OFFICIALLY DELAYED - Phantasm 40th Blu-ray Set Hits Snag

Phantasm phans have been skeptical that the 40th Anniversary Blu-ray Sphere Set announced earlier this year would be hitting store shelves on time and rightfully so. Major retailers such as Amazon and Best Buy have yet to start taking pre-orders for the massive set despite its original release date being less than ten days away. Some smaller retailers have begun taking pre-orders, but all without offering actual product art or details on their listings.

This past weekend in Orlando, series creator Don Coscarelli confirmed to phans at the Fantasm convention that the 40th Anniversary Set was officially behind schedule due to manufacturing issues overseas. He was hopeful that distributor Well Go USA might be able to release the boxset by Thanksgiving or - at the very latest - early December.

This is unfortunate as Well Go has already spent a chunk of change on advertising the release for October including a full-page advertisement in a recent issue of Rue Morgue Magazine. Fingers crossed they get the issue(s) resolved soon as this set still looks amazing!

VIDEO: Watch Don Coscarelli Crash an R/C Mini-'Cuda into the Tall Man!

Move over, Regman. There's someone else behind the wheel of this 'Cuda.

R/C car enthusiast Alex Khan very recently attended this year's Fantasm convention in Orlando where he met Phantasm creator Don Coscarelli. (Recall that Alex made an incredible Phantasm Ravager R/C Battle-Cuda several years back.) In meeting Coscarelli, Alex was able to share his standard R/C 'Cuda and even gave the filmmaker a chance to drive it around the convention floor!

Naturally, Coscarelli plows the muscle car right into the Tall Man and a dwarf. Hot as love!

Check out the video below!

UPDATED: Incredible New Phantasm Game from Jon Ivan!

I first blogged about game designer Jon Ivan's incredible Phantasm-themed Doom 3 mod back in 2011.

Then I blogged about an update to that mod in 2016, which was even more incredible in its detail.

Now in 2019, Jon is back at it! Titled PHANTASM ARMAGEDDON, this new game is being made using the Unreal 4 Engine. As before, Jon is designing this newest creation so that you play as the Regman as he travels to familiar locations from all five films in the series. We're talking Morningside Mortuary, the Pearson home, the Fortuneteller's, Death Valley, and, of course, the Red Planet itself among others. Blast dwarves, spheres, and gravers using all kinds of iconic weapons as you work your way toward the Tall Man himself.

Check out the video and screenshots below for a preview. Jon has mentioned hoping to offer a demo of this soon, so we'll be sure to post information when he does! I probably speak for a lot of you when I say that I cannot freaking wait for Jon to finish this beast!

UPDATED 5:53p with NEWER AND BETTER PHOTOS!

iCollector Lists Phantasm II Prop as Elm Street Prop

It would seem that prop dealer iCollector got some bad intel somewhere. Remember that creepy scene in Phantasm II where the Tall Man creature emerges from Liz' back? Well, they're selling that grotesque prop - except that they've marked it as a Freddy chest burster prop from Nightmare on Elm Street II: Freddy's Revenge. How do we know this prop is erroneously listed? Because makeup effects legend Mark Shostrom handled effects for both films and is telling us so! Plus, you know, we've got functioning eyeballs and have actually seen Phantasm II.

Here's the funny part - this isn't the first time this prop has been misrepresented as something from Elm Street. Mark Shostrom first sold the prop in 1989 and it later wound up inside a Planet Hollywood in Dallas, Texas. The prop-eatery had it listed as the snake creature from Nightmare on Elm Street III: Dream Warriors, which is also kind of crazy considering how big that Freddy-snake creature was in the film.

As always, be careful out there when you're buying Phantasm props. There are a lot of obvious fakes on the market and, it would seem, some legitimate props mislabeled as being from other films. Thanks to Mark for the tip!

(Photo courtesy Mark Shostrom)

BAKERProps has made a Sphere FLOAT and TALK!

Prop maker Michael Baker of BAKERProps  has made some truly impressive sphere creations over the years, but he may have finally outdone himself with these two most recent orbs. Not only can his newest sphere creations ACTUALLY FLOAT, but they have artificial intelligence as well! Michael seems to have outfitted one of the balls with Amazon's Alexa technology. Let's just cross our fingers Alexa never turns evil.

Check out the embedded video below to see the floating and talking balls. Learn more about Michael's marvelous spheres and other prop creations over on his Facebook page!

Yet Another Phantasm Location May Soon Vanish

First we lost the Pearson home in 2015.

Then we lost the Fortuneteller's home in 2016.

Now we may be losing the iconic hanging tree location that was briefly seen in Phantasm and more prominently featured in Phantasm Oblivion via Phantasm cutscenes. Located in Agoura Hills, California, this gnarly tree has been threatened for several decades by local area development. It seems the tree may be bulldozed this year or next to make way for a new construction called "The Agoura Village East" project. The sign out front notes that AVE isn't a sure thing yet, but the situation doesn't look too good right now.

Superphan Matt Naylor sent in the following photos from his visit this past week. The tree is now entirely surrounded by protective fencing and impossible to access without jumping the fence. Matt reported seeing police in the vicinity, so he decided not to risk it. For the best - you never know when you'll encounter a demon trooper. You can see more pictures of the hanging tree up close here.

Screen to Location Picture courtesy the Then & Now Movie Location Blog

GALLERY: Twenty Phantasm Memes To Brighten Your Day

If you haven't visited the Phantasm Exhumed Books Facebook page in a long while, here are some Phantasm-related memes you might've missed, most of which you'll surely be able to relate to if you're a true blue phan. Cheers!

Seller Offering 3D Printed Silver Sphere Model Kits

We've seen a lot of great sphere replicas over the years, but this may be a first. Etsy user Pixi3DStore is offering 3D printed silver sphere model kits for sale! Assembly looks super easy and they're a great buy at only $14.99 per kit. Sure, they're only plastic, you have to paint them, and they're nowhere near the superb quality of a BakerProps or Nightmares Unlimited ball, but it's still quite nice for the price. Get yours here!

Event Report: Don Coscarelli Night at the Strand Theater

Last night was a great night to be in Seymour, Connecticut. That's where The Strand Theater held Don Coscarelli Night, which consisted of a double-feature screening of Bubba Ho-Tep and the original Phantasm. We've got a report from the event and some sweet photos thanks to mega-phan Scott Pensa, who was in attendance.

The night also included some great cult movie trailers, giveaways, and raffles. Additionally, the theater commissioned artist Matt Wilson to create a special limited edition print for the night depicting both films. Printed on metallic paper, the silver edition was limited to forty copies. The night also contained an unannounced treat in that Matt also printed an extremely limited gold variant edition. How limited? Five copies limited. Scott snapped up four of these prints for himself, myself, and fellow mega-phans Peter Marullo and Matt Naylor. The fifth gold variant print went to the artist himself. Could you imagine being the disappointed phan behind Scott in line wanting one of these? Ha!!

The Strand also printed these nifty Phantasm plastic cups for the event, which feature a silver sphere and the Tall Man's iconic line from the original film's finale. Eagle-eyed Scott kept watchful eye to see if anyone left their cup behind or threw it away as they're collectible, but he says people were clinging to them, so damn. Thanks for the report and photos, Scott!