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James LeGros, Reggie Bannister, Angus Scrimm, Paula Irvine, Samantha Phillips ... see more see more... , Kenneth Tigar , A. Michael Baldwin , J. Patrick McNamara , Stacey Travis , Ruth C. Engel , Rubin Kushner , Mark Anthony Major

The "Tall Man" and his strange little Killer Sphere return for a second round in this sequel to the 1979 cult favorite. Mike Pearson (James LeGros) is still plagued by memories of the Tall Man (Angus ... read more read more...Scrimm), an evil mortician who has risen from the grave and bleeds embalming fluid -- and tried to kill him as a boy. Mike has been a patient in a mental institution for the last decade, insisting that the Tall Man is real; he still appears in his dreams ten years after their first encounter. When Mike changes his tune and says that the undead undertaker was merely a hallucination, he is finally released. However, Mike and his best friend, Reggie (Reggie Bannister), are actually out to find the Tall Man and put an end to his habits of grave-robbing and draining people's bodies with his flying brain-juicer. As they search for the Tall Man, Mike encounters Liz (Paula Irvine), a woman who has also appeared in his dreams, and she claims that she too has been pursued by the Tall Man. Phantasm II was followed by a third installment in 1994, and a fourth in 1998. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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59% liked it

7,949 ratings

Critics

33% liked it

15 critics

R, 1 hr. 37 min.

Directed by: Don Coscarelli

Release Date: January 1, 2000

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DVD Release Date: September 15, 2009

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Flixster Reviews (437)

  • FilmFanatik
    May 15, 2011
    FilmFanatik
    Fantastic follow-up to a great horror classic. Even though it doesn't include the kid who was in the original to play his role, it's still entertaining as hell.
  • ajv2688
    February 21, 2011
    ajv2688
    This sequel continues a few years after the first, and it's much like the first one, but we get to know a little more about the Tall man. It's got a more 80s feel than the first, and the end is kinda disappointing, but I kinda liked it too.
  • SirPant
    September 29, 2009
    SirPant
    Better than the first but still not fantastic.
  • creepfreak
    March 27, 2008
    creepfreak
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  • matertenebraum
    August 29, 2007
    matertenebraum
    In the tradition of other horror movie franchises, Phantasm takes the action route for this sequel. The horror and sci-fi are still there but there's more combat, stuff blowing-up and gore than there was before. I suppose it does keep things fresh but it does get a bit too tongue... read more-in-cheek sometimes. Kinda like Evil Dead II, I'm not sure if this really fits in with the tone set by the first film.

    Phantasm II begins right after where the first film left off. The freaky dwarfs have invaded Mike's home and Reggie must foil the Tall Man's attempts at kidnapping him. Flash forward seven years and Mike is in a mental institution. He is released upon admitting that the whole Phantasm experience was made up only to find that in his absence the Tall Man has been plundering many of America's small towns and thousands of graves are empty.

    After the Tall Man kills Reggie's family in a gas explosion, Reg teams up with Mike to hunt him down and kick his head in...again. All they have to do is follow the trail of dead people, right? And this time they are ready for whatever outlandish tricks he's ready to play on them, armed to the teeth with quadruple-barrelled shotguns, flame-throwers and chainsaws. Complicating matters are Mike's inexplicable visions of the future and psychic connections to a mysterious girl he has never met before.

    As before, the Tall Man is the best thing in the film. Angus Scrimm is so wonderfully silent and unholy that no matter how slick and entertaining the rest of the film is he'll come out on top.

    Don Coscarelli was given a budget 10 times that of the original by Universal, but they did interfere with production quite a lot, much to his annoyance. They said that only one of the original cast members could return, so he chose Reggie Bannister and re-cast Mike with James LeGros (after turning down Brad Pitt!). It does kind of ruin the continuity a bit but it's not terribly distracting.

    They also demanded a more simple and linear story, so don't expect any of the bizarre dream sequences and flashbacks. If you're a big fan of the first this might seem disappointing but you know how studios love to think less of their audiences.

    The higher budget helps Phantasm to have a bigger scope than the original. The first half of the film feels like a road movie with lots of pretty scenery while the rest is kind of like a low-rent Ghostbusters/Lost Boys clone. Which sounds like a negative point, but the hokey tone of the film vanishes when it heads off into HP Lovecraft territory.

