One of my very favorites if not my favorite, if nothing else based purely on the strength of the first two films. The Tall Man is truly a great villain and unique among the other major Horror villains, and of course the iconic flying killer spheres. The series as a whole is a wonderful blend of surrealist Horror with Sci-Fi and Action, quite unlike any other series.
For any other fans here, how would you rank them? My ranking goes:
Phantasm II
Phantasm
Phantasm IV: Oblivion
Phantasm III: Lord Of The Dead
Phantasm V: Ravager
The original is a classic, but I think 2 simply took it to the next level. I enjoy how that film is so much like a vintage Survival Horror video game in movie form. It's not just my favorite of the series and my favorite Horror film, it's one of my all-around favorite movies ever. 3 and 4 were also entertaining and did a good job of further deepening the mythology, but 5 was sadly a disappointment. The effort was there but sadly the budget and resources just weren't.
It's an overall strong series despite the fifth not being so great.
While not a fan of the films, I will give credit where its due: the soundtrack rocks.
Watched it way back ago but haven't really revisited it since. May give it another go.
"Phantasm" ... one of my oldest friends is a huge fan of that series. He collected on it,
drove a hearse around, and knew The Tall Man personally!
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q70/825/scankp.jpg) (https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q70/96/guywithangus.png)
Quote from: Anton Phibes on March 20, 2024, 12:28:33 AMWhile not a fan of the films, I will give credit where its due: the soundtrack rocks.
Definitely one of the best Horror scores ever for sure. The original has an amazing score, but I'm particularly fond of the Phantasm II version with how it's darker and heavier.
The original Phantasm is tied with Lemora, A Child's Tale of the Supernatural as my all time favorite movie of any genre. The Phantasm franchise is by far my favorite of all franchises. I would rate them:
Phantasm
Phantasm II
Phantasm IV
Phantasm III
I do not even acknowledge the horrible Phantasm V as a Phantasm movie. It did not look or feel like a Phantasm movie, the story was depressing, and it attempted to invalidate everything established in the first four movies. I saw it at the show and almost asked for a refund. I will not own this on DVD or Blu-Ray.
Bad as Ravager was, in light of Reggie Bannister's recent failing health, that film will certainly hit harder :(
The original film is a masterpiece of a nightmare come alive, it smack of surrealism like THE CABINET OF DR CALIGARI
It felt the series was building up to the Tall Man was trying to convert Mike to be his replacement. Then the last movie just destroyed the whole narrative
Quote from: Memphremagog on April 27, 2025, 05:36:25 PMThe original film is a masterpiece of a nightmare come alive, it smack of surrealism like THE CABINET OF DR CALIGARI
Saw it at the drive-in when it first came out. Great fun!