Phantasm

1979
R
1h 29m

IMDb RATING

6.6/10

42K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

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Newly orphaned teenager Mike Pearson, his older brother Jody, and their friends face off against a mysterious grave robber known as the Tall Man, who employs a lethal arsenal of unearthly we... Read allNewly orphaned teenager Mike Pearson, his older brother Jody, and their friends face off against a mysterious grave robber known as the Tall Man, who employs a lethal arsenal of unearthly weapons in their southern California town.Newly orphaned teenager Mike Pearson, his older brother Jody, and their friends face off against a mysterious grave robber known as the Tall Man, who employs a lethal arsenal of unearthly weapons in their southern California town.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.6/10

42K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

2,326

158

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 2 wins & 2 nominations

Mike
(as Michael Baldwin)

Bill Thornbury

Jody

Reggie Bannister

Reggie

Kathy Lester

Lady in Lavender

Terrie Kalbus

Fortuneteller's Granddaughter

Kenneth V. Jones

Caretaker
(as Ken Jones)

Susan Harper

Girlfriend

Lynn Eastman-Rossi

Sally
(as Lynn Eastman)

David Arntzen

Toby

Ralph Richmond

Bartender

Bill Cone

Tommy

Laura Mann

Double Lavender

Mary Ellen Shaw

Fortuneteller

Myrtle Scotton

Maid

Angus Scrimm

The Tall Man

Dac Coscarelli

Funeral Guest
(uncredited)

Kate Coscarelli

Funeral Guest
(uncredited)

Director
- Don Coscarelli
Writer
- Don Coscarelli
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Storyline

Edit

Did you know

Edit

Trivia
Don Coscarelli rented all of the filming equipment used to make this movie, always on Fridays so he could use it all weekend and return it on Mondays, all the while only actually having to pay one day's rental on the equipment.

Goofs
When The Tall Man breaks down the door of Mike's house, at the bottom of the door, a crew person's feet are visible running and pushing the door.

Quotes
The Tall Man: Boooy!

Crazy credits
The cable TV version has extra text in the credits that reads, "Enter the Tall Man's Mausoleum, if you dare, at www.phantasm.com"

Alternate versions
New Line/Image Collector's Edition laserdisc features a separate section with one deleted scene (struck from a what appears to be a work print as there is no music and sound is limited to dialogue only). The scene has Mike telling big brother Jody about weird goings-on he has witnessed at the cemetery. Jody then gets Mike drunk and takes him to Reggie's ice cream parlor, where they start a food fight. Then it cuts to a scene the next day where Jody stops by the bank where he works and visits his girlfriend.

Connections
Edited into Phantasm: Behind the Scenes 1995 Featurette (1995)

Soundtracks
Sittin' Here At Midnight
by Bill Thornbury
Thornbury Music

User reviews391

Review

Featured review

7/10

A Weird and Original Cult Movie

After the death of Tommy (Bill Cone), who was stabbed by a woman at the cemetery, Jody (Bill Thornbury) and his friend Reggie (Reggie Bannister) attend the funeral at the Morningside funeral home. Jody is followed by his teenage brother Mike (Michael Baldwin), who has just lost his parents and is afraid of losing his big brother that intends to travel.

Mike snoops around the cemetery and sees the mortician known as The Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) carrying Tommy's coffin alone without any help. Mike breaks in the mortuary to investigate the mystery and discovers weird dwarf creatures with yellow blood and dangerous flying spheres that protect the location. When he is chased by The Tall Man, he cuts his finger and brings it home to show Jody to convince his big brother that there is a dark secret in the mortuary. Jody, Reggie and Mike discover that The Tall Man is from outer space and is transforming dead bodies in dwarfs to work as slave in his world. Now they decide that The Tall Man must be destroyed. Will they succeed in their intent?

"Phantasm" is one of the most weird and original cult movies that I have ever seen. The surrealistic and dreamlike story entwines horror with sci-fi with many twists and bizarre characters and situations.

I saw "Phantasm" for the first time on VHS in the early 80's and I have just seen it again on DVD and surprisingly the film has not aged, only the clothing, the hair style and the special effects. But for fans like me, it is still attractive and entertaining. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Fantasma" ("Phantasm")

Note: On 28 April 2023, I saw this film again.