Watch this: "Dear Angus"

Here is something truly special - an intimate memorial tribute to the late great Angus Scrimm by longtime friend and series crewmember Kristen Deem. If you've ever wondered about the man behind the Tall Man, this is the most revealing and personal look you'll ever get. Wonderful stuff. Thank you for making this, Kristen.

This marvelous memorial tribute to the iconic horror actor first appeared on Arrow UK's incredible Phantasm Blu-ray collection, which can be purchased here for Region 2 players.

40th Anniv. Tall Man "Coin Pop" Now Available!

Now available from mega-phan Scott Pensa: this marvelous looking 40th Anniversary Tall Man "Coin Pop" collectible! This limited edition piece mimics the style of the popular Funko Pop! figures. The spheres contain "40th Anniversary" lettering to commemorate the occasion. Silver sphere editions are limited to 100 and cost $20 each. Gold sphere editions are limited to just 40 (only 22 remaining) and must be purchased with a silver sphere edition ($40 per set).

Each Tall Man "Coin Pop" is numbered on his foot and they stand on their own with ease. Shipping is $7.90 for priority USPS with tracking (USA only). Contact Scott at scottyrascal@yahoo.com to get yours!

Danny McBride Suggests Phantasm for Soft-Reboot

Unless you've been living under a pumpkin lately, you know that Blumhouse/Universal's upcoming Halloween 2018 hits theaters tomorrow. Written by Danny McBride, David Gordon-Green, and Jeff Fradley, the new sequel is a soft-reboot that ignores everything that happened after the original 1978 film. Halloween II? Didn't happen. Halloween 5? Not part of the continuity anymore. This film picks up where John Carpenter's original left off - just forty years down the road.


McBride and Green took part in a Reddit Ask-Me-Anything chat this morning where someone asked what other horror franchises they thought should be soft-rebooted. McBride immediately responded with Phantasm! Green suggested Chopping Mall, which just so happens to feature a blink-and-you'll-miss it cameo from Tall Man Angus Scrimm! (His back is to the camera, so it's easy to miss!)

How would a soft-reboot to the original Phantasm even work? Would that assume Phantasm II, III, Oblivion, and Ravager never happened? I can't imagine phans would take kindly to that. Also, any continuation of the current storyline would be severely complicated by the passing of Angus Scrimm.

Still, cool to see that McBride is a phan! (I'm assuming he is. That's my takeaway from this.)

Phantasm Getting Steelbook Blu-ray Release!

Fantastic news, fellow phans! The terrific Phantasm Remastered is set to receive a Steelbook Blu-ray edition this fall from Well Go USA. It appears the release will be exclusive to Region One consumers. This is, to my knowledge, the first time a Phantasm film has seen a domestic Steelbook release. You can check out the new artwork below. The Steelbook is currently set to release on November 6, 2018.

We don't yet know what extras this release will be packing, but it's safe to assume the disc itself will be identical to the previous 2016 Blu-ray release. That edition included a vintage audio commentary, 1979 Coscarelli/Scrimm interview, an episode of Graveyard Carz, deleted scenes, and a trailer. That's not exactly chopped liver, but Well Go could do much better in the supplements department!

Here is a product page for the release on Amazon Canada. The US product page should be up in the next week or so!

Scratch-N-Sniff Tall Man Stickers - Sure, why not?

I thought I'd seen it all. Really, I did. Then I came across this tonight: Scratch-and-sniff Phantasm stickers! An easy $3.59 will get you a 48-pack of these stylish adhesives, which emit the sweet aroma of strawberry licorice when scratched. A shame they don't come smelling like lavender. Doesn't that seem like the obvious choice? The Wacky Whiffers Etsy product page comes with a warning: Stickers are extremely strong and potent in scent!

Horror fans should delight in learning that other Wacky Whiffer stickers include Freddy Krueger and Chucky the Killer Doll among other horror icons.

