User reviews

Emerging from a coma after the events of the last film, Mike (A. Michael Baldwin) reunites with pal Reggie (Reggie Bannister), but only briefly, as he's whisked off to another dimension by the sinister Tall Man (Angus Scrimm). Reggie then sets out to try and find and rescue Mike, aided by 11-year-old orphan Tim (Kevin Connors), and ex-soldier Rocky (Gloria Lynne Henry). Also featuring Bill Thornbury, Cindy Ambuehl, Brooks Gardner, and John Davis Chandler.

Universal ordered yet another sequel despite the poor box office of the second Phantasm film, and while Coscarelli was given greater creative control (he was allowed to bring Baldwin back from the first film as Mike), the budget was smaller. Unfortunately there's not much inspiration to the proceedings this time around. A lengthy segment featuring new kid Connors battling criminals in his home comes across as a dumb, R-rated take-off on Home Alone. The mythology of the storyline is greatly expanded , with names given to the flying spheres (Sentinels) and hooded dwarf servants (Lurkers), as well as completely explaining the Tall Man's purposes and use of the corpses he harvests. Some revelations about Mike, as well as his brother Jody (a returning Bill Thornbury), will come as a surprise. The movie was completed in 1993, but Universal kept it on the shelf for over a year, finally opening it in a couple of theaters in 1994 before eventually dumping it virtually direct-to-video in 1995. It's lost the novelty of the first film and lacks the production value polish of the second and gives you just too many characters to care about. (5/10)

Unlike many other reviewers, out of the Phantasm series, I liked this one the best. They really had fun with this one and didn't take themselves too seriously. And it was actually funny!

The movie picks up where the second one ended, but I don't think you necessarily need to see the first two movies to enjoy this one. There are plenty of flashbacks and, frankly, it's a pretty crazy story to follow in any case. I think this one actually made more sense than the first two.

The first Phantasm was an amateur pet project that was literally a bunch of friends working weekends putting together a horror movie for fun. It was and is a cult hit.

The second movie had more money behind it but, in my opinion, tried to take itself a little too seriously for such ridiculous subject matter.

For me, this movie had the perfect balance of horror and comedy. It was hilarious, horrific, and sometimes both at the same time. Good fun with decent make-up effects and an amazing car stunt with a hearse. I also really liked the way they introduced one of the main characters, the kid. I could see that idea being a great movie on its own: Home Alone done as a horror movie.

In the DVD commentary (yes, believe it or not, I even listened to the commentary) Baldwin asked Angus what the fan reaction to this movie was. He said that people either hated it for the comedy element or loved it because of it. I'm in the latter category.

If you're looking for top-notch acting and dialogue or a story that makes sense, this is not your movie. But if you like b-horror movies on the humorous side, I definitely recommend you give this one a shot.

Phantasm III keeps its promise of continuing with the Phantasm story and the Phantasm characters. Mike and Reg are back - and so is Jody from the first Phantasm. And let's not forget one of the creepiest screen villains in the last 30 years - Angus Scrimm as the ubiquitous Tall Man. This time around Reg and Mike continue to battle the Tall Man from the last scene in Phantasm II - eventually Mike is kidnapped and Reg finds some new pals - an eleven year old that has holed himself up in his house whilst battling intruders and killing many of them as well as a martial arts using woman with that Grace Jones look and the sizzle of speech that a film like this needs sometimes. We get the spheres, the mausoleums, the suspenseful, frightening scenes you know are coming but still are ill-prepared for, and some imaginative script-telling and directing from Don Coscarelli. Phantsm III has all that one might look for in a sequel like this and keeps the Phantasm flame burning gloriously brightly. The acting is as always very solid. Reggie Bannister is particularly good in his reprising role, and let's face it when Angus Scrimm says, "BOY!" that he makes even the most lithe heart beat a bit faster. Some of the plot elements like the little eleven year old are somewhat far-fetched as the three thugs in living and non-living form became tiresome. The layout of the film with its vast empty towns and sense of decay in the American heartland as well as the hugely reverential-look given to the mausoleum showcase Coscarelli's skills as a director with a wonderful eye for detail.

