WATCH THIS - The Trailer for Phantasm-Con

On the heels of last week's news that Reggie & Gigi Bannister are throwing a virtual Phantasm Convention for May 1 & 2, 2020, we now have a killer trailer for the event! Best of all, it opens with a humorous message from the Regman himself. Dig the video below.

Get your tickets and learn more about the event on the official website!

Virtual Phantasm-Con Set for May!

Just when the COVID quarantine was starting to drive you mad, here's something for Phantasm phans to look forward to. Announcing PHANTASM-CON, a virtual phan convention set to unfold across May 1/2, 2020. This unique project is still coming together, but you can view the first details below and check out the website here! It already looks like the cyber-event has gained participation from several phamily members you don't regularly see at physical conventions, so that's a huge plus.

Here's the original Facebook post by organizer Gigi Bannister:

Want something to, as Reggie says, "Raise the vibe?" in the world? Where will YOU be on May 1-2, 2020? In your living room, in your comfy pants, eating #IceCream, drinking #DosEquis,and watching your FAVORITE horror movies WITH your FAVORITE horror celebrities, that's where! Details COMING SOON... BOOOOOYYYY! (Benefitting #CrestlineCreativeArtsFoundation raising funds for PPE [#PersonalProtectionEquipment] for #FirstResponders and #Veterinarians during the #CoVid19 Crises!

LIMITED - Reggie/Dwarf Figure 2-Pack from Morningside Customs

It was just last month that Morningside Customs' Mike/Tall Man double-offering sold out damn near immediately. Priced at roughly $250 and limited to only 50 pieces, they were at once a hot commodity on the secondhand market. Well, MC hasn't wasted anytime in following this up with another Phantasm double-figure pack.

Pre-orders have just opened up for a Reggie/Dwarf figure combo. While they aren't saying how many are being made this time around, they're sticking with the same $249.99 price tag. I must admit, this second round of hand-painted figures look just as cool as the last ones. Reggie even comes with a four-barrel shotgun accessory!

You can pre-order yours at Monsters in Motion.

"Hot as Love" Reggie Cosplay from Monsterpalooza

This weekend saw the terrific Monsterpalooza convention unfold in Pasadena, California. In attendance was true phan David Hanger, who chose to go in full cosplay as Reggie Bannister from the original Phantasm! Hot as love! You can see that David's even rocking a tuning fork, which is essential weaponry for any fight against the Tall Man and his forces of evil. Great work, David!

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#ReggieBannister #cosplay I wore to @monsterpaloozaofficial. Thank you @littleshopofgore doe the awesome #Phantasm #enamelpin.

A post shared by David Hanger (@david.hanger.16) on Apr 13, 2019 at 7:47pm PDT

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Reggie! #phantasm #mosterpalooza

A post shared by Freaky Fandoms (@freakyfandomspc) on Apr 13, 2019 at 5:39pm PDT

Custom Sculpt of Phantasm II-era Reggie Bannister!

The Altered State model building website has posted pictures of a terrific custom sculpt of Reggie Bannister from Phantasm II. Kick-ass chainsaw aside, the level of detail here is excellent with fun touches like the tool belt and power drill. Remarkable that the sculptor started this simply enough with a bent coat hanger!

The artist writes, "My first sculpt for someone else! Ran a little competition on Facebook for members of the group to choose a favourite character that had never been made before. Ended up with a tie 🙁 But I was up for the challenge. First winner was a huge horror movie fan. He chose the hero from a series of horror movies called Phantasm, Reggie. Described as “a shotgun and guitar-wielding mensch with a receding hairline and a turbo-charged libido”.

Can't you just hear this little Reggie yelling, "Come on, you mutha!" You can check out a ton more photos of this Reggie sculpt and see the artist's other work at The Altered State!

VIDEO: Reggie Bannister Interviewed by a Puppet

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?

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!

Rue Morgue Debuts Poster/Trailer for Reggie Bannister's Bonejangles!

Rue Morgue has debuted a new still, poster, and trailer for the upcoming monster-slasher flick Bonejangles starring Reggie Bannister. They report that audiences will finally get to experience the long awaited flick as Wild Eye Releasing will be unleashing it on VOD platforms on July 18. That is great news for fans of the Regman!

The IMDb describes the movie as such: To safely deliver an unstoppable killer, a rag-tag group of police officers must first survive a hellish pit stop: a cursed town where the dead rise from their graves.

I first wrote about Bonejangles here on the Archives almost two years ago and have been patiently waiting on a release date ever since. Have a gander at the trailer below and you'll immediately see what a rollicking good time this movie looks like.

