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A. Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornbury, Reggie Bannister, Kathy Lester, Angus Scrimm ... see more see more... , David Arntzen , Bill Cone , Lynn Eastman , Susan Harper , Ken Jones , Terrie Kalbus , Laura Mann , Ralph Richmond , Myrtle Scotton , Mary Ellen Shaw

Phantasm is a surprisingly artful and imaginative horror film, an impressive film for 23-year-old director Don Coscarelli who worked with a miniscule budget to create a small masterpiece. When Mike (M... read more read more...ichael Baldwin) spies some sinister Jawa-like creatures stealing corpses from the local cemetery, he and his older brother Jody (Bill Thornbury) explore the mausoleum, where they find that the mortician (Angus Scrimm), a towering, emaciated figure with superhuman strength, has somehow bridged the gap between Earth and the afterworld and needs fresh corpses. Among the tools of his trade is a flying Swiss army pinball that bores into the skulls of its hapless victims then extracts their brains. Their allies die off one by one, until only the brothers are left to defend humankind against the nefarious "Tall Man" and his army of shrouded dwarves. While the film does contain a fair amount of graphic violence, the gore is never gratuitous and, relative to other movies of its day, is used rather sparingly. The effects are fantastic as is the highly stylized direction; the result is a memorable chiller with more than its share of genuine shocks. ~ Jeremy Beday, Rovi

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67% liked it

21,808 ratings

Critics

64% liked it

36 critics

R, 1 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: Don Coscarelli

Release Date: March 28, 1979

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DVD Release Date: August 14, 2001

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Stats: 1,319 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,319)

  • TheDudeLebowski65
    February 16, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    I had been wanting to watch this for years. Unfortunately, the dvd was out of print. But then Anchor Bay re-released it, and I picked this title up. A very interested Horror film with many creative ideas on screen, Phantasm tells the story of a mortician who has unnatural Strengt... read moreh and owns a funeral home we're weird things happen. After witnessing the Tall Man (the mortician) lift a casket by himself into a hearse, Mike tries to investigate the strange happening at the local mortuary. What follows is a terrifying and bizarre happening inside the mortuary. Director Don Coscarelli crafts a terrific horror film. The story is intriguing and the scares are plentiful. Phantasm is yet another horror film somewhat inspired by Carpenter's Halloween. Horror had just been revamped as the horror films in the later part part of the 70's were getting less scary, and less inspired. But fortunately, Halloween came along and then Coscarelli created this classic. Phantasm has plenty of memorable moments and how can a horror fan dismiss the Tall Man? the character is one of the best villains in horror history. Even though this is not a perfect film, Phantasm is one entertaining film.A true classic of the genre, Phantasm single handedly created one of most iconic Horror villains in cinematic history. Not to mention an amazing theme song. Phantasm is one of the best Horror films of the 1970's. Along with Halloween, Phantasm brought glory back to the horror genre after a few tired horror films. A truly memorable and great horror flick.
  • ajv2688
    January 7, 2011
    ajv2688
    One of my favourite horror movies of the 70s, it's a surreal supernatural film with a surprising twist at the end. I loved it.
  • ceWEBrity
    April 2, 2010
    ceWEBrity
    There are so many ways of appreciating film. Initially, everything I saw was given a very typical "does it have a good plot/strong characters?" critical once-over, and if it didn't, then the movie sucked. End of story. Then I moved on to "is it well-made? Does it accomplish what ... read moreit needs to?" which is a good stopping point for any discerning film viewer. But then...there's stuff like Phantasm, which I thoroughly enjoyed. No, it does not have a good plot or strong characters, and the last thing I'd call it is well-made. Watching it made me realize that I just don't really give a fuck anymore - what I like is what I like, and there's never going to be a static standard applied to that. So thank you, Phantasm, for being deliriously crappy and yet so wonderful at the same time.

    To list Phantasm's flaws would be damning. The movie has a terrible sense of flow, with nearly every transition from scene to scene coming across as jarring or incomprehensible. The ensuing feeling of "what the fuck is going on?" is difficult to get around, but oddly exhilarating; there's a definite strength in Phantasm's willingness to thrust you into a bizarre situation and not really explain what's happening. The movie's pervasive use of the unknown, both on its characters and on the audience, allows us to really use our imaginations. The floating silver spheres? The tall man? The dwarf world? Who the fuck knows, but it's fun to think about! Phantasm may come across as a jumble of "scary" ideas, but the chaos of the experience is actually very appropriate, not to mention thematically relevant. On that note, the ending is a pleasant surprise, working well to shade the movie in a completely different light and give the preceding events a new depth.

