiencing psychic connections with people. It’s nice these things have finally been addressed because it finally feels that the story is moving forward to its end goal in PHANTASM V: RAVAGER.

It’s also great that A. Michael Baldwin and Bill Thornbury have returned to their classic roles. It makes having flashbacks to the first film feel natural with the original actors, even though A. Michael Baldwin’s replacing James LeGros in the PHANTASM II flashbacks feel a bit odd but necessary. I’m not sure why Jodi has aged significantly in the afterlife, but his addition to the narrative as Mike and Reggie’s guide helps move the story along and lets us in on information we needed to know by this third installment. LeGros is a better actor than Baldwin, but Baldwin brings back the much needed cast chemistry missing in the second film. And Thornbury seems to be having fun back in the role, especially with his new powers and messing around with Reggie Bannister. With these two actors returning, it feels like a PHANTASM film again.

Unfortunately, the lack of screen time both Baldwin and Thornbury receive in PHANTASM III makes me wonder what was the point in bringing them back. The film focuses more on the Reggie character, as he has officially become EVIL DEAD’s Ash Williams - just with a 4-barrel shotgun and no chainsaw hand. Honestly, Reggie is the most interesting protagonist in this series due to Reggie Bannister’s charisma and charming line delivery, so it makes sense Coscarelli would want to focus on the guy. He ends up connecting to the two new characters that are introduced in different ways. Tim, a young kid who believes is auditioning for a new HOME ALONE film with his booby-trapped home, ends up filling the role Mike had in the original film. With his own parents taken as victims of the Tall Man, Reggie treats him as a pseudo son or little brother, mentoring him in order to survive this invasion. The other character, Rocky, is the love child of Grace Jones and BLADE-era Wesley Snipes - a bad ass, nunchuck-wielding tough lady who is the object of Reggie’s lust, but never truly gives in to his charm. It creates a new trio dynamic, one that kind of works in PHANTASM III when it comes to the more action-oriented sequences.

However, these three characters also bring the film down a bit. Reggie’s humor and dialogue is hit-and-miss unfortunately. At times, the dialogue is a bit too on the nose and tries seriously to be funny, when the film doesn’t really call for it. It seemed like Coscarelli wanted to add more comedy in PHANTASM III to make it stand out from the two films before it. But it never clicks completely, making you wish he had stuck with just one tone instead of many. The Rocky character, while a nice addition to the franchise, never feels fully fleshed out. She’s tough. She’s strong. She’s super intelligent, especially when it comes to a major decision during the final act. But it feels she’s there because the film needed a female protagonist to be the love interest of Reggie, sort of like Alchemy was in the second film. Rocky is the kind of character that needed to be fleshed out more, and that would have happened if Tim wasn’t in the story. She just feels like a third wheel. Gloria Lynne Henry isn’t the greatest actress either, but she looks the part and makes you wish she got more to do.

Tim, on the other hand, is a much better character because he has genuine motivations in his actions and sort of acts as a refresh in terms of a younger character being messed with the Tall Man. He’s intelligent enough to booby trap his house and murder a trio of thieves that break into his home. He’s capable of using weapons, probably better than any of the other characters. He’s intuitive and pro-active. And the best part about Tim? He’s not your typical annoying child actor who overdoes it to be cute and precocious. Kevin Connors is great in the role, almost portraying Tim as more of an adult that ends up matching well with the older actors. I really liked him the role.

As for Angus Scrimm, he gets more screen time in this film than in PHANTASM II. But sometimes it just feels like he’s in these films for the sake of having a villain. He just walks around and yells “BOY!” every chance he gets. His scenes with A. Michael Baldwin are the best because he actually gets to play off Baldwin and develop his evil character more. But for a third installment, he ought to be more of a physical focus. But Scrimm is still charismatic and creepy at times.

Unfortunately we get a lot of questions. We only see the dwarves in the first few minutes of the film, with the Tall Man turning certain corpses into living zombies instead. Why didn’t he do this in the other films? Also, how did Jody go through Reggie’s dream to save Mike in the real world while still inside the dream? I don’t mind messing with the time-and-space continuum, but at least give us an explanation how Jody can even do this? Even Freddy Krueger has trouble with this stuff. The ending is also bizarre. We learn what Mike’s deal really is, which just feels like a retcon that was needed as an excuse for another sequel. And the ending is similar to the original film’s ending, only with Tim this time. But Tim wasn’t really a target of the Tall Man, so the homage feels hollow.