FIRST FULL CLIP from Phantasm Ravager!

Dread Central have debuted the first clip from Phantasm Ravager on their YouTube channel. In it, a battle-worn Reggie comes across Daniel Schweiger (of both Bubba Ho-Tep and John Dies at the End) driving an awfully familiar muscle car. The last lasts just under two minutes and is pretty fun. Seeing Reggie slowly take charge of the scene and the slimy unease with which Schweiger plays it - it's all nicely directed.

EPIC Phantasm Pumpkin w/ Entire Cast!

It's not yet October, but that spooky feeling is already in the air. In what is becoming a delightful Halloween tradition, the ridiculously talented Natalie Tomaszewski has shared with us another Phantasm pumpkin creation - this time featuring the entire cast! Pictured here in character are actors Angus Scrimm, A. Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornbury, Reggie Bannister and Kat Lester. (Click any photo to see it larger!)

Natalie is constantly producing amazing pumpkin works of art, so be sure to check her out on Facebook at the Carved In Kin page. You can see beneath her most recent Phantasm pumpkin here one she did for my book, Phantasm Exhumed, last Halloween! I'm sure this pumpkin will impress both phans and cast members alike just as her previous ones have.

Bubba Ho-Tep getting Scream Factory Collector's Edition

Don Coscarelli's cult-classic Bubba Ho-Tep is getting the Collector's Edition treatment from Scream Factory this November 8th. Extras haven't been announced yet, but you can be sure they will be impressive. The distributor has released the new artwork, however, and it is fantastic!

If you've never seen this movie, you're really missing out on a great time. If nothing else, the flick is of great interest to phans for featuring several Phantasm series cast members including Reggie Bannister, Bob Ivy and Heidi Marnhout. Bubba also features three cast members from the upcoming Phantasm Ravager with Daniel Roebuck, Daniel Schweiger and Cean Okada!

Phantasm Ravager Premiere Date Nixes Con Appearance?

News comes in this evening from the Monster Mania Convention Facebook page that Reggie Bannister will unfortunately have to cancel his upcoming appearance at this September's Monster Mania 35 event... due to the Los Angeles premiere of Phantasm Ravager! The convention posted this announcement earlier tonight and hours later re-confirmed it for those wondering if perhaps a typo had been made. Monster Mania 35 is currently scheduled to go down from September 30th to October 2nd, meaning we might should expect Ravager to premiere sometime that weekend.

Monster Mania's posting also mentioned that they hope to assemble some of the original Phantasm's cast for a convention in Hunt Valley sometime next year. Their Cherry Hill/Hunt Valley shows have long been good to Phantasm phans, having hosted cast and crew from the films multiple times over the past fifteen or so years.

What is still unknown is whether or not this is a public-facing screening of the final Phantasm sequel or something exclusively for cast, crew and their families. Fingers crossed this means something good for the film's path to distribution and that we'll hear more soon!

(Thanks to Justin Stephens for the scoop!)

Did Reggie wear his Ravager Wardrobe to Comic-Con?

HollywoodHorror.org posted to social media this morning a picture of Reggie "Hot as Love" Bannister from a panel at the currently in-session San Diego Comic-Con. Something looked vaguely familiar about the Regman's appearance and then I realized... we've seen him in a green/white plaid shirt before! Before as in multiple images and screenshots from the long awaited Phantasm Ravager. Did Reggie manage to sneak a subtle nod toward Ravager into his Comic-Con appearance? Or does the man just own a lot of green plaid?

(Do keep in mind when making your judgements that the shirt in the pictures below is seven years YOUNGER than the shirt we'd have seen at Comic-Con, so even if it is the same shirt, it's likely faded/been worn to time.)

Reggie Bannister made it to @comic_con! @hollywoodscifimuseum #Phantasm

A photo posted by @no_headline on Jul 22, 2016 at 8:21pm PDT

Reggie & Gigi Bannister Debut New Short Film

Reggie and Gigi Bannister have debuted a new short film, The Intruders, on the FilmFreeway website. Based on an old episode of The Twilight Zone, the project was written, directed and produced by Gigi, who also stars alongside the Regman who appears a Rod Serling-esque host. Pay attention to the end credits and you'll see several phamiliar names including crewmember extraordinaire Kristen Deem, Phantasm Ravager actor Daniel Schweiger and mega-phan Jeff Roman. You can watch the short here.

