JJ Abrams Restoring Phantasm, Plus Ravager News

Quint over at Ain't It Cool News has one hell of a scoop - that JJ Abrams's Bad Robot has been secretly performing a 4k restoration on the original Phantasm! Not only that, this bad boy is being restored from the original camera negative, which we've long understood Don Coscarelli to have spirited away in a vault somewhere. Quint also mentions that new Ravager footage has been screened at the site's annual BNAT event (do look up that acronym if you don't know it!)

That Abrams is involved is not that much of a surprise, mind you. He named a character in his upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens after Phantasm and cast Angus Scrimm in a recurring role on Alias some years ago. The guy is an admitted phan. 

The AICN article continues, "Coscarelli has been hard at work producing a fifth Phantasm Installment (called Ravager), but word around the campfire is he had to put it on hold to focus on this restoration (which is why it's not in your living rooms just yet)." 
 
Uh... Quint and I are apparently sitting around different Phantasm Ravager campfires. The article closes out with two gorgeous screenshots from the new transfer. Feast your eyes upon them below!

Phan Creates Killer Reggie Bannister Figure!

Frustrated with the complete lack of Phantasm figures, talented DeviantArt user Oz Muerte uploaded photos this week of his own custom Reggie figure... and it's pretty badass. Even cooler is that Oz didn't skimp on the accessories. From the looks of it, this Reggie comes equipped with a tuning fork, an acoustic guitar, his handy four-barrel shotgun and ice cream! Notice in the photo collage below how great Oz's Reggie looks when paired beside NECA's Tall Man figure!

"Small man, your end approaches but it is not yet!"

On his DeviantArt page, Oz writes, "I went all out on details & accessories as you can see. And although you cant really tell from the pictures, he does have his trademark ponytail. Making "The Dwarf Tosser" 4-barreled shotgun was a bit involved, and if that didn't work the whole thing wouldn't... Interesting too that its not entirely movie accurate, as its made from pump-action shotguns, but that may actually be an improvement over the original as now the stabilizing handle could conceivably be used to load the next 4 rounds in each time by Reggie pulling it towards himself... It would save him from having to reload so much."

The only question now is.... how do we get Oz Muerte a job at NECA??

Click to photo to enlarge it!

Bill Thornbury Releases New Album

Bill Thornbury, better known to Phantasm phans as Jody Pearson, has released a new album of classic hymns. Titled "12 Golden Treasures," the release is a throwback to the gospel music he grew up enjoying. This marks his third such album after previous releases "Five Loaves, Two Fishes" and "Torn Little Page." Whether singing "Sittin' Here At Midnight" in Phantasm or bringing classic hymns into the present here on his new album, Bill's music is always easy on the ears. You can find his new release on CDBaby and on iTunes as well.

Bill wrote on social media, "Dear friends, the release of 12 Golden Treasures is a new recording project very close to heart. I grew up singing "the old gospel songs" in a Baptist church in the small farming community of Kingsburg, California. Many years later, and with two previous Contemporary Christian albums as a singer/songwriter, I was determined to one day express my love and appreciation for the "old hymns." I have done my best to present these 12 Golden Treasures in the most creative and artistic way that I can. I thank God for this opportunity to share them with you, Love, Bill"

Grab a physical copy or digital download here.

Check Out Makeup Maestro Mark Shostrom's Blog!

Phantasm phans and horror genre enthusiasts, take note! In addition to having a fairly huge website, Special makeup effects genius Mark Shostrom has been posting writings about his accomplished career to a blog that will be of interest to many. If you aren't in the know, Mark is responsible for makeup effects on Phantasm II and III, Evil Dead II, Nightmare on Elm Street II and III, From Beyond and so many other classic productions. He has already accumulated a handful of entries with more to come. Be sure to bookmark it!

You can also add Mark on Facebook to stay up-to-date on his writings and projects!

New Angus Scrimm Project Debuts!

Two pieces of Phantasm-related news today! The first involves an Angus Scrimm project that has been brewing for the past year, one that was recorded last November when the performer was in New York City accepting a lifetime achievement award. From talented writer/director and frequent Scrimm-collaborator James Felix McKenney comes "The Tribunal of Minos" in the third season of Tales From Beyond the Pale. You may recall that Angus previously appeared in the audio drama series's first season. This new tale is a thirty-six minute audio terror starring everyone's favorite Tall Man alongside narrator Larry Fessenden and performer Mizuo Peck. Right now, Scrimm's episode is an incredibly economical $0.95 on Amazon!

You can bet I'll be checking this out very soon and will be reporting back here with my review. To learn more about this terrific audio drama series from McKenney and Fessenden, check out the official site here. I insist you do!

The second piece of news is that the premium edition of the Phantasm Exhumed book is once again available for sale. The standard paperback "Blue Edition" is still available from numerous sites and booksellers, but this other printing only comes along every so often.

Known as The Red Planet Edition, this elusive version of the book boasts hardcover binding, full-color interior and is expanded with thirty new pages of rare set photos. In total, the book now includes more than three hundred photos! 

This premium format will never be available in stores or on Amazon - you can only find it at PhantasmExhumed.com where it goes for $34.99 for a limited time. Grab your copy today!