Phantasm
Don Coscarelli. I love him. No, I do. I was fortunate to meet him at 2012’s BFI Film Festival wh
n he did a movie version of my favourite book John Dies At The End. With that the major content covered as well as being fast, fun and a riotous ‘bat shit insane’ movie, I was happily invested in his work. Honestly, I had never really heard of his work before and I wanted to explore more of this back catalogue starting with cult classics such as Bubba Ho-Tep starring Bruce Campbell. Eventually, I got around the Phantasm, a movie billed as such;
“If you aren’t scared of this you are already dead.”
Hmm, we’ll get back to that.
Phantasm is a 1979 horror movie that is written, directed, co-produced and photographed by Coscarelli. It centres on Mike, a 13 year old who has just had his parents buried. Fearing that his older brother Jody is going to leave him, Mike feels aloof. Upon a burial one day in the graveyard, he witnesses The Tall Man collecting coffins. It isn’t until he follows him that he discovers exactly what he needs them for; The Tall Man is turning them into dwarf zombies, in order to do his bidding.
I just want to address that I didn’t hate this movie. In fact, I enjoyed it. Coscarelli here has an eye for imagery, having this large set pieces and locations drenched with absolutely different atmospheres. The mausoleum being a highlight here; the echoing marble building as The Tall Man slowly steps down is a particularly haunting images. Added to the shadowy graveyard and the futuristic elements later on, and the movie is deep into its tension building ways. And it is creepy, in particular Angus Scrimm (best acting name for a villain ever,) as The Tall Man. A supernatural monster who, with long limps and a unnerving disposition, paces deftly towards you. Almost zombie like but he appears out of nowhere, Kruger’s your dreams and disguises himself.
The problem with cult horrors from this particular era is that time does it no justice. I am pretty sure that if I were to watch this in 1979, I’d be sleeping with my eyes open. But now, the comic aspects that Coscarelli implements and the near over the top but earnest performances from actors feel uneven and laughable. While Phantasm is one to watch, and its subsequent sequels added more terror with each episode, it definitely is a series to plunge through. That being said, the horror doesn’t really stand the test of time, replacing all fright with comedy.
However, Phantasm is an enjoyable feast of imagination. It is creative, it is different and it certainly is worth a look at. Above all this, it is highly entertaining and should not be written off because Coscarelli’s soul is truly in this. That hard work pays off, just not in the way one might have hoped. But there is build, there is a scary villain and I tell what there is lots of; originality.
TTFN
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