I've always found balloon characters impressive, but this takes the art form to another level entirely! Enter Brad Wood, better known on Instagram as BradTheBalloonGuy. He's managed to create a full balloon version of the Tall Man complete with silver sphere and dwarf! Dig the detail here - the Tall Man's eyebrow is even raised! Of his phandom, Brad writes: "I love this series! It's so weird and awesome!"
Check out more of Brad's spiffy creations here!
Per the official Phantasm Ravager Twitter account, we've learned that Well Go USA apparently packaged the wrong discs in some editions of their newly released Phantasm Double Feature Blu-ray. These discs were supposed to be identical to the one included in their Sphere Collection, but phans have been complaining that they contain older discs instead. What's the difference? The newer discs contain additional special features on both films and the 4k UNCUT edition of Phantasm II. Some phans are quite pissed at this distributor screw-up, which is understandable. When you're paying these prices for movies you likely already own, you want the discs as they were advertised.
The Ravager Twitter account encourages phans to reach out to Well Go USA to discuss how to get replacement discs. They also claim that only SOME of the new editions were affected, but we've yet to hear from a phan who received the correct discs. (Speak up in the comments if your set was packaged correctly!)
— Phantasm Ravager (@PhantasmRavager) October 8, 2021
Back in 2019, there was some concern that yet another classic Phantasm filming location was going to vanish due to new construction in the area. I'm speaking of the famous "hanging tree," which was featured in an eerie scene removed from the 1979 film that later appeared prominently in 1998's Phantasm Oblivion.
Well, it's 2021 and I'm happy to report that - as of today - the hanging tree is somehow still standing. The construction that seemingly once threatened the tree has held off. Mega-phan Scott Pensa sends in the following photos. Thanks for the pics and update, Scott!
I don't know about you, but I loved 1998's Phantasm: Oblivion from the moment I first saw it, way before it was cool to like it. (Longtime phans might recall that, before Phantasm Ravager, the fourth film was the most shat-upon entry in the series.) It might not have the bigger budgets of its predecessors, but it arguably has the most heart. Imagine my delight this evening when I discovered the following set photos over in the IMDb gallery for the film. These pics depict stuntman Bob Ivy in his Demon Trooper getup. If memory serves, these rare pics are from Bob's personal collection, which has long been kept off the internet. I have no idea how these snapshots wound up on IMDb, but I thought I'd share them here for your personal enjoyment.
When I interviewed Bob Ivy for Phantasm Exhumed a decade ago, he explained that the top picture was the only known photo of the Demon Trooper with the Tall Man - understandable since they never had a scene together. The second picture shows Bob with Don Coscarelli. (I think that's Gigi Fast Elk Bannister peering over Bob's shoulder?) The final pic shows what appears to be a rehearsal between Bob and Reggie Bannister. All in all, great shots!
Well, this was unexpected. Yesterday, Shudder dropped the first trailer for season three of their critically-acclaimed Creepshow series. It looks to be a predictably bloody affair - complete with a silver sphere attack. Wait, WHAT!?!? That's right - we can clearly see one of the Tall Man's sentinels attacking someone here. Watch the trailer below for yourself.
What might this amount to - a small sphere cameo or a complete Phantasm-themed episode? One can hope! The show did have a pretty swell tribute episode dedicated to Evil Dead in the last season, so a Phantasm-themed episode isn't entirely impossible. The new season of Creepshow kicks off on September 23. Is it any coincidence that the Phantasm series (minus part two) hit Shudder the week after that? Hmm.....
This may not be breaking news, but I just yesterday signed up for the Peacock streaming service from NBC Universal and noticed "The Phantasm Collection" listed on the main screen. How cool is that?? The selection of "movie collections" I scrolled through included The Godfather, Harry Potter, Leprechaun, and Phantasm, which is one mighty eclectic grouping of franchises.
The strange part about this was that "The Phantasm Collection" contained the entire franchise minus Phantasm II. Why is that strange? Because Phantasm II is technically the only film in the franchise actually owned by NBC Universal, meaning they had to license the other four. Even stranger is that the "collection" icon features an image of the Tall Man and Perigord Mausoleum from the missing Phantasm II. Even so, it's great to see the series with this exposure. (And kudos to whomever listed them as "Phantasm Philms" on the franchise page. Nice touch!)
The always terrific Diabolik DVD has revealed a pre-order listing for an upcoming Phantasm double-feature Blu-ray arriving this October from Well Go USA. This release, boasting gorgeous artwork by the mega-talented Devon Whitehead, packs two supplement-loaded discs from the most recent Sphere Collection boxset. This set is top-notch for including Phantasm Remastered and the newly remastered Phantasm II Director's Cut, which had previously only been available in the larger Sphere Collection. Street date is 10/5.
Disc 1: PHANTASM: REMASTERED
At a funeral, Mike (Michael Baldwin), watches as a tall mortician clad in black (Angus Scrimm) tosses the unburied coffin into a waiting hearse as if it were nothing. Seeking the truth behind this unusual sight, Mike breaks into the mortuary, where he comes face-to-face with the sinister Tall Man. After barely managing to escape with his life, Mike enlists the help of his brother, Jody (Bill Thornbury), and their friend Reggie (Reggie Bannister). Together they set out to uncover the secrets of the Tall Man and those who dwell in his hellish world. PHANTASM: REMASTERED has a runtime of approximately 98 minutes and is rated R for nudity, violence and intense scenes.
PHANTASM Special Features Include:
• NEW 7.1 Dolby Atmos soundtrack by Post Haste Digital
• NEW Dunes Cantina Party commentary featuring Don Coscarelli and the cast and crew of PHANTASM
• NEW Phantasm: A Horse Drawn Hearse – new HD master of Angus Scrimm in black and white flashback footage
• Audio Commentary with director Don Coscarelli, co-producer Paul Pepperman and Roberto A. Quezada
• Audio Commentary with Don Coscarelli, stars A. Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornbury and Angus Scrimm
• Graveyard Carz episode featuring custom Phantasm tribute ‘Cuda • Behind the Scenes Home Movies with commentary by Coscarelli and Reggie Bannister
• Deleted Scenes And more…
Disc 2: PHANTASM II
Released after seven years in a mental hospital, Mike convinces his old pal Reggie to join forces with him to hunt down and destroy the Tall Man once and for all. Mike’s visions lead the two to a quiet little town where a horde of flying killer balls aim to slice and dice their gruesome way through everyone. Exploding with special effects, unparalleled thrills, horror and suspense, PHANTASM II climaxes with a blood-curdling conclusion that you have to see to believe.
PHANTASM II Special Features:
• NEW 4K scan of the original camera negative, supervised and approved by Don Coscarelli
• NEW Director’s Cut with never-before-released X-rated sphere/gore sequence
• Audio Commentary with director Don Coscarelli and stars Angus Scrimm and Reggie Bannister
• THE BALL IS BACK and THE GORY DAYS featurettes
• Deleted Scenes
• Additional scenes from the original work print cut
• Behind the Scenes footage And more…
Second, dig this! A monstrously talented Italian phan named Antonio Amodio is currently creating a fantasy-horror museum in Taranto, Italy. For this Herculean task, he's put together an impressive Phantasm display featuring the Tall Man! Antonio shares that he's personally created the many figures in his museum and that they're all made to 1:1 scale. This wild Phantasm display has a lot of detail in it, some of which you can glimpse in the photos below. Aside from the Tall Man, there's a sphere'd head, a severed finger in a box, a dwarf minion, and a framed photo of the Tall Man from many years back.
Click on any photo below to see it larger. Outstanding work, Antonio!
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