PHANTASM III: LORD OF THE DEAD is also a tough film to get into unless you have already watched the first two PHANTASM movies. It never feels like its own film, but rather a continuation of a story that has already started. It definitely feels like a middle chapter of a book - explaining some things that have been established, but creating new questions for the next few chapters to answer. Yes, this is a sequel. But sequels ought to feel welcoming to new viewers, offering enough new concepts to make it understandable without having to watch anything before it. PHANTASM III is a fan-service kind of film, possibly turning off anyone who hasn’t seen a PHANTASM film.

The special effects in PHANTASM III are more-than-decent, considering the much lower budget the film had at its disposal compared to PHANTASM II.  The spheres still look pretty great, doing their usual thing of spying on people with their one eye and drilling people in the head. Unfortunately, the spheres don’t get to do as many cool things that they did in PHANTASM II due to budget reasons, but they still manage to be a nice presence. We also get zombie make-up that looks okay, reminding me of the zombie of RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD PART II. The zombie characters end up being a bit too comedic though, never coming across as scary. But they look alright. There’s also a sentient hand that attacks people. It looks a bit like a puppet, but I still liked the practical effects of this murderous hand.

Coscarelli doesn’t fully capture the balance of filming surrealistic moments with more ground action-oriented scenes. But PHANTASM III looks good, capturing more of the look of PHANTASM II than PHANTASM. The action scenes are handled well, and the more dialogue heavy moments are watchable. It’s unfortunate that Coscarelli had so many ideas he wanted to present in a 90-minute moment, never fully giving these elements enough time to develop. Still, it’s a confident effort and you can tell Coscarelli knew where he wanted the story to go both visually and textually.

THE FINAL HOWL

PHANTASM III: LORD OF THE DEAD isn’t as average as I had remembered it to be, but it still has issues that can’t be overlooked. It’s nice seeing the old cast return, and I liked the new protagonists introduced. The special effects are stronger than they should be, and Coscarelli still directs with confidence. But a lot of the story elements aren’t fully developed, or just don’t mesh well with what has already been established. PHANTASM III tries, but it never manages to capture the surreal atmosphere of the first film. And it’s never as fun as the second film. Still, PHANTASM III is more than watchable and worth a look for anyone that’s a PHANTASM fan.

SCORE

2.5 Howls Outta 4

[SEQUEL SEPTEMBER] Phantasm II (1988)

DIRECTED BY
Don Coscarelli

STARRING
James LeGros - Mike Pearson
Reggie Bannister - Reggie
Paula Irvine - Elizabeth Reynolds
Angus Scrimm - The Tall Man
Samantha Phillips - Alchemy
Kenneth Tigar - Father Meyers

Genre - Horror/Science Fiction/Suspense/Supernatural

Running Time - 97 Minutes


PLOT
Picking up from 1979's PHANTASM, Reggie (Reggie Bannister) saves Mike (using some archived footage of Michael A. Baldwin) from the grasp of The Tall Man (Angus Scrimm). The two escape through a window before their house explodes, realizing that The Tall Man has escaped as well. This is told to us by a young woman named Liz (Paula Irvine), who seems to share a psychic connection with Mike and knows of the Tall Man's terror.

Seven years pass, and Mike (James LeGros) is released from the Morningside Psychiatric Clinic when he tells his psychiatrist that he has finally accepted that his experiences with The Tall Man were all in his head. Once he's out, Mike continues his search for The Tall Man by visiting graves and digging up plots to see if there are bodies in them or not. Reggie interrupts Mike, trying to convince him that The Tall Man never existed. Mike lets Reggie take him home, but once there, their house explodes with Reggie's family inside.

Reggie, now upset that The Tall Man has taken more people away from him, decides to fully help Mike stop him once and for all. They drive through several towns, noticing chaos around them as no people are anywhere living in them. The Tall Man is now moving his evil through the United States, while luring Mike into his web at the same time. Reggie and Mike encounter Liz and a hitchhiker named Alchemy (Samantha Phillips) - who all battle The Tall Man in a massive showdown involving four-barrel guns and flying spheres.



REVIEW


HITS

- The bigger budget and direction. There's a lot of history behind the production of PHANTASM II, a sequel that was nine years in the making at the time. Universal Studios had bought the rights to PHANTASM, which they relinquished when this sequel wasn't a big box office success. Don Coscarelli, now with a big studio backing him up, was offered more money to create his vision in a grander scope - although PHANTASM II was one of Universal's least budgeted horror films at the time. I'll get into the bad stuff about Universal's part in PHANTASM II soon, but at least we got to see better special effects in at least one of these installments.