    If evaluated on the craftsmanship alone, Phantasm is more or less a failure. The movie mostly looks muddy and dull (with a few really inspired shots), and some of the special effects are laughable. It should also be remembered that this is very low-budget horror, and though its achievements within the scope of its limitations aren't always impressive, the force of its ideas is what really shines here. If you can bring yourself to look past the dated filming, iffy acting and occasional sheer ridiculousness of the movie, it's actually a really original experience. Recommended to the offbeat horror fan.
  • SirPant
    September 29, 2009
    SirPant
    Not quite sci/fi & not quite horror. It?s an odd film that makes very little sense, has very bad acting and isn?t scary! Not sure why it?s a classic really!?
  • 366weirdmovies
    August 2, 2009
    366weirdmovies
    Two brothers investigate seriously strange happenings at a nearby funeral home run by the mysterious Tall Man, who also appears in the younger brother's nightmares. Highly atmospheric, with ahead of its time effects and terrific atmosphere; unfortunately, poor characterization a... read morend amateur acting hold it back from being the classic it could have been.
  • superclerk25
    February 27, 2009
    superclerk25
    A dated horror movie that I really didn't understand the first time I watched it. You have to give a watch if you are into horror though as it is one of the staples of the genre.
  • FilmFanatik
    November 2, 2008
    FilmFanatik
    Still as terrifying and unnerving as it was when I was kid when I first saw it. Gave me nightmares!
  • DrBenway
    October 30, 2008
    DrBenway
    Phantasm is Don Coscarelli's acid trip on the dark side. His low-budget film is just a bit dated in the special effects department, but remains a scary, bizarre trip centering around Morningside Mortuary.

    While some of the effects are low-tech, they play on the absurd terror ... read moreof the situation, and the eerie, almost dreamlike situations that reveal more of the Tall Man's nature. Sometimes the film seems to be all over the place with one random thing after another, but deserves its' status as a cult-film for bringing new ideas to horror. One of the many movies I saw at the drive-in which surely added to its charm for me.
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  • yona71
    June 26, 2008
    yona71
    Outstanding horror film with a splash of sci-fi in it. Creepy and funny at the same time with a perfect cast and eerie premise.
    The silver "sentinel" spheres a.k.a. "computerized vampires" are a brilliant, memorable touch to this 1979 horror classic.
  • matertenebraum
    August 29, 2007
    matertenebraum
    Two orphaned boys, Mike (Michael Baldwin) and Jody (Bill Thornbury) notice some strange things happening at Morningside Mortuary. Bodies are disappearing from coffins; a lady in lavender has sex with men in the graveyard and then stabs them to death; little midgets in brown cloak... read mores (making sounds like lions) are roaming about and there's a flying silver orb with spikes that embeds itself in people's heads! And then there's the Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) overseeing it all...Soon Mike, Jody and their friend Reggie (Reggie Bannister) are fighting for their lives...

    The story is pretty thin (and REALLY out of whack at the end), the acting dismal, there's no characterizations or depth and some of the special effects are horrible but...this is STILL a classic horror film. It takes a while to get going (nothing much happens in the first half hour), but when it does there's scarcely a letup. Action leaps into high gear, there's some fairly graphic gore (including the now infamous flying sphere killing), there are plenty of scenes guaranteed to make you jump and the music score is very spooky...right up there with "Halloween". Also some of the special effects are impressive (considering there was no budget). Also Michael Baldwin was a VERY attractive man and there's gratuitous male and female nudity. What's even more surprising is Don Coscarelli wrote, produced, directed AND edited this at the age of 24! He's never matched it since and all the sequels really suck...but this stands alone as a classic. A must-see for all horror fans. Also Scrimm is EXCELLENT (and damn scary) as the Tall Man.

    Trivia: This was awarded an X rating FOUR TIMES because of the sphere killing...Coscarelli went all the way to the head of the ratings board who overturned it and gave it an R--a rare occurrence that the ratings board kept in a gore scene!

View All Phantasm Reviews

Critic Reviews

Variety Staff
May 6, 2008
Variety Staff, Variety

Strong point of the feature is that it's played for both horror and laughs. Full Review

Dave Kehr
May 6, 2008
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

A spotty little horror movie, effective here and there through some appealing eccentricities. Full Review

Vincent Canby
May 9, 2005
Vincent Canby, New York Times

It's thoroughly silly and endearing. Full Review

Tim Brayton
May 29, 2011
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy

One of the definitive '70s horror pictures, in the last few months before '70s horror got steamrolled into oblivion... a raw blast of sensory information. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
October 17, 2008
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Passable in spots, it offers dumb fun and turns out to be one of the best films that Coscarelli ever made Full Review

Kim Newman
May 6, 2008
Kim Newman, Empire Magazine

Extremely gory. Horror fans should delight. Full Review

Daniel Etherington
May 6, 2008
Daniel Etherington, Film4

With its blend of horror and sci-fi and crap and cool, and its deceitful story-line, Phantasm's certainly unlike other American films of the period. Full Review

May 6, 2008
TV Guide's Movie Guide

A film filled with unique, personal, witty, and, at the same time, terrifying imagery rarely seen in low-budget horror films. Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
May 31, 2007
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

Coscarelli made this with very little money but with plenty of imagination. Full Review

Kevin Carr
May 10, 2007
Kevin Carr, 7M Pictures

Phantasm isn't necessarily one of those films you see for the brilliant writing.... but all of this is forgivable for the groundbreaking vision of the film. Full Review

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    • Tall Man: You play a good game, boy, but the game is finished. Now, you die.
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