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."

New Japanese Phantasm Box Set Comes With Coscarelli Letter

February sees the release of a new international Phantasm Blu-ray set, this time from Japan. Dubbed the "Perfect Box," it contains all five Phantasm films and a slew of bonus features. (I'm not entirely sure what those features are since I haven't been able to find an English press release for the set.) Among the exclusives in this release is a personal letter (pictured below) from series creator Don Coscarelli in English. The "Perfect Box" also comes with six nifty postcard prints of the films' intriguing Japanese artwork, which you can also see below. Click any of the poster artworks below to see them larger.

You can buy this set from Amazon Japan, but you'll need to be able to navigate their website, which is in all Japanese, in order to purchase it. Maybe a browser translator could help?

Prototype Pics of Incredible Phantasm R2 Blu-ray Set

Last September, I wrote about an incredible French Blu-ray set that was coming from premium distributor ESC Distribution. They still haven't announced an exact street date, but they have since shared pictures of a painted prototype. As you can see below, the release will come with a fantastic bust of the Tall Man holding a sphere. The discs themselves will be housed in the space beneath the figure. The release is rumored to drop sometime in the next few months.

ESC Distribution has teased that their set will pack a ton of bonus features as well as a new 200-page book written by Marc Toulec. ESC is also reporting that this incredible release will be "limited to 300 certified and numbered copies." And here we thought Well Go and Arrow's 10,000 run Blu-ray sets were scant!

CLICK ANY PHOTO TO SEE IT LARGER!