    If you're looking for answers as to what the first film was all about then you won't find many. In fact it raises more questions than anything else. But it's still a fun ride. I'm just kind of annoyed that the music took the more generic synth approach that was common in the 80's instead of the funky 70's beats we got before. The main Phantasm theme is still there for your enjoyment however and gets a great finish on the end credits.
  • YosemiteSamFan
    June 7, 2007
    YosemiteSamFan
    This movie raises the Phantasm series another notch, with a higher budget and lots of gory action. This first film was groudbreaking and lighthearted, but this one goes to the max with tons of innovative gore effects done realistically. The scenery and tone is dark and spooky, wi... read moreth enough black humour to keep it going. This is the most satisfying film in the Phantasm series. It's very well done and highly recommended for horror fans.
  • ryguy4738
    March 3, 2012
    ryguy4738
    *** out of ****

    It's not easy having to review the sequel to a movie that you so passionately cherish, but here it goes. As it is, I have just started playing the theme from the original "Phantasm" so that the process of reviewing the sequel, "Phantasm II", will be as painless... read more as possible. I'm thinking that perhaps the music will put me in a sort of trance, making things easier on myself. Before I go any further, let me just say that I am not implying that this is a bad sequel - in fact, on the contrary, it's actually a pretty good one by my standards - although when watching it, I was bothered by the fond memories that I had of director Don Coscarelli's original masterpiece of the surreal and the macabre. This second coming came out just ten years after the first, thus a few of the returning actors have aged rather noticeably and the original has garnered a strong cult following, but Coscarelli hasn't changed a bit.

    I admire Coscarelli. He's an imaginative fellow; and in every interview I've watched regarding him and whatever film that has been made the subject, he seems like a very friendly and down-to-earth guy. Just recently I've watched an interview he did with actor Angus Scrimm on a T.V. talk show back in 1979, when "Phantasm" was just not getting its theatrical release. This interview can be found on the most recent Anchor Bay DVD re-release/restoration of "Phantasm", and it's easily one of the best I've seen. Knowing Coscarelli's background makes it all the more enjoyable to watch one of his movies, and I think this interview certainly helped me to just take "Phantasm II" for what it is; a whole lot of dumb, ridiculous, gory fun. It's not as good as the first film in the franchise (which has spawned two more sequels since this one), but on its own grounds, I've judged it fairly; and I had a really good time watching and admiring it in all its absurd glory.

    Picking up six years after the events of "Phantasm", the sequel begins with a revealing flashback sequence in which Mike (Michael A. Baldwin) and family friend Reggie (Reggie Bannister) look back on the events that occurred during the storyline of the first film, only for the notorious Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) to attack them once again. Fast-forward to now present day, and Mike (now played by James LeGrose) has been transferred to a mental institution, and is just now being allowed to return back home once again. Reggie's home, that is. Once the two reunite and catch up, they decide the best way to make up for lost time, in their case, is to stock up on chainsaws/shotguns/blowtorches so that they may successfully hunt down the Tall Man and avenge Reggie's house, which blew up in a fire when The Tall Man and his little Jawa-esque minions invaded it.

    There's also a blonde-haired girl who Mike is having strange visions of; he senses that she is real, and that she also is aware of The Tall Man's presence. So would most people, if they or their small towns lived to tell the tale (it's said that you can tell where the Tall Man has been if the area is desolate and destroyed). There's also a priest who gets his ear sliced off by one of those flying metal balls that The Tall Man controls, and a lady for Reggie too! A record number of scenes take place in morgues, funeral homes, graveyards, and creepy old houses. But this is a horror film by way of Don Coscarelli, and I honestly wouldn't have it any other way.

    After "Phantasm", Coscarelli decided to lay low for a while until he got enough money to make a more expansive and overall bigger version of his classic original. "Phantasm" was a low-budget horror feature in which Coscarelli had to make do with what resources he had, whilst this sequel has all the special effects that money can buy. It's impressive and slightly maddening at the same time; Coscarelli is intelligent and gifted enough to work with these effects to create something that is stimulating for the mind and the imagination, although it's also sort of sad to see him so detached from his usual minimalist/independent/low-budget style. But you know what...this is still quite solid. For what it is, "Phantasm II" could have easily been a lot worse; and yes, it's a mess, but it does have a lot of what the original had, and more. Whether you will enjoy it or not is based almost entirely on what you liked about "Phantasm" and how much you liked those things. If you enjoyed the company of these characters - and can do fine without the presence of Michael Baldwin - then you will appreciate what the sequel has to offer.

