Earlier this year, I released my second horror movie related book, SLASH OF THE TITANS: THE ROAD TO FREDDY VS JASON. It details the crazy ten years that New Line spent trying to find the right script for 2003's Freddy vs Jason. Ultimately, they went through seventeen screenwriters before finally putting the crossover sequel into production. In researching my book, I closely studied ten different pitches that were seriously considered for the film... ... and in one of those pitches, Freddy Krueger gets drilled by the Tall Man's silver sphere! No joke! This was a legitimate screenplay that New Line bought and nearly made. Written by UK scribe Peter Briggs (who also co-wrote the first Hellboy), this draft found Freddy and Jason chasing survivors from earlier Elm Street and Friday sequels through hell. And what should slam right into Freddy's forehead? The Tall Man's silversphere! The screenwriter confessed in our interview that he was an enormous horror fan and wanted to sneak in these kinds of jokes/cameos for his audience. To learn more about Slash of the Titans, you can visit FreddyvsJasonBook.com or check it out on Amazon.
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 Pre-Order Your Set Here
We've seen the silver sphere transformed into an enamel pin. We've also seen the Tall Man given similar treatment. But this is an altogether new creation! Etsy seller The Sally Hardesty Collection has released a spectacular 1.5" pin of the Fortune Teller from the original Phantasm! These come in standard "Graveyard Noir," which is limited to seventy pieces, and also in a "Red Planet" edition, which is limited to thirty pieces. These pins cost $10 a pop plus shipping. Loving the fact that the pin maker is mailing these pins attached to custom printed Phantasm tarot cards. A very nice touch. Claim your pin(s) here before they're gone!!!
Like many of us, DeviantArt artist DW13 likes comics and horror films. They've recently taken to combining these two passions in an epic online comic called THE ULTIMATE BATTLE. The character roster of this sprawling tale is massive - everyone from Michael Myers and Dr. Loomis to Leatherface and Ash. The latest pages have pitted Jason Voorhees against the Tall Man and his spheres. You'll have to check out the comic itself to find out what happens! (And if you don't want to start on Page 01, the Jason/Tall Man encounter starts on Page 201 and is ongoing!)
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.
With Mark Shostrom at the makeup effects helm, Phantasm's II and III boast some of the franchise's most memorable and nightmarish visuals. In the second film, the Tall Man is killed by live embalming. In the third film, the heroes' attempt to freeze him, which causes his cranial gold sphere to burst from his skull. It's a terrific sequence. Some eagle-eyed phans may have already caught this, but I'm sure others haven't. If you purchased the recent Well Go USAPhantasm Collection, you may have noticed a digital enhancement to the Tall Man in Phantasm III. Check out the screenshot comparison below, though please forgive the poor quality of the captures. In restoring Phantasm III, the technicians digitally replaced the frozen Tall Man's eye. In the theatrical version, he appears to be staring downward. In the updated Blu-Ray, the Tall Man is looking direct at camera. How do you feel about such digital modifications? Do they matter or should the original special effects be left untouched? And, in case you also missed it, there were much larger changes made to the original Phantasm for its recent restoration including an all new silver sphere.
In 1989, Angus Scrimm joined the cast of Jim Wynorski's Transylvania Twist, a fun, rompy spoof of the horror genre. The film also starred Robert Vaughn and even a posthumous Boris Karloff (using repurposed footage froman old Roger Corman production). Twist lampooned everything from the classic Universal Monsters to more recent terrors like Freddy, Jason, and Leatherface. The film is of particular interest to Phantasm phans. In one marvelous scene, Angus Scrimm parodies most famous role by pitching a silver sphere toward a victim like a baseball, which brings new meaning to the phrase "You play a good game, boy!" The Tall Man actor was initially unsure how Don Coscarelli might feel about such a spoof, so he ran it by Phantasm's creator prior to filming, who gave it his full blessing. Check out the scene below! And if you dig it, be sure to check out the entire movie!
If you've been holding out on ordering Arrow's UK Phantasm Blu-Ray set, this is the universe's way of telling you to finally do it! Arrow has just knocked more than $30 USD off their price, bringing it down around $65 USD. The price had been hovering around $100 USD, so this is by far the cheapest price we've seen yet. Don't forget that this PhantasmCollection is limited to a scant 10,000 copies and, according to the company's last newsletter, less than 3,000sets remain in inventory. Once this baby sells out, it'll be gone for good! And trust that this one will be gone soon just like the Well Go USA Collection. Arrow's fantastic box set comes with a 120-page book, a silver sphere replica, and an extra disc of supplemental goodies! Thanks to uber-phan Scott Pensa for the head's up! Get your Arrow Collection here!
As mentioned here earlier this month, Well Go USA is finally releasing all five Phantasm films onto DVD format this September. We don't yet know what the special features will be, but we do know that the set will contain five discs. We had a peak at the artwork with that scoop, but that artwork now appears to have changed. As you can see below, the DVD collection cover originally featured a reflected image of the Tall Man from Phantasm Ravager. That Tall Man has now been replaced with a different Tall Man, one that I can't immediately connect to a specific film or publicity photo. The tie pin is also much more visible in this new cover. I don't much have a preference between these two - which do you like?
If you've been wondering what Reggie Bannister has been up to lately, wonder no more! The Regman opened up recently at WonderCon where he was interviewed by... a puppet. No kidding! Flick the Puppet, who has an entire YouTube channel, interviewed Reggie for fifteen minutes straight. They discuss Phantasm Ravager, Angus Scrimm, Reggie's musical career and other recent projects. Notice what fun chemistry Reggie has with this puppet interviewer. Anyone up for a Muppets-style horror film with the Regman?
If you're a horror fan and you were around for the 90's, you may look back fondly on TNT's MonsterVision and its charming host Joe Bob Briggs. A Texan with a love for monster flicks, Briggs hosted the Phantasm trilogy more than once on his program. Presented below thanks to some generous YouTube uploaders are his segments from hosting Phantasm II and then a double feature of both Phantasm and Phantasm II. The first Phantasm II segments show Briggs in his usual format complete with his "Drive-In Totals," an arguable highlight of his program. The second two videos are from a 1999 marathon that parodied The Blair Witch Project. These segments have their own storyline, but Briggs still pauses several times to discuss the Phantasm flicks.
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!
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!