Gigi's director's statement from the site: "My motto was given to me in 1987 by a dear friend, Chis Malanowsky: "I just want to make movies!" I have tried to live by that motto ever since. Every project is like giving birth. One brings the concept from a spark of thought into a tangible thing which lives and breathes for eternity on the screen and in the hearts of others. It is the legacy of all who worked on it. If we are lucky, we are fondly remembered for it and it lives on long after we are gone.

This project is an homage to the Twilight Zone episode "Invaders" with Agnes Moorehead." It was one of Rod Serling's favorites, one of the most recognizable, and legendary. It has no dialogue, only three rooms and the roof for the set. The nemesis are tiny robots from Earth. We built the set at a local ranch made from a three room horse stall. Miss Moorhead was notorious for her manicured nails so we included that detail - as we did many others. We took artistic license with the ending to make it our own story. It is intense but a bit lighthearted in places and includes some comedic moments not in the first, but, we hope that the viewers appreciate the send up as much we did bringing to them. My husband, Reggie Bannister, and I are so proud of our amalgamation of Riverside City College student crew and cast, volunteers from Crestline Creative Arts Foundation, Professionals, Friends and Phans who have helped give this "baby" life."

WATCH IT HERE!

Reggie Bannister remembers pal Angus Scrimm

Fangoria has posted another personal remembrance of our dear Angus Scrimm, this one by longtime friend and co-star Reggie Bannister. The Tall Man and the Regman did a total of eight films together across forty years, five of which were Phantasm’s. In the years since the original film, the two men have traveled the country together promoting their work and meeting fans of the series and genre. The Fangoria piece also includes several special photos by Phantasm crewmember extraordinaire Kristen Deem.

The legacies of these two greats will forever be intertwined, so it’s nice to hear more from Reggie about the man we’re all still missing. Read the piece here. (The Tall Man artwork in the above image is by the fantastic Chris Ness - check out his website on the side panel to your right.)

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!

EMPIRE ranks Tall Man/Reggie among Horror's Greatest Characters!

Empire Online has debuted an impressive ranking of the 666 All-Time Greatest Horror Characters, which must have been an exhausting undertaking. You'll surely be delighted to learn that both the Tall Man and Reggie rank on their list! The Tall Man clocked in at a very respectable 84th and Reggie was listed at 258th! Phantasm is so often excluded from these kinds of lists, so it's wonderful to see some mainstream acknowledgement. If I'm being honest, I would've also loved to have seen Mike Pearson listed here. A. Michael Baldwin's portrayal in the original is definitely the heart of that film.

Don Coscarelli must be pleased as well because Elvis from Bubba Ho-Tep also made the list only a few spots above the Tall Man! See the complete list here.

Reggie Bannister's Bonejangles Looks Awesome!

The trailer for Reggie Bannister's latest film has debuted onto Facebook and.... it looks all kinds of ass-kicking awesome. Titled Bonejangles, the IMDb describes it as such: To safely deliver an unstoppable killer, a rag-tag group of police officers must first survive a hellish pit stop: a cursed town where the dead rise from their graves.

Our dear Reggie shows up looking wonderfully maniacal in the preview appearing to play the monster's father. He's also rocking a great accent ("Make yo dadda praad!") and what might be an axe. This film looks like so much fun, with plenty of stylish throwback on display to the vintage slasher films of yesteryear (the lighting, camera and effects work are all strikingly good!) Bonejangles is the second feature from director Brett DeJager and the first from screenwriter Keith Melcher. The film also stars Elissa Dowling and Julia Cavanaugh.

Check out the trailer below and be sure to follow the film's official Facebook page for updates!

Hand-Knit Tall Man and Reggie Dolls

I posted back in 2011 about Laure Pizzi, who had knit several terrific Tall Man dolls (one of which Angus Scrimm himself bought), but I've now found someone who has knit together not only the Tall Man, but Reggie as well!

The blogger over at Recycled Miracles has stitched together these dolls from yarn scraps, using leftover pieces of suede for the eyes and tin foil for the sphere. Very cool. Now we just need a Mike, Jody and Lady in Lavender to complete this adorable collection!

The tuning fork is a nice detail and - hey - she even added a little tie-pin to the Tall Man's neck tie! Talk about attention to detail!

Phantasm Cast headed to Kentucky

The Phantasm crowd is being summoned for yet another reunion in 2015, this time in Lexington, Kentucky. A. Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornbury, Reggie Bannister and Gigi Fast Elk Bannister have been announced as guests for the ScareFest Horror & Paranormal Convention happening this September 11-13 at the Lexington Convention Center. With the show still a long eight months away, there are surely plenty of guest announcements yet to come. A little silver sphere whispered to me recently that this fine Phantasm reunion may grow larger yet - time will tell!