London 1888's Phantasm Sphere Kill Pin is Back!

I'm a bit late to the party on this one, but it's still worth posting about. Years ago, I wrote on this blog about how Christopher Ott's London 1888 had released a smashing Phantasm enamel pin, which sold out long ago. Lucky for those who missed out on this neat collectible, Ott has released a new variation on the old pin, which is currently available through his website for $10.

This nifty 1.75 inch enamel pin depicts Phantasm's unfortunate caretaker being drilled by the silver sphere. Like the original pin years ago, the sphere moves back and forth into the poor chap's forehead!

Get your pin here before they're gone!

Auction Update: P2 Rambo Sphere Prop & Other Rarities Added

In case you missed yesterday's groovy news, Phantasm series crewmember Kristen Deem is having a moving sale and parting with some rare treasures from her personal Phantasm collection. The first item to hit the auction block was an authentic Phantasm II silver sphere used during production!

Kristen has added a few additional items to eBay since that first prop including an even more rare Phantasm II "Rambo Sphere" used to kill the mortuary caretaker (Mark Anthony Major). Below is a listing of what's been added since yesterday. Each auction page comes with at least one photo and a detailed description of the item. The R. Quinn mask even comes with a copy of a decades old letter from Angus Scrimm discussing it! Way cool.


Phantasm II "Rambo Half-Sphere" Prop used in the caretaker's death

Rare Licensed 1980 Tall Man Halloween Mask by R. Quinn Studios

1983 Angus Scrimm Painted Lifecast Mask from The Lost Empire (this mask's twin was used on Phantasm Oblivion)

Phantasm II T-Shirt and Promo Button from World Premiere Screening

Actual Phantasm II Sphere Prop on eBay!

Fans of the sphere.... this may be your lucky week. We've had some issues in recent years with fake silver sphere props appearing on the auction block. Sphere wrangler Kerry Prior even called out some of these fakers. But today's prop auction comes from an incredibly reliable source - a veteran crewmember of three sequels!

Phantasm series crewmember Kristen Deem is moving and parting with some rare items from her personal collection. Among this lot is an authentic production-used Phantasm II sphere!! The ball is currently listed on eBay here. Kristen Deem was a storyboard artist/unit publicist on Phantasm II, assistant to Angus Scrimm on Phantasm III and script supervisor/prop master/costume assistant on Phantasm Oblivion. She can be prominently seen throughout the supplemental materials for both the recent Well Go USA and Arrow UK Blu-Ray collections.

Kristen describes the ball as such: "The silver sphere is only one of its kind authentic set prop from the actual production of "Phantasm II." This fiberglass ball was created and chromed by late SPFX artist Steve Patino. (There are no prong or drill holes on this particular orb.) Over a dozen of these were created by Patino for a specific shot filmed during the later part of production (circa February 1988--I don't have access to my journal at this time to get an exact date) at our Perigord mausoleum set in a Chatsworth warehouse. I assisted with the shot that day, standing at one end of the hallway. One of our crew members was a semi-professional baseball pitcher and he tossed all these spheres down the corridor towards me in a curve-ball fashion. They would round the corner of the intersection (out of camera view) at the last moment and smash into the wall next to me, shattering onto the floor. The footage was played backwards to replicate the sphere flying sequence identical to the first "Phantasm." I was the cleanup person that day, sweeping up the shards before each camera take, and this sphere is the only one that survived relatively intact. I glued what I could back together and have kept this prop in my closet almost thirty years. It may not be much to look at but it is a genuine piece of film history from the actual filming of "Phantasm II" being sold by the crew member who was there that day. All the other spheres constructed for this shot were completely destroyed (I disposed of them all)."

If you want to own an authentic piece of rare Phantasm history, hit up the auction page 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.

Super Rare Tall Man Bust Available Again!

Here's some good news for phans of the Tall Man. This fantastic tribute bust by master sculptor Jeff Yagher is once again available through Rebel Resin Model Kits & Busts. Just contact Tony Salcines over at Rebel Resin to order one. They come unpainted, though Tony may be able to paint yours up for a small fee. And as far as amazing collectibles go, these are very reasonably priced. 

They're also incredibly rare considering they aren't at all mass produced or available for sale too often. If you're looking for a way to honor to the late great Angus Scrimm in your home or office, this is a wonderful way to do it.

Personally, I have a plaster white Tall Man bust sitting on my desk, though I've also recently ordered a painted head as well that I might swap out every so often. My Tall Man bust is - without a doubt - one of my favorite pieces in my own Phantasm Archives collection.

Again, hit up Tony at Rebel Resin to secure yours today!

Strange History: Phantasm's Accidentally Deleted Scene

Here's a bit of strange franchise trivia: Did you know that Phantasm's early videotape releases had an accidentally deleted scene? It's true! The technicians that transferred to the film to its original home video master tapes mistakenly trimmed the scene when the spacegate room goes dark and Reggie whispers, "Jody? Where are ya? Mike?" Then we hear a dwarf snarl and Reggie mutters, "Oh shit."

Why would they snip this brief scene? It unfortunately fell at the end of a reel change. Being that the spacegate room goes completely dark, the screen goes black even though Reggie's dialogue continues on. To the uninformed video tech, a blank screen meant that the reel had ended. They then switched over to the next reel, cutting off the scene. 

This mistake was eventually corrected when the film was re-relased onto home video by MGM in the 90's. Packaging on the newer tapes boasted that they contained the film's "original theatrical version," which they now did. These tapes not only reinstated the missing scene, but also included four minutes of intentionally deleted scenes after the film presentation.

A. Michael Baldwin in new Slender Man movie FLAY!

Terrific news for phans - franchise star A. Michael Baldwin is returning to the horror genre with a new film - Flay - based on the popular Slender Man character, which itself was largely inspired by Phantasm and the Tall Man! How appropriate! IMDb reports the plot as follows: "After the death of her mother, an estranged daughter struggles to save her brother, and those around her from a malevolent faceless spirit."

Deadline is now reporting that Uncork'd Entertainment has picked up worldwide rights to the film, which hopefully means we can expect to see it reasonably soon. Flay marks the second feature from writer/director Eric Pham, who also boasts an accomplished career in special effects work including films like Sin City and Grindhouse.

You can catch the film's trailer here.

On an interesting note of trivia, this is not the first Slender Man inspired movie. There was previously a flick called Always Watching: A Marble Hornets Story, which starred cult actor Doug Jones as the nefarious monster. That film also paid tribute to Slender Man's origins by featuring Angus Scrimm in a brief cameo.