The gore is pretty cool in this film. This one comes mainly through our favorite friends in these PHANTASM films - the flying spheres. Not only do we get silver spheres, but we get this nasty golden one that seems more sentient than the silver ones. And when they come to play, they do quite a lot of damage. We get a rat being lazered to death. We get the usual sphere drill through the head, which gushes out blood through the other side - either in red or mustard yellow. We also get a great bit where the sphere actually enters someone's body, travels inside, and tries to escape through the person's mouth. Pretty nasty stuff, but cool as well. We also get a scene with a monster coming out of someone's back, speaking like The Tall Man. And did I mention we get like three explosions in this film? Talk about overkill, but the 80s loved their explosions. I thought the make up and special effects were nice here.

As for Don Coscarelli's direction, he handles it well. PHANTASM has always been Coscarelli's pride and joy, even when he was directing more mainstream fare like 1982's BEASTMASTER. The film moves at a quick pace, even during the slower moments in the first hour. I love the locations, especially towards the end with the ghost towns and that creepy funeral parlor. The tension and suspense is good, due to nice editing and framing. I thought the action scenes were handled well. And there was definitely a nod to Sam Raimi here, as many shots were done EVIL DEAD style. I particularly loved the POV shots of the flying spheres, with their heat vision. Very stylish film here that has nods to the original film, but adds newer stuff in. I dug the visuals here.

- The acting. I always dug the acting in the PHANTASM films for the most part, but PHANTASM II works with a small cast and the actors really carry the film well. James LeGros replaces Michael A. Baldwin in the Mike role [which I'll get into shortly] for his first and final appearance in a PHANTASM film. Now known as an indie film darling, I thought LeGros was pretty good as Mike. He may be a bit muscular and good looking to be an adult Mike, but he handles the role well - especially during the final act. I kind of wish Michael A. Baldwin had stayed in the role, only for continuity sakes though. Reggie Bannister is awesome as sidekick Reggie. Here is where the character becomes the hero who kicks major ass and thinks with his small head when it comes to beautiful women. There's a bit of Bruce "Ash" Campbell in the performance, which I didn't mind at all. Bannister plays Reggie a bit tongue-in-check, making the role fun to watch. Paula Irvine was cool as Liz. I bought her act, although her arc with Mike was a hit-and-miss. Samantha Phillips looked hot as Alchemy. She doesn't get to do much other than that, but once she shows her boobs, it didn't really matter. And Angus Scrimm is always awesome as The Tall Man. The man is just a presence, not needing to say much to intimidate people. Cool cast here.

- The shift in tone. The first PHANTASM is a classic piece of horror cinema for many reasons. The biggest one is probably due to how its story was told. Unlike many other horror films at the time, which told its story in a straight forward sort of way, PHANTASM has a dream-like, surreal quality about it that raises more questions than answers. This should piss a lot of people off, but many fans [yours truly included] enjoy trying to unravel the mystery of what PHANTASM is trying to tell both visually and narrative wise. It sets itself apart from other horror films, which is why it gets a ton of respect in the community.

Due to Universal being behind PHANTASM II, the studio wanted Coscarelli to change how the narrative was told for the sequel. Wanting to compete with other horror films that were in the horror market at the time, Universal nixed the whole dream-like deal and wanted the story to make more sense for the mainstream audience. So besides the final moments of PHANTASM II, the rest of the story follows a predictable, familiar template in terms of its narrative. Some fans hated this, as the sequel doesn't attempt to make the narrative mysterious and pretty much tells a linear story that anyone can easily follow and understand.

But I don't really mind it too much. Because of the change, PHANTASM II becomes its own film and doesn't knock off the first film - which is the opposite of what other horror sequels had done at the time. It's a lot more tongue-in-cheek at times, and definitely more action oriented than suspenseful and mysterious like the first film. The first hour is your standard road movie, where characters and locations are established. The last half hour is your action-horror stuff that pretty much resembles the final moments of the first PHANTASM.

Sure, the film is not as interesting or captivating as the first film. But I don't mind the change and the story is told well. Mike and Reggie are still interesting characters, especially Reggie. Mike's psychic connection to The Tall Man and Liz are interesting developments that don't really get answered, which is fine. Reggie is heroic and a bit of a fun horn dog, which gives him a ton of personality. I do feel the Mike and Liz love story is a bit forced, but it's never in your face enough to really bug you. And The Tall Man is great. He's hardly in the film, but he's always casting a shadow over everything. Plus his intentions to move through the country to accomplish his goal is a great development that would become grander in later sequels.

Not everything works, obviously, but when it does, it does it well. PHANTASM II has great moments and introduces story elements that later sequels would focus on. It does everything that a sequel needs to do. And while Coscarelli may have been forced by Universal to turn PHANTASM II into a more mainstream and lighter in tone sequel, he never lets that hinder his storytelling process and takes advantage of the change. This sequel may be less involved than the first film, but it definitely has more fun.


