2021 Update: Phantasm's Hanging Tree Location

(Top right photo from Don Coscarelli's personal archive.)

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!

Phantasm's Morningside Mortuary Threatened by Wildfires

Well, this is shitty. Recent news out of Oakland, California suggest that the state's raging wildfires may now be threatening "Oaktown," which is home to the Dunsmuir-Hellman Estate - better known to Phantasm phans as Morningside Mortuary from the first film. Built in 1899, this stunning 37-room mansion has appeared in numerous shows and films throughout the years including Burnt Offerings, A View to a Kill, and So I Married an Axe Murderer.

The Dunsmuir team posted the following notice on social media announcing their temporary closure. News outlets are reporting heavy smoke over the city and that schools have begun to close amid precautionary power shut-offs. Fingers crossed the fires extinguish soon, not only to prevent further loss of life and property, but to also spare this classic Phantasm location. (Thanks to Scott Pensa for the head's up on this.)

Here's a look at the Dunsmuir mansion from several years ago in better times. Superphan Matt Naylor proposed to now-wife Jessica during their pilgrimage to the Tall Man's stomping grounds. You learn more about Dunsmuir and even plan a visit, assuming everything turns out okay, by visiting their official website here.

Yet Another Phantasm Location May Soon Vanish

First we lost the Pearson home in 2015.

Then we lost the Fortuneteller's home in 2016.

Now we may be losing the iconic hanging tree location that was briefly seen in Phantasm and more prominently featured in Phantasm Oblivion via Phantasm cutscenes. Located in Agoura Hills, California, this gnarly tree has been threatened for several decades by local area development. It seems the tree may be bulldozed this year or next to make way for a new construction called "The Agoura Village East" project. The sign out front notes that AVE isn't a sure thing yet, but the situation doesn't look too good right now.

Superphan Matt Naylor sent in the following photos from his visit this past week. The tree is now entirely surrounded by protective fencing and impossible to access without jumping the fence. Matt reported seeing police in the vicinity, so he decided not to risk it. For the best - you never know when you'll encounter a demon trooper. You can see more pictures of the hanging tree up close here.

Screen to Location Picture courtesy the Then & Now Movie Location Blog

You're Not Gonna Believe What They're Selling at Dunsmuir Mansion

Phantasm phan and globe-trotting photographer Scott Pensa was in Northern California earlier today and opted to stop by the historic Dunsmuir Mansion in Oakland, California. Phans will surely recall that Dunsmuir served as the exterior of Morningside Mortuary on the original Phantasm. The group that controls the property regularly allow guests to tour the mansion and grounds, which has resulted in a ton of phans making pilgrimage to the location.

Scott was wrapping up his tour today and stopped by Dunsmuir's gift shop, where he spotted A BOX OF SILVER SPHERES FOR SALE. I swear to God, not even kidding. See the picture to your right. You may call them Christmas ornaments, but I know better. Those are chrome brain suckers if I've ever seen them.

Scott was wearing a spiffy Tall Man shirt during his visit and brought along his Red Planet Edition of Phantasm Exhumed. That edition is now out of print, but you can still find the Blue Edition on Amazon if you want to learn more about Phantasm's filming at Dunsmuir or how it nearly returned for Phantasm Oblivion.

To learn more about the property or plan your own visit, check out the official Dunsmuir website. They also host a ton of weddings, so if you're thinking of tying the knot anytime soon....

Thanks to Scott Pensa for the scoop!

 

Reggie's Ice Cream Shop to Appear on CNBC's The Profit

The delightful Fosselman's Ice Cream Shop in Alhambra, California, better known to phans as the interior of Reggie's Ice Cream Shop from the Phantasm deleted scene, will make an appearance in an upcoming episode of CNBC's The Profit on the August 23rd episode. They seem to have cleaned up the store nicely since Mike, Jody and Reggie had their drunken food fight so many years ago. Remarkably, the store still looks much the same as it did then, featuring many of the same decorations, light fixtures and signs as almost seen in Phantasm.

Thanks to super-phan Scott Pensa for the news alert! You can see some of Fosselman's in the video below.

