FIRST FULL CLIP from Phantasm Ravager!

Dread Central have debuted the first clip from Phantasm Ravager on their YouTube channel. In it, a battle-worn Reggie comes across Daniel Schweiger (of both Bubba Ho-Tep and John Dies at the End) driving an awfully familiar muscle car. The last lasts just under two minutes and is pretty fun. Seeing Reggie slowly take charge of the scene and the slimy unease with which Schweiger plays it - it's all nicely directed.

Free Download: Phantasm Tunes Recreated on Game Boy!

In celebration of the of the upcoming Phantasm Ravager, longtime phans and electronic musicians Comptroller & arcadecoma have offered up two new covers of classic Phantasm songs. The first is the original film's theme and the second is 'Sittin' Here At Midnight' as performed by Bill Thornbury and Reggie Bannister. Both covers were created using Nintendo Game Boys with Midnight even featuring the classic "UH!' punch before the jam! Hot as love!

This brings entirely new meaning to the line, "You play a good GAME BOY," doesn't it? Personally, I think these are marvelously fun additions to any phan's MP3 library. They make me long for a retro-inspired Phantasm game. Someone get on that, stat!

You can download both tunes for FREE right here. And as their page notes, "This is a free release purely made as a fan tribute, and all compositions remain the property of the relevant parties. We have no desire to incur the wrath of The Tall Man."

RAVAGER REVIEWS: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

More reviews for Phantasm Ravager are starting to come in and it's interesting how much they vary in their assessments of the project. Unlike in decades past with earlier sequels, most of these reviewers are actually claiming to be phans of the franchise, so we can't much claim mainstream bias against the franchise or even genre. Some are digging it, others are not. Obviously everyone's mileage is going to vary based on personal preferences. It is hilarious to see Variety saying nice things about the movie having ravaged Phantasm II so many years ago.

THE GOOD
"Franchise fans should enjoy this latest installment as the cinematic equivalent of a greatest hits album." (Variety)

"As a whole, Phantasm: Ravager is a triumphant conclusion to this franchise." (The Daily Dead)

THE BAD
"And while dream logic and convoluted mythology are part of the charm of the Phantasm movies, even hardcore Phans may walk away from this one feeling unfulfilled." (The AV Club)

THE UGLY

"It’s no small thing to state that Ravager is garbage. Straight, undiluted garbage. It’s easily the worst of the franchise, and even one of the worst sequels in any major horror film franchise." (Geek League of America)

Phantasm Porn Spoof Gets Official Poster

Someone involved with the Phantasm Porn Spoof I posted about earlier this week reached out to me yesterday with a look at the project's official poster artwork... and it's hilariously spot-on. Special thanks to graphic designer Martin Figueroa for providing The Phantasm Archives with a specially-modified safe-for-work version of it! I've posted it here alongside the original Phantasm poster artwork for comparison. You can click either image to see it larger.

Considering my original post on this immediately became my FOURTH most viewed blog post out of 278 posts on Phantasm going back nearly a decade, I'm going to assume this is still of interest to most of you!

 

IMPORTANT: Bring Remastered & Ravager to Your City!

I'm reposting the following news release from the official Phantasm social media accounts. This is a hugely important development for phans that have yet to see theatrical listings for either Phantasm Remastered or Phantasm Ravager in their towns. This is your opportunity to bring the Tall Man to your city!

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Want to bring PHANTASM: REMASTERED or PHANTASM: RAVAGER (or both) to your hometown theater? It’s easy to do with Tugg, in three simple steps:

1. Go to Tugg.com and pick your film, your three closest theaters, and a date. Tugg will handle everything behind the scenes and get a theater on board for the screening.

2. Once a theater is on board, your screening is PENDING. To take it from PENDING to GO, a threshold of tickets (usually between 40 and 70) need to be sold. We’ll provide you with a kit you can use to promote your screening and help get those tickets moving.

3. Once the tickets are sold, your screening is a GO and it’s show time! We’ll handle everything with the theater from here out.

Got questions? Ask in the Phantasm Facebook comments and they'll help you out! We want ANYONE who wants to see PHANTASM on the big screen to have their chance, so don’t hesitate.

Forget Ravager. PHANTASM PORN Is Now a Thing

Forget Ravager, there's another newly released Phantasm film on the scene... and I'm willing to bet it's got way more balls than anything in the new official film. Before you think I'm kidding you about this next post, let me assure you I'm entirely serious. This is real.

