To quote Don Coscarelli, "Most only ride in a hearse once. Some are luckier."
John Krieg has been a self-described "super-phan" for more than three decades, having caught the original film during its first year of release at the age of twenty-two. Last Halloween, he put together a marvelously spooky street display inspired by Phantasm, complete with Tall Man and vintage hearse.
John began assembling this display by tracking down a Tall Man head on eBay roughly a decade ago. He then married it to an appropriately tall mannequin and dressed it in a black mortician's suit. And the two dwarves? John reveals he adorned two child mannequin's with Halloween masks and homemade robes.
The vintage funeral coach is what John describes as his "pride and joy," a 1939 Pontiac/Superior "Oakridge" funeral coach. It was first purchased by a funeral home in Markleville, Indiana and served as both hearse and ambulance for the small community of 500 from 1939 to 1965. No doubt, this vehicle has a long history. And it doesn't take too much imagination to envision everyone's favorite Tall Man sitting in the driver's seat, either!
This sweet ride is black with a maroon interior and has clocked just over 49,000 actual miles at present. After having sat in storage for more than two decades, John bought the coach from its elderly owner and restored it to working condition. The engine is, amazingly, all original with rebuilt carb, fuel pump and distributor. He is now its third owner.
Thanks for sharing your phandom with us, John!
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