Back when I was growing up our family was one of the first to get cable television and it was called WHT (which later became HBO). One of the things they would show between movies were trailers for either stuff out in the theaters or stuff that was coming on WHT at some point. One of the trailers that I saw involved a very tall man and murderous steel balls and I later found out that this film was called Phantasm. Recently the folks over at FYE have re-released this masterpiece on blu-ray but will it be as good as you remember?
For those that don’t know the story of Phantasm it starts out the way some of the movies in the 80’s started out and that is with two people having sex. These two people are Tommy and an unknown woman are having sex at the Morningside Cemetery. However, as they are engaged in the act, the woman for reasons unknown, kills Tommy with a knife. Later on his friends gather around for his funeral convinced that he had committed suicide. This sets in motion a series of events around Morningside Cemetery. What is going on at this place? Who is this mysterious Tall Man (played by the iconic Angus Scrimm) and does he work for the cemetery? Without giving anything else away all I can say is that this one of the most iconic films in horror and needs to be experienced especially now that this film has been remastered from the original.
The packaging for the steelbook is also incredible as it has the iconic silver sphere on the front with a small Phantasm on the front. The back shows two silver rods in a stark room and the inside looks like the interior of the mausoleum. While the rear and interior look sparse believe me the disc is chock full of amazing features to keep you busy for awhile.
The experiences don’t stop there however as this disc is also packed with tons of bonus features. There are two audio commentaries on this disc the first being an old one from a previous release but the other one is completely new. Both the new and old one feature the director Don Coscarelli but apart from that the people who participate (including Michael Baldwin) are different. There are also home movies taken from the making of the movie and this is amazing as you see how this film was brought to life. Also included on this disc is the Graveyard Carz episode where they resurrect the black ‘71 Cuda that was used in the film. There is also a vintage interview, deleted scenes, a theatrical trailer, radio and tv spots as well as a still gallery to round out the special features.
Whether you are a die hard fan of the movie or haven’t even heard of it other than this review Phantasm needs to be experienced. This exclusive can only be found at FYE right here and for even more exclusives check out www.fye.com and get ready to take on the tall man.
