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!

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NEW BOOK: Further Exhumed: The Strange Case of Phantasm Ravager

From the author of PHANTASM EXHUMED comes the sequel tome, FURTHER EXHUMED: THE STRANGE CASE OF PHANTASM RAVAGER! Now available on Amazon. Check out the cover artwork and trailer below!

GET YOUR COPY HERE!

Bonus Features Announced for Phantasm DVD Collection

We recently learned that Well Go USA was planning a value-priced DVD collection of the entire Phantasm series for this September. This follows their successful Blu-Ray Collection release from earlier this year, which completely sold out and is only available from re-sellers. Well Go have now announced what the bonus features will be for the DVD set. As expected, they pale in comparison to what the six-disc Blu-Ray set offered, though there are still some new features here. The most painfully absent supplements are the new feature length documentaries on Phantasm III, Phantasm IV and Phantasm Ravager.

The Phantasm and Phantasm Ravager discs appear to be identical to December's standalone releases. Similarly, the Phantasm II disc resembles the previously released Scream Factory disc. Curiously, the Phantasm III disc includes the new Coscarelli/Buckley audio commentary, but drops the wonderful A. Michael Baldwin/Angus Scrimm commentary from the old Anchor Bay set.

And I guess we're pretending Phantasm II has a subtitle now?

PHANTASM: REMASTERED 
(Standard Definition (1.78:1)/Dolby Digital Audio 5.1, Mono and Stereo / 1978 / Color / R /90 minutes) 
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Don Coscarelli, Michael Baldwin (Mike), Angus Scrimm (The Tall Man), and Bill Thornbury (Jody) 
Graveyard Carz Episode 
Interviews from 1979 with Don Coscarelli and Angus Scrimm 
Deleted Scenes 
Trailers 

PHANTASM II: THE BALL IS BACK 
(Standard Definition (1.85:1)/Dolby Digital Audio 5.1 and Stereo / 1988 / Color / R / 95 minutes) 
SPECIAL FEATURES: 
Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Don Coscarelli and Stars Angus Scrimm and Reggie Bannister 
The Ball is Back: The Making of PHANTASM II 
Deleted Scenes 
Workprint Scenes 
TV Spots and Trailers 

PHANTASM III: LORD OF THE DEAD 
(Standard Definition (1.78:1)/Dolby Digital Audio 5.1 / 1993 / Color / R / 91 minutes) 
SPECIAL FEATURES: 
Audio Commentary with Director Don Coscarelli and Editor Norman Buckley 
Balls of Steel: Bob Ivy's Stunt for the Ages 
Trailer 

PHANTASM IV: OBLIVION 
(Standard Definition (1.78:1)/Dolby Digital Audio 5.1 / 1998 / Color / R / 90 minutes) 
SPECIAL FEATURES: 
Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Don Coscarelli and Stars Reggie Bannister and Angus Scrimm 
Behind the Scenes 
Trailer 

PHANTASM V: RAVAGER 
(Standard Definition (1.78:1)/Dolby Digital Audio 5.1 / 2016 / Color / NR / 86 minutes) 
SPECIAL FEATURES: 
Audio Commentary with Director David Hartman and Writer/Producer Don Coscarelli 
Behind the Scenes 
Deleted Scenes 
Phuntasm: Bloopers and Outtakes 
Trailer

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Phantasm Ravager FX: Before and After Comparisons

Phans got their first glance at Phantasm Ravager in March 2014 with a teaser trailer. We wouldn't get to see the finished film until a whopping two-and-a-half years later. In that time, the new Phantasm sequel got a ton of special effects attention. Here are two interesting shots from that first teaser trailer that look a little different wen held against the final product.

As you can see, the giant sphere that Reggie happens upon got a little bit bigger. And the sky during the hospital escape sequence got much more apocalyptic. If you dig learning about Ravager's many effects, I would highly recommend watching the terrific "Making of Phantasm V: Ravager" documentary contained in Well Go's Phantasm Blu-Ray Collection. 

Phantasm Ravager Reunion in August

Southern California phans seem to have all the luck! This August, Scare LA will be hosting what I believe is the first ever Phantasm Ravager reunion event. Has it been long enough since the film's original release to call this a reunion? I suppose so! The screening will be attended by writer/director David Hartman, star/co-producer Reggie Bannister and his co-producer/"goop girl" wife Gigi Bannister. The trio will host a Q&A session along with the film. They will also be signing autographs at the event and Hartman promises to have copies of his new Zorgon CDs on hand as well!

Read all about the screening and get your tickets here!

New Art/Details for Phantasm DVD Collection

We now have (somewhat pixelated) artwork for Well Go's upcoming Phantasm DVD Collection courtesy Diabolik DVD. This is new art not seen on the previous Blu-Ray set and appears to feature a Ravager-era Tall Man reflected in the surface of a silver sphere. The tagline proclaims, "One of the MOST BELOVED HORROR FRANCHISES of all time."

Diabolik DVD currently has the set on sale for a very affordable $21.99. That's five films for just over twenty clams! Their listing also reveals that the discs will be housed in slimline cases. The set will be hitting store shelves on September 12!

Ravager's David Hartman Releases New Album!

It seems like just yesterday I was writing here on the Archives about Phantasm Ravager director David Hartman's debut musical album "The Art of Monsters" by Zorgon. I mean, it practically was yesterday as the album dropped in March of this year. Now get this - Hartman has wasted no time in churning out a follow-up Zorgon release called "Walking with Monsters." The album hit iTunes and Amazon yesterday and appears to be MP3 only at the moment.

If you happen to like 80s synth or the musical stylings of Daft Punk or John Carpenter, then this album is for you! "Walking with Monsters" is currently a great value at just under $10 for nineteen tracks, which is more than an hour of terrific music. I've already given it a listen and am immediately declaring "Blood Cop" and "SynthCave" to be my favorite tracks.

Check it out on Amazon here!

Forget Blu. You need Phantasm Ravager on VHS!

Forget DVD. Forget Blu-Ray. Forget high definition entirely. You need Phantasm Ravager on good old VHS cassette!

Specialty biz Retro Release Video is now offering a cool VHS package for the latest Phantasm film, complete with vintage looking artwork! Considering that Ravager is the only film in the series without a proper VHS release, this kind of makes things right with the universe. In addition to completing your home video library, these make for terrific collector's pieces. The cases are available either "clean" or "thrashed" for that "been sitting on a rental store shelf for fifteen years" look. The tapes themselves are blank, but come in either traditional black, red, or green.

To order, e-mail Retro Release either through their website or (more preferably) direct message them on Instagram (username retroreleasevideo).