MISSES
- Studio interference. So like I mentioned earlier, Universal Studios bought the rights to make PHANTASM II and made sure to add their two cents in how Coscarelli's story would continue under a major studio. The change in the way the story was told was a major one, but luckily it worked out for the most part. Still, PHANTASM is known for its strange and surreal narratives, which makes PHANTASM II stick out like a sore thumb within the franchise. I think the more linear story is great, but it's not as timeless as the story in the first film, because the film film allows the audience to interpret what they witnessed for themselves. You don't really get that in PHANTASM II, although the story is still well told.

The other major issue came with the casting of the lead actors in PHANTASM II. Don Coscarelli, loyal to his cast & crew and to his continuity, wanted to keep both Michael A. Baldwin and Reggie Bannister on board. However, Universal wanted to replace both actors with more well-known actors so the sequel would sell better for the then-MTV audience. Coscarelli and Universal butted heads over this, to the point that Universal allowed both actors to audition for the roles. REALLY?? Then when they did audition, Universal said that Coscarelli could only pick one to star in the film. Feeling having Reggie Bannister would be more beneficial to the film and that the studio would rather replace the lead role anyway, Coscarelli let Baldwin go. He was eventually replaced by LeGros.

I understand the reasoning for the change from a business standpoint, but I feel this ruined continuity and LeGros, while decent in the role, didn't have the same kind of chemistry with Bannister that Baldwin did in the original. Plus, the addition of LeGros didn't really help the film's box office at all, causing Universal to dump PHANTASM after this - which thankfully allowed Coscarelli to work independently and bring Baldwin back to continue his story for two more sequels. This casting decision would ruin all continuity. Flashbacks to PHANTASM II would have to be reshot just to put Baldwin back in for certain moments. It just made things more complicated when they didn't need to be.

I wish studios would stop interfering into productions more than have to. If it wasn't broke the first time, don't try to fix it. That's all I'm saying.

- That bit with Father Meyers and Liz's family. I understand that Liz's character needed her own arc to explain her reasoning in the film's narrative. But I felt the scene with her grandfather's funeral that involved her grandmother and Father Meyers just ruined the flow and stalled the film a bit for me. It's not bad, but after spending so much time with Mike and Reggie prior to this scene, it feels a bit jarring. Also, I felt the characters other than Liz were just there to be fodder for The Tall Man, while Father Meyers was there to add a good vs. ultimate evil aspect to the film that was already there with Mike and Reggie vs. The Tall Man. And if this scene was meant to explore Liz's character, it didn't really work because I still didn't know much about her besides Liz loving her family and feeling scared of The Tall Man. Like I said, the scene isn't terribly written. But it feels out of place with the rest of the film at that point.

- Alchemy. Besides for the ending and to feed Reggie's libido, I have no idea why this character even exists. Yes, she was hot. Yes, she shows us her nice boobs. Yes, Samantha Phillips wasn't a bad actress. But on a narrative level, she could have been left out and not much besides the ending would have been changed. She was a pleasant distraction visually, but had no place in the story for me.


THINGS I'VE LEARNED WHILE KEEPING THE TALL MAN'S BALLS AWAY FROM MY FACE

- Mike dug up several graves, all with empty plots. Obviously The Undertaker needs room for the bodies of his next opponents at Wrestlemania.

- Mike believes a chainsaw will do more damage to The Tall Man than a shotgun, due to its close range. I guess we now know who wins in that PHANTASM vs. THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE movie.

- Mike and Reggie found a gagged Liz in the corner and in the spotlight. She must have been losing her religion...

- Liz's grandmother freaked out when she saw her dead husband in bed with her. Don't see why she was so scared. He's probably stiffer in all the right places, if you know what I mean...

- A priest was murdered by the flying sphere. I guess he ended up losing his religion too.

- One of The Tall Man's golden flying balls burrorwed inside of a man and then out. Usually the thing attached to the ball does the burrowing, but maybe The Tall Man does things differently in the bedroom.


THE FINAL HOWL

PHANTASM II isn't as good as the first film, but it's still a fun sequel. It has cool gore moments, energetic direction by Don Coscarelli, good acting, and a narrative that takes what was established in the first film and moves it along, rather than repeating what was done before. It does have some unnecessary characters, controversial casting that ruins continuity a bit, and moments in the narrative that ruin the flow a bit - most likely due to studio interference. But it's definitely watchable and a worthy companion piece to the first film.


SCORE

3 Howls Outta 4