Another Phantasm Location Demolished

Well, folks.... first came the destruction of the Pearson House last year and now it seems we've lost another classic Phantasm location. It would appear that the Fortuneteller's House that stood at 22840 Calvert Street in Woodland Hills has been completely torn down. The Google Satellite image you see to your right shows that the acre lot has been cleared of the house and trees that long stood there.

Built in 1937, the single family home retained the white/green paint scheme seen in the first Phantasm nearly forty years ago up until its recent demolition. There were concerns last year that the property might be on the chopping block after the yard was cleared and a construction fence erected around the perimeter. LA Magazine reported that the lot had sold for upwards of $900,000. With the pending Warner Center Village Project revving up, this turn of events surely comes as a surprise no one in the area. The neighbors are likely glad this finally happened.

To be perfectly honest, the deserted home and sorely neglected yard stood out badly in the otherwise nice neighborhood. You can see just how out-of-place the abandoned lot feels in the crappy cell phone video below that I shot during my 2009 visit.

In such times, we should remember the immortal words of the Fortuneteller herself. "Fear is the killer." That's what Grandmother wants you to learn. Now please let's hope everything is okay with the Dunsmuir Estate in Oakland.

Someone took the Red Planet Edition to the Red Planet!?

Now this cracks me up. 

Phantasm Exhumed photographer and pal-o-mine Scott Pensa recently jetted off to California for Samantha Phillip's 50th Birthday Bash among other things and on his way there made a stop off at the Tall Man's Red Planet! In actuality, that planet is the Santa Fe Dam in Irwindale. Here are his pictures from the location as it looks today. Although the planet's landscape appears to extend off into the horizon, it does not really. Shots of the Red Planet rely heavily on forced perspective since the rocky surface is in reality a steep hill that rises up. Look closely in the second picture and you can see what appears to be a bicyclist riding along a path atop the hill.

You'll notice Scott brought along his Red Planet Edition to the Red Planet, which is a first for my book as far as I know!!

Classic Phantasm Location Demolished

Time to report some crappy news. After learning last month that the filming location for the Fortuneteller's Home may be soon demolished, it has come to my attention that the filming location used as the Pearson Residence exterior in the original film HAS been demolished. Phans will fondly recall this as the spot where Jody and Reggie strummed "Sittin' Here at Midnight," where Mike showed his brother the severed finger and from where the Tall Man single-handedly carted Mike out to his waiting hearse.

The dastardly deed appears to have been carried out only a few short months ago. A lavish new structure appears to be under construction in its place. Located at 1232 Corsica Drive, Google Street View gives us a close-up look at the property. 

I was fortunate enough to visit the property back in 2009 with Kristen Deem and Guy Thorpe. The location has been immortalized through both Sean Clark's Horror's Hallowed Grounds column in HorrorHound and in Reggie's Phantasmagorical Mystery Tour on the out-of-print R2 Phantasm box set. For all those bummed that they will never be able to make pilgrimage here, I say chin up! 

After all, we'll always have Dunsmuir.

(Top photo by Kristen Deem, Bottom photo from Google)

Going Wide with Phantasm Panoramics

Today's post has been sitting in my inbox for five years now (yikes), two spectacular works that elongate the phantasmic visual plane. Master photo editor Marcel Castro Valiño sent in these two lovely panoramic shots from the original Phantasm, which he created by magic by combining multiple images from a camera pan movement. The first showcases the entire casket showroom and the second gives you a better view of the Fortuneteller's home, which was the subject of yesterday's sad post.

Click either image to enlarge it and soak in the details! Thanks kindly for sharing, Marcel!

Classic Phantasm Location Doomed?

I just happened across some unfortunate news from this past October regarding a classic Phantasm location. It appears the Fortuneteller's home, which has remained virtually unchanged in Woodland Hills since the original film, may be slated for demolition. Los Angeles Magazine notes that the property had been "marketed as a tear down, valued solely for the large, 0.82-acre plot of land it sits on." It was then sold for $900,000. Today, a chain link fence sits around the home, which stands out sorely in the otherwise fairly nice neighborhood. The yard has also been cleared of overgrown foliage and junker automobiles. (The above image of the yard is from my own visit in 2009.)

Click the image on your right to enlarge it and see the property as it looks today, photo originally from the Los Angeles Magazine website. Thanks to Peter Marullo for the head's up on this.

"Don't fear, Michael. Fear is the killer."