Artwork/Extras for New P3 and P4 Blu-ray Releases

We now have a good look at the artwork for Well Go USA's upcoming standalone Blu-ray releases of Phantasm III and Phantasm Oblivion. Both arriving on September 18, this will be the first time these films have been offered on the format outside of last year's sold-out Phantasm box set. Collector's fret not - these releases will pack none of the incredible supplements found exclusively in that box set. Instead, somewhat strangely, they will feature supplements identical to those found on the old Anchor Bay DVD releases. They won't even contain the newer extras included on last year's economically-priced DVD collection. I'm kind of curious to know what Well Go was thinking with this move? Maybe they weren't thinking. Maybe that's it.

While the new airbrushed Phantasm Oblivion cover design is arguably uninspired, it's certainly pretty to look at. The Oblivion art doesn't hold a candle, however, to the outstanding new artwork for Phantasm III. This Blu-ray cover easily bests any poster the third film has ever had. Disc supplements can be found below.

PHANTASM III BONUS FEATURES: Phantasm III: Behind the Scenes / Deleted Scene / Audio Commentary with Stars A. Michael Baldwin and Angus Scrimm / Trailer 

PHANTASM IV BONUS FEATURES: Phantasm IV: Behind the Scenes / Audio Commentary with Director Don Coscarelli and Actors Reggie Bannister and Angus Scrimm / Trailer

Russian Novel Mixes Phantasm II with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

From the mega-weird section of the Phantasm Archives comes: Turtles-Ninjas Against the Long Old Man, His Assistant Dwarfs and Shiny Balls, a 1995 Russian novel that mashes together Phantasm II and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. You can see images of the book's interior below.

While this crossover is clearly taking inspiration from Phantasm II, its "Long Old Man" looks far more like the Train Man from Matrix Reloaded than Angus Scrimm's Tall Man. The book's translated description reads: "On the film "Phantasm II". Turtles together with April come to a small town in the Himalayas, where something strange happens. Here settled a mad old scientist who invented the elixir of life. With his help, he revives the dead and turns them into his army of invincible zombies." Eager to own this bizarre item? You're in luck - the book is currently up for auction on eBay!

Don Coscarelli to Publish Memoir This October!

Here's some terrific news heading into the weekend: Entertainment Weekly has the exclusive announcement that Phantasm creator Don Coscarelli will release a memoir this October from St. Martin's Press. The publisher has the following book description on their website where you can also pre-order a copy.

"From Don Coscarelli, the celebrated filmmaker behind many cherished cult classics comes a memoir that’s both revealing autobiography and indie film crash course. Best known for his horror/sci-fi/fantasy films including Phantasm, The Beastmaster, Bubba Ho-tep and John Dies at the End, now he’s taking you on a white-knuckle ride through the wild world of the independent filmmaker. 

Join Coscarelli as he sells his first feature film to Universal Pictures and gets his own office on the studio lot while still a teenager. Travel with him as he chaperones three out-of-control child actors as they barnstorm Japan, almost drowns actress Catherine Keener in her first film role, and turns a short story about Elvis Presley battling a four thousand year-old Egyptian mummy into a beloved cult classic film. True Indie is loaded with the filmmaker’s behind-the-scenes stories, like setting his face on fire during the making of Phantasm, hearing Bruce Campbell’s most important question before agreeing to star in Bubba Ho-tep, and crafting a horror thriller into a franchise phenomenon spanning four decades. 

Not just memoir, True Indie is also a crash course on the indie film world. Find out how Coscarelli managed to retain creative and financial control of his works in an industry ruled by power-hungry predators, and all without going insane or bankrupt. True Indie will prove indispensable for film fans, aspiring filmmakers, and anyone who loves an underdog success story."

A Phantasm Sega Genesis Game? Yes please!

File this one under "Phantasm Merchandise You've Been Dying For But Will Never Get." That's right... these images depict a Phantasm game for the Sega Genesis console. I love the detail on these images, especially how Reggie has both his trusty four-barrel shotgun and his trademark plaid shirt. Sadly, these appear to be artwork renderings rather than screenshots from an actual game.

Instagram user cult_of_cthulhu posted the following: "The most thrilling Sega Genesis title of never is finally not here!!! Your home destroyed, your community a ghost town, and miniature minions of the Tall Man are everywhere. Now, only Reggie can stop this hellish nightmare from becoming reality. This is Phantasm 2!!! Sprites by SXGodzilla."