Video: Flip Through a Red Planet Edition

I thought this was a pretty cool video - a happy phan flips through a Red Planet Edition of Phantasm Exhumed with the theme music playing overtop. This gives you a pretty cool idea of the many photos in it, more than three hundred for this particular edition (The "Blue Edition" packs around fifty or so fewer photos.) You can still get your copy exclusively from the official book website!

My #phantasm book came in! #horror #thetallman #phantasmexhumed #70smovies

A video posted by Michael (@aguirre1264) on Jul 26, 2016 at 6:38pm PDT

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!)

Phantasm Remastered Screening Nationally in September!

Details are still coming in about this one, but it's pretty much confirmed. Phantasm Remastered will be screening nationally in the United States on the night of September 24, 2016 as part of Art House Theater Day. I originally thought this evening showing was limited to the Pennsylvania theater mentioned in my previous blog post, but that no longer appears to be the case. The film is also now confirmed to show in Cleveland that same evening.

Things we know for sure:

- Although only two theaters are currently known to be screening Phantasm Remastered that night, more than 160 theaters are participating in the Art House Theater Day event. That means we can reasonably look forward to significantly more, if not all, participating venues to soon announce their screenings. You can find a list of participating theaters on their website.

- The Pennsylvania screening page mentioned a live stream following the film by Don Coscarelli. The Cleveland listing expand upon this by revealing that he will be joined on the video-cast by performers from the original Phantasm.

- The Cleveland listing also expands upon the "special merchandise" that will be available in the lobby. Their website states that "Mondo is creating limited-run products for PHANTASM, which will be exclusively available that evening."

This is all exciting! There's still a few details we don't have, but we can look forward to these gaps in intel being filled in when either Don Coscarelli or Art House Theater Day make their formal announcement about the event coming up. Thanks enormously to the Pennsylvania and Cleveland venues for tipping us off about these phantasmic happenings!

Phantasm 4k Coming to PA with Coscarelli Live Stream

Dormont Pennsylvania's Hollywood Theater has announced a screening of Phantasm Remastered for Saturday night, September 24th. This showing marks the theater's first annual Art House Theater Day. All seats are ten bucks. The Hollywood Theater's website notes: "Stay tuned to our Facebook page as we announce special PHANTASM merchandise available at the theater, and a live stream afterwards with director Don Coscarelli!" Might that mean Phantasm's creator will be screening an extended Phantasm Ravager trailer here like in Chicago next month?

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

Phantasm Remastered Heading Down Under

Phantasm Remastered is scheduled to play next month at the Melbourne International Film Festival in Australia. The upgraded classic will have two late night screenings, one on Friday, August 5 and the other on Friday, August 12. For more information, see the Phantasm Remastered page on the festival's website.

The listing's description reads: Legendary horror director Don Coscarelli (John Dies at the End, MIFF 2013) cemented his cult status with this beloved 1979 film. Nearly 40 years on, it is now considered one of the most influential classics of the genre. It even inspired JJ Abrams to name Star Wars villain Captain Phasma after the film's iconic killer ball. Abrams himself, and his Bad Robot company, headed up the stunning 4K restoration of Phantasm, a new digital print and 5.1 audio soundtrack that makes this icon of B-movie horror look and sound better than it ever has. In the wake of the death earlier this year of the film's unforgettably terrifying star, Angus Scrimm, this restored version serves as a worthy tribute.

How James LeGros Was Kinda-Almost In Phantasm V

In this lead up to Phantasm Ravager, let us remember back to the brief time when it was proposed that substitute Mike Pearson actor James LeGros return to the franchise. Phans will, of course, recall that LeGros was cast as Mike for Phantasm II in the wake of original Mike performer A. Michael Baldwin being snubbed.

The LeGros cameo was first suggested by screenwriter Stephen Romano a decade back for his unproduced Phantasm Forever screenplay. It's unknown if the Phantasm II performer was ever contacted for it, but wouldn't that be a fantastic cameo? As Romano envisioned it, both the LeGros Mike and the Baldwin Mike would have squared off in a surreal confrontation.

Given how much LeGros has distanced himself from the franchise these past decades (declining to participate in interviews, reunions, DVD supplements, etc.), his return to Phantasm in any capacity would be a hugely surprising move. Hear the cast talk about it in the video below, which was shot at the 2008 Fright Night Film Fest.