An ambitious group of porn filmmakers have debuted a new work called PHANGASM: A HARDCORE PHANTASM PARODY. That's right - there is now literally a pornographic parody of the Phantasm series. 

The plot description is as such: "Sadie Santana and her cohort of thick, burly men have come to visit The Tall Man for revenge! This mysterious, evil being is awoken by their presence, and sends his equally mysterious and evil silver balls to punish them one by one! As Gage, Jon Jon, and Mr. Pete are each placed under the spell of The Balls, only Sadie is left, roaming the halls terrified and alone! Suddenly coming upon her ball-addled former-friends, the lovely Miss Santana is taken down." [plot description cut off at this point as what happens next ain't exactly fit for spelling out here!]

The parody appears to borrow some of the most familiar elements from Phantasm. The cast includes a Tall Man (he's on stilts!), both Pearson brothers and a black Reggie. There is also a silver ball... sort of. The silver menace in Phangasm is actually a floating pair of chromed testicles. No joke.

I'm not going to post a link to the production company's website here, but if you're sharp enough you can simply Google the film and find where it's being sold at. If you happen to dare to watch it, do us all a favor and report back here with a comment on the story!

EPIC Phantasm Pumpkin w/ Entire Cast!

It's not yet October, but that spooky feeling is already in the air. In what is becoming a delightful Halloween tradition, the ridiculously talented Natalie Tomaszewski has shared with us another Phantasm pumpkin creation - this time featuring the entire cast! Pictured here in character are actors Angus Scrimm, A. Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornbury, Reggie Bannister and Kat Lester. (Click any photo to see it larger!)

Natalie is constantly producing amazing pumpkin works of art, so be sure to check her out on Facebook at the Carved In Kin page. You can see beneath her most recent Phantasm pumpkin here one she did for my book, Phantasm Exhumed, last Halloween! I'm sure this pumpkin will impress both phans and cast members alike just as her previous ones have.

First Ravager Reviews Are Here!

The first official review of Phantasm Ravager following last night's Austin, Texas premiere has landed online. Eric Walkuski has posted his thoughts over on the JoBlo website. While Eric doesn't hold back his problems with the movie, he ultimately gives it a favorable 7/10 rating with positive comments overall. Read the review here.

And while the giant Phantasm phans over at Daily Grindhouse haven't technically posted a full proper review yet, they have posted a "Reflections" discussion on the film, which you can read here. In it, writers Matt Wedge and Mike Vanderbilt discuss the ups and downs of what may be Phantasm's final outing. And while you're at the Grindhouse, be sure to check out their massive offering of series related posts from last week, which was dubbed Phantasm Week.

Various audience reactions are constantly being fed into social media and the most common sentiments, it seems, are that Ravager is a "blast" and truly feels at heart like a Phantasm movie. High praise as far as I'm concerned.

STUNNING Remote-Controlled Battle 'Cuda from Phantasm Ravager!

Get ready to be jealous, folks. Mega-phan Alex Khan has enlisted several friends to build him an RC version of the Battle 'Cuda from Phantasm Ravager, which happens to premiere tonight at FantasticFest in Austin, Texas! The body/paint molds were done by Brad Hair Productions, the body/chassis drilling by Dan Wilson and the wheel/tire work by DJ Scoobby Luv. This sweet phan creation is stunningly movie-accurate from the paint scuffs all the way down to the license plate. I encourage you to click any of the photos below to see the car in greater detail or play the video beneath them. We've seen numerous 'Cuda models in years past, but I don't ever recall seeing one that was remote-controlled!

Alex writes in, "I'm a huge fan of mopars in movies. But since I can't afford a real mopar, I settle with 1/10th RC cars. The Cudas in the Phantasm movies are some of my favorite movie cars of all time (along with the Ford Falcon Interceptor in Mad Max; the 70 Dodge Challenger in Vanishing Point). I'm definitely not a professional. I told my friends what I wanted, and I gathered the parts for it to make it happen."

Alex has revealed to The Phantasm Archives that he plans on creating RC versions of 'Cudas from the earlier Phantasm movies, so look forward to seeing those here once he's done. Now we just need him to make a remote-controlled Tall Man's Hearse for the 'Cuda to chase after!