Why did it take me so long to get into the "Phantasm" films, as just in the last two months I got around to seeing the first two films and now the third entry. So far I've enjoyed every one. While I found the quality of this entry not match the previous two, still it's an entertainingly non-stop ride in the quest to stop the Tall Man. It pretty much follows on from the previous edition, capping off that had just transpired. The road trip continues through small rural towns, where an almost apocalyptic feel is crafted. Nonetheless the adventurous tone is there, but it's leaning more for comic humour and flat-out action (in a way similar to the second entry), over the tripped-out atmospheric spookiness.

It's Reggie Banister's show and there's nothing wrong about that because he makes for a likable heroine that's easy to root for. A. Michael Baldwin isn't in it as much (which the chemistry between Mike and Reggie isn't as prominent) and Bill Thornbury reprises his role in rather an innovative manner. Two new ragtag characters find there way in to help out Reggie; played by Gloria Lynne Henry and Kevin Connors. These two bring biting persona's. Angus Scrimm in Tall Man mode is as menacing as ever - in appearance and the voice --- "It's time now BOY".

Director / writer Don Coscarelli keeps the unique vision alive, where his handling seems more focused (especially the writing) and complete, but competently staged with enough flair and panache in numerous sequences. After the last film was produced by a film studio, this entry would go back the low-budget independent roots. The unconventional story isn't as complicated, but this clip show is always on the move and is tension grabbing in its varied ideas. The lively special effects and make-up FX were effectively executed, where it becomes more and more a centre piece with the lethal flying spheres, dimension portals and the legion of dead serving under the Tall Man.

I grew up loving The Phantasm series and in my book the first and second film are untouchable. Phantasm 2 was a studio film with a decent budget. The third film brings Don Coscarelli back to his low budget roots. That is not necessarily a bad thing, the 1st film was made with almost no money, but came out great. James Legross is out as Michael. The original Michael (Michael Baldwin) is back. Of course Reggie Bannister is back to hit the road and try to take out The Tall Man. Angus Scrim also returns to the iconic role of villain. The Phantasm series gets weirder and more sci Fi as it goes. This is no exception. The storyline however is less believable and is riddled with plot holes and supporting characters that come across a little ridiculous. Reggie Bannister is the heart of the movie and should have been an action hero with a billion dollar paycheck. Speaking of action, Phantasm 3 is action packed. However, it was not done as well as it was in the second film. I'm guessing the problems that the film has could have been fleshed out provided there was more time and money to shoot this. I still found Phantasm 3 pretty enjoyable as a whole. I liked it much better when I intially rented it on its video release. The next film from what I remember was really strange and for a Phantasm film, that's saying a lot.

i remember being pumped up about seeing the original cast of mike and jody returning to the phantasm series but being just as dissapointed with this 3rd installment.for one you have too many villains to deal with.it's not just the TALL MAN but these hoodlums which eventually turn into zombies working for the tall man.the TALL MAN doesn't need any more people helping him other than those dwarfs and it just takes away from his character.the spheres are back and just as impressive but this film is just a liitle too campy and does not satisfy your loyal phanatics like myself.the little boy character was a nice addition so he could tag along with reggie and help our hero, but the rocky character should have been left out.it is somewhat humorous watching reggie trying to snag her throughout the flick.good special effects for a low-budget movie and somewhat entertaining but not containing any real suspense and that weirdness factor if you will that the first one had and the second one had as well.definately the weakest in the series but does get you ready for the fourth one {OBLIVION}which is considerably better. by the way from the second to the third film i notice that reggie has been forking out some major cash without having any kind of job, i guess a retired ice cream vendor could have some kind of stash hidden away for retirement.

Mike and Reggie continue to hunt the mysterious Tall Man...

According to Reggie Bannister, Universal Studios refused to theatrically distribute the film due to a conflict with Coscarelli. The film was released direct-to-video in 1994. In 1996, the Los Angeles Times reported that "Phantasm III" was one of the top 100 highest selling direct-to-video titles.

Some say this is the weakest in the series. As I have not seen part four yet, I cannot comment with authority, but I will say it is not as great as the original or the sequel. I still enjoyed it, and it has some fun moments and good special effects, but little seems to happen overall. But I suppose any time you see Reggie with a flame thrower, that is a good thing.