    While this is clearly not the great film that "Phantasm" was, I still enjoyed a good portion of it. There are some noticeable flaws, and it could have used some polishing, but it makes up for most of its short-comings with some good laughs, some truly bad-ass moments, some solid performances, and great make-up effects. Also, the cinematography is both gorgeous and likably quirky, at times. Coscarelli has complete control over his vision with "Phantasm II" - with the themes of death and existentialism from the film being brought over to the sequel with some mixed but entertaining results - and it just boosts my confidence in the man. I believe that if he's allowed to have fun, then he can do just about anything, even if he doesn't have much to work with. This isn't his best movie, but as a film that fulfills the desire to see images of pale corpses and mutilated human flesh, you'll likely have a ball.
  • fb1626334821
    October 27, 2011
    fb1626334821
    This is the perfect example of a movie that is to similar to the original they play it safe and try nothing new. Thatâ(TM)s understandable if a formula works donâ(TM)t change it but this gets to a point where they basically recreate entire scenes from the first one. The plot is ... read moretwo guys are out to destroy Tall Man the interdimensional serial killer whose weapon of choice is 3 floating spike balls of death with drills at the end. Yeah if you thought Freddyâ(TM)s weapon was original well just look Tall Mans any way they eventually find him and well do all the same stuff from before. Itâ(TM)s a really predictable sequel but itâ(TM)s got nice special effects and Tall Mans death scene is the highlight.
  • danieljparsons
    May 4, 2007
    danieljparsons
    Released and set nine years after the first film, Phantasm II is a very worthy sequel, in fact I'd say it's even better than its predecessor.

    With a budget roughly six times that of Phantasm, Don Cascarelli has crafted a more focused film with a tighter script th

    ... read moreat works because its a direct follow on from the first film, rather than a retread. (And you'll need to be familiar with events from the first instalment if you have any hope in following this one, as aside from the clunky flashback-heavy prologue, there's very little exposition.)

    The silver spheres, the dwarves (now even more creepy) and the Tall Man all make welcome and inventive returns, the story finding new and imaginative uses for them.

    Phantasm II builds on the atmosphere of dread adding new kinks with a fixation on some of the more gruesome aspects of the mortuary business (formaldehyde, incinerators and scalpels are some of the additions).

    Inevitably, letting the side down somewhat is the acting - the two female leads are pretty dreadful, though James LeGros (November, Scotland, PA) is an interesting choice as Mike. Reggie Bannister, reprising his role as 'Reggie' from the first film, seems to be doing some sort of aged Bruce Campbell impersonation, which is frankly a little embarrassing. Speaking of which, if I were to compare this to another horror sequel then Evil Dead II definitely springs to mind; there's even some 'camera on a stick' sequences that are recognisable from Sam Raimi's film.

    A great sequel to an undisputed classic.
  • nickymo89
    August 20, 2007
    nickymo89
    I liked this sequel better than the original. The Tall Man is seen more and the spheres come into play more. The dwarves are even creepier. The higher budget is obvious as the gore factor turns up a notch.

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Critic Reviews

Tim Brayton
June 5, 2011
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy

The movie you get when you take Phantasm and throw money at it... the more grown-up film, in more ways than one, and it's not entirely to its credit. Full Review

Steve "Uncle Creepy" Barton
November 5, 2009
Steve "Uncle Creepy" Barton, Dread Central

Phantasm II has a nice sense of fun to it which makes it the perfect viewing material for this time of year. Full Review

Steve Crum
May 22, 2008
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com

Second in the horrorific series, not for everyone's cup of plasma.

Stefan Birgir Stefansson
April 11, 2006
Stefan Birgir Stefansson, sbs.is

i really didn't get the point Full Review

Nick Schager
October 31, 2005
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

There's little to enjoy about this second outing save for Scrimm's deliciously menacing specter of death. Full Review

Blake Davis
January 27, 2004
Blake Davis, KFOR Channel 4 News

A silly piece of gross-out joy from the imaginitive Don Coscarelli.

Fred Topel
July 25, 2003
Fred Topel, About.com

Another fun entry in the Phantasm series.

March 26, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Caryn James
May 20, 2003
Caryn James, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Click to read the article Full Review

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Phantasm II Trivia

  • Phantasm II With parts in Living in Oblivion, Singles, Drugstore Cowboy, Near Dark and Solarbabies, he stars as Mike  Answer »
  • Phantasm II With parts in Wishmaster, Bubba Ho-tep, Necronaut, The Mangler Reborn and Carnies, he plays Reggie  Answer »
  • Phantasm II With parts in Scream Bloody Murder, Chopping Mall, Transylvania Twist, Subspecies and I Sell the Dead, The Tall Man is played by  Answer »
  • Phantasm II Samantha Phillips plays  Answer »
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