Coscarelli and Hartman Cameos in Ravager Revealed!

Jeff Roman of the Phantasm Ravager Facebook Group just discovered that Don Coscarelli has a secret cameo in the latest Ravager trailer! I myself went to investigate and found that just before his cameo is another one by director David Hartman! Check out the image below for the screenshots!

James LeGros FINALLY Talks Phantasm II

For many years, there has been a school of thought that maybe James LeGros didn't like his involvement with Phantasm II. Maybe he felt his career advanced beyond low-budget horror or he was pissed about being re-cast with original Mike actor A. Michael Baldwin for Phantasm III. He did have a warm reunion with Angus Scrimm at a Glass Eye Pix screening years back, but beyond that, the evidence was that he had moved past Phantasm.

The guy has turned down multiple reunion and convention appearance invitations. He declined participation both in the UK Sphere Set and the Shout Factory Phantasm II Blu-Ray discs. He first declined, then agreed, then again declined participation in my book, Phantasm Exhumed. And frankly, he has made a few offhand interviews comments in previous years that did not cast a positive light on the sequel. But now, in a new interview with WhySoBlu.com, James has actually opened up about his thoughts on the movie. With regard to Phantasm II, the interviewer starts off with, "You don’t talk a lot about it."

James replies, "Phantasm II – I love that one! Two things about that film. One – that was the first lead I ever did in a movie, so that was really exciting for me. And second because of the privileged position of being on the call sheet everyday I learned so much about filmmaking on that film – things to this day that are part of my working experience. But I just loved all those guys. Angus (Scrimm, actor The Tall Man) God rest his soul, Reggie (Bannister, actor Reggie) and Don and Daryn (Okada, Cinematographer), everybody was just so fantastic and there was just such a collegial spirit. And these guys were making this stuff from nothing and all in camera too. It was back in the day when you actually had to do stuff. None of that CGI – things had to happen. In a way that’s why we engage with some of those other older movies that way because it’s less synthetic. Digital artists they do some terrific work, but there is something lost in the bargain. I have very fond memories of that experience and I was pleased how it turned out – I’m very proud of that film."

Well, there you have it.

Official Trailer Releases for Remastered & Ravager

If you've been following this these past fifteen hours, you may already know the deal. If not, know that the hot new trailers for Phantasm Remastered and Phantasm Ravager have finally debuted online in proper, full-HD glory. No, you won't have to chase them down on iTunes or Amazon. Here they are at Entertainment Weekly and Apple!

These are two fantastic trailers that you're going to want to watch over and over again, particularly that stunning Remastered preview!

Phantasm Remastered Trailer at Apple

Phantasm Ravager Trailer at Entertainment Weekly

New Remastered / Ravager Trailers Up at AMAZON plus screenshots

Late last evening, exciting new trailers for Phantasm Remastered and Phantasm Ravager appeared on the film's pre-order pages on iTunes... only to vanish completely several hours later. Phans were left either gushing over the new previews or cursing the suddenly missing videos. Lucky for us,  these spectacular trailers have now appeared over on Amazon's digital pre-order listings for Remastered and Ravager! You can see a handful of screenshots from the new Ravager trailer below.

(These trailers will probably not work on your phone or in the Chrome browser, apparently.)

Amazon trailer page for Phantasm Remastered

Amazon trailer page for Phantasm Ravager

New Ravager/Remastered Trailers Appear, Immediately Vanish... AGAIN

You're not going to believe this. Well, you're a Phantasm phan, so maybe you will believe it. Earlier this evening, pre-order listings for both Phantasm Remastered and Phantasm Ravager appeared on the iTunes store. Included in these listings were glorious new trailers for each film! Within a couple of hours, however, these listings vanished from the iTunes directory. Curious also was their release date of 10/4/16, three days earlier than the otherwise announced 10/7/16.

The Remastered trailer was marvelously crafted, every shot a refined masterpiece. Seeing Phantasm this way makes it look like an entirely new film I've never experienced before. The trailer's opening was particularly cool as an angry silver sphere burst from an ancient-looking television playing an old version of the movie. The trailer also included the now famous Phantasm definition narration, which originally began with the marketing of Phantasm II.

The Ravager trailer included new footage we hadn't seen before, most of it of Reggie in the hospital and roaming the countryside. There were also new shots of the Tall Man on the Red Planet and a better look at that new spikey-ball sphere. I would definitely qualify this as the best trailer the film has had yet.

I did manage to save a few screenshots from the Ravager trailer, which I'll post below until I'm told otherwise to take them down. Fingers crossed that Well Go USA releases these trailers soon and online in their full glory. You are gonna love 'em. (Credit: I first learned of the iTunes listings on the Phantasm Ravager Facebook phan group!)

New Phantasm Ravager Pics Released by Well Go USA

Distributor Well Go USA has released five photos from their upcoming Phantasm Ravager! Some of these we've seen before, but several will probably be newish to many phans. Cast members pictured here include A. Michael Baldwin, Reggie Bannister, Kat Lester and Angus Scrimm. The second photo appears to show Reggie dressed in his ice-cream-man duds, which may mean it takes place following the ending of Phantasm Oblivion. Or perhaps he finds new reason to wear them again in the new sequel, which premieres next weekend at Fantastic Fest and hits select theaters and video-on-demand October 7, 2016.

Click any of the photos below to see them larger. Special thanks to Peter Marullo for the head's up!

Ravager/Remastered Blu-Ray Date Revealed?

EDIT: Blu-Ray.com is now also showing the December 6th date.

THE FUNERAL IS ABOUT TO BEGIN, SIR! The home video release dates for both Phantasm Remastered and Phantasm Ravager appear to have been revealed by the VIDEO ETA website. They list the standalone releases as hitting store shelves on December 6, 2016 on both the Blu-Ray and DVD formats. Their listings mention Well Go USA down as domestic distributor. The Blu’s are priced at $29.98 SRP and the DVDs at $24.98 SRP. I've never heard of this website before, so I can't much vouch for their credibility. Fingers crossed, though.

VIDEO ETA does not yet have cover art or supplemental information, but we’ll be sure to keep an eye out. The website also makes no mention of the much rumored Phantasm Box Set that’s been whispered about. Special thanks to Jay Dennis for the tip!

Listing for Phantasm Remastered
Listing for Phantasm Ravager

UPDATE #2: Some parts of these listings say "Date Not Set" while others list the 12/6/16 date.

Bubba Ho-Tep adapted into BOOMSTICK BALLET!

BOOMSTICK BALLET. I've posted about this insanely glorious show before here on the Archives and now it's come back! I'm talking about the three-part dance opera dedicated to the greatest films of Bruce Campbell's career! This rockin' show adapts Evil Dead II, Army of Darkness and Bubba Ho-Tep into dance and song. The result? See for yourself in the video below!

Boomstick Ballet is set to October 6, 7, and 8, 2016 at Theater for the New City in NYC. Details here on the website.

The official description reads: "In their second major collaboration, Angela Hariell’s dance company, The Love Show, and Corn Mo’s band, .357 Lover, created “BOOMSTICK BALLET: A Bruce Campbell Dance Opera in 3 Acts". In the true pioneering indie style of the Sam Raimi originals, the "Evil Dead II" and "Army of Darkness” acts feature a vast cast of characters played by a few versatile performers, and impressive production values on a shoestring budget. The "Bubba Ho-Tep” act stays loyal to the vision of Don Coscarelli's film, delivering sincere messages about ageism and both the frailty and the resilience of the human condition, with a healthy dose of action and pure goofy comedy. The production premiered at (le) poisson rouge on Saturday, October 10, 2015, during New York Comic Con, to an enthusiastic crowd of both seasoned Campbell aficionados and eager newbies. Due to popular demand, it is slated to return on October 6, 7, and 8, 2016 at Theater for the New City."

Full Ravager Cast List Revealed

UPDATED: 9/11/16 5:50 PM

Well Go USA have unleashed their press notes for Phantasm Ravager, which reveal that the film is dedicated "In Loving Memory of Angus Scrimm," which is just as it should be. Bravo, folks. That is no less than he deserved on this project.

I was kind of excited at how the notes mentioned original sphere victim Ken Jones being in the new film, especially since the notes ranked him eighth from the bottom above new cast members. That didn't strike me as being archival material from the first film, but as it turns out - it is only archival material from the first film and Jones did not film new scenes for Ravager. I suppose I should've known better than to trust press notes that mentioned Bill Thornbury's Jody being re-cast for Phantasm II.

The full cast list is below. Note that director David Hartman's wife, Kathleen, also cameos as a nurse.