I know there's a section of fans of the 'Nightmare on Elm Street' horror franchise who far preferred when its villain, Freddy, was pure evil and didn't do all the 'one-liners.' I guess they're into the 'pure' horror, rather than the genre semi-lampooning itself by adding a few bits of self-knowing parody. In 'Phantasm' I and II, it's fair to say that they were both 'pure' horror (with only a very minor dose of tongue-in-cheek humour, possibly more in the second installment. However, 'Part III' really does amp up the black comedy, almost to 'Evil Dead' levels.

Personally, I actually enjoyed the 'Nightmare on Elm Street' series when it was horror and horror comedy, just like I enjoy both types of 'Phantasm' film. 'Part III' continues the tale of the sinister 'tall man' and his minions who are stealing corpses from our world and taking them into their own dimension. Luckily, we have an overweight, balding ex ice cream vendor (played perfectly by Reggie Bannister) to save us - along with his new 'team.'

If you like your heroes slightly bumbling and, er, 'grabby (when it comes to women!) then Reggie is a delight to watch in this age of 'clean cut' leading men. Now he's out to rescue the boy the tall man seems to be constantly after and he's helped by a child and a ninja-like woman - who Reggie is constantly coming on to!

Yeah, there's not much that's horrific in 'Part III,' but there is a lot here that's fun. The tall man is as menacing as ever, but this film is all about entertainment over scares. The 'horror' is played more for laughs and is completely over the top. The flying balls are back and because this film is now made in an age where computer effects were beginning to take off, the special effects are well done overall.

If you like 'straight' horror, just watch the first two films, but if you don't mind the series start admitting that it's getting kind of silly and generally running with it, then this one is certainly a fun little addition to the franchise.

The first two were enjoyable due to how dark they were and playing on fears. I prefered LeGros Mike in the second film to Baldwin's Mike. Baldwin is back in this installment of the series. I wasn't a fan of how they tried to make this one humourous, and have those 3 dead assistants keep having to be re killed. The two new companions for this film were good, the sentinel spheres were getting a bit too silly, with all the new add ones. Overall this one just didn't measure up to the first 2. Also the dispatching of the tall man was a bit lame. 2/5

I Liked Phantasm and I didn't like Phantasm II and now I liked the third part. The story had lost all of its sense, but then again, maybe that made me like the movie, a sort of suspension of disbelief when no belief is possible. Reggie continues as the main character, trying to save Mike. He finds himself captured by a bunch of psychotic thieves, only to be saved by the evil version of the Home Alone kid, Tim, who kills the thieves and saves Reggie. They continue on this weird path only to find two kung-fu black chicks, who proceed on capturing Reggie. Tim saves him again and now one of the girls accompanies them to help them find The Tall Man. Man, that guy has balls!

Anyway, this is the gist of the storyline, with some juicy parts left to watch. Somehow, it was a fun film to watch, but I couldn't tell you why exactly. Perhaps because it felt like all hell broke loose and nothing made any sense, so I could just enjoy it. Oh, and there is a fourth part!

As the title states A. Michael Baldwin and Bill Thornbury return as brothers Mike and Jody in Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead. It took about 25 years in between watching part 2 and part 3, but I think it is a good third installment in the series. Although I had minor problems with characters and the story. After Mike is caught by The Tall Man (Angus Scrimm), Reg with his quadruple-barrelled shotgun and skullet in tow goes in search of Mike. He meets Tim (Kevin Conners) and Rocky (Gloria Lynne Henry) along the way. I did enjoy Rocky's character as she was armed with a nun-chunk and attitude for Reg to deal with. It was Tim's character I had minor problems with. It wasn't Connors portrayal, but rather the credibility of the character and his abilities with a gun of a kid who looks like he is 12. Also some villains comes back as laughing zombies. Guess what? Jokes are NOT scary. The more jokes Freddy Krueger cracked the less scary he became. With the story it was beginning to feel that Coscarelli is going back to the same well perhaps too many times by the third movie with some story points, but some of the new characters do assist with this (e.g. Rocky being the attempted love interest and giving Reg some attitude). By the fifth part the well is totally dry. The two points though weren't enough for me to not enjoy the movie as a whole and Scrimm is still and always was great in the role as The Tall Man. But, if you love the spheres they get a real showing here with a lot more info about them, so if that interests you that may be a plus for you as well.

So much is wrong with this abysmal little wet fart of a movie that it's hard to know where to begin.

First of all, it's a remarkably un-scary scary movie, even by Amercian standards. The dialogue is cliché, the characters are two-dimensional, the writing is ho-hum, and what little story there is is neither coherent nor remotely interesting.

We meet the following stereotypes in order: Balding Loser Guy (probably divorced, but who knows? This movie doesn't tell us) with a brave heart, the Young Hero (who doesn't do anything heroic at all), Brave Little Kid (with a homicidal streak a mile wide) and Black Bad-Ass Bitch (with more brawn than brains). These guys take up an ongoing fight with the Tall Scary Reaper Man and his evil Ewoks.

Oh, and the film is full of wicked little metal orbs whoosing around menacing people. Given a chance, they perform impromptu brain surgery on those who doen't have the mental acuity to duck when they come at them. Booh! Actually, one of them is haunted by a good ghost (but then again, it might be a deceitful spectre) who seems intent on helping our Brave Contagonists retrieve their young kidnapped friend.

There is no character background or even an introduction to any of the characters. It starts with some kind of recap of the ending of the previous movie, but this doesn't explain a lot. If you've seen the first two movies, fine. Otherwise you don't know who these people are, how they are related, why they aren't in school or at work, or why you should care whether they live or die. Consequently, you don't. The only point of interest becomes any splatter effects. And there aren't enough of those to keep you awake.

Of potenial interest/amusement are the three Raider Punks, as stupid as they are evil, who menace Our Heroes. But they don't get much screen time. They are offed almost immediately. Then they are buried (why anybody should take the time is beyond me), then they appear again as Evil Raider Punk Zombies. Only to be offed again, literally within a minute.

The rest of the movie mainly seems to consist of Caspar the Friendly Ghost appearing and disappearing, driving around looking for places, and Balding Loser trying to score som Bad Black Bitch Booty, using pickup lines that would embarrass a mentally retarded teenager. No dice there; not even some gratuitous sex could have saved this movie, so good thing there never is any.

The head baddie, called the Tall Man, doesn't manage to scare anyone older than 3 years; howling "Booooy!" every five minutes isn't enough. Why he, with his amazing telekinetic powers and uncanny upper-body strength, doesn't simply squash our heroes like bugs isn't explained. Instead, he delegates the job to his inept retarded little minions, who never manage to kill anyone before being shot to hell.

Filmgoers who like masterpieces like "Friday 13th part XXXXVIII: Jason goes to college" might find some entertainment. The rest of us, who have developed pubic hair, will be bored out of our skulls.

For me this is the weakest of the series because it doesn't really add to the mythology so its a series of events that allow the previous movie's events to continue.

Its still a great watch but needed to offer a little extra for the fans and really is a fans only sequel :)

Most people note the humor in this picture as a downfall to the series... or the zombies which were never before seen. but what people don't know is that all the writing and strangeness has already been pre-thought out by series creator Don Coscarelli. If you want you could call this a fault on the series, but in my opinion as long as the original creator is coming up with the ideas it's alright, because he's the inventor of the franchise, he can do what ever he wants... he can't ruin the mythology of the Tall Man he can only expand it.

the good things about this film are the magnificent return of the original Mike Pearson (A. Michael Baldwin). Plus Bill Thornbury Mikes brother Jody. All the action, Set Decoration, SETS IN GENERAL... THE CHARACTERS... THE STORY, and the surprises. i don't want to go into too much detail on the plot because i don't want to spoil it for you... but the reasons most people give this movie flak are stupid. when you watch this film compared to the others you will see a big difference, this movies is in a little way the epic phantasm movie... seeing the building of the 'warriors' with Reggie and his crew... and the final battle... they could have ended the series with this one, but Coscarelli has bigger finale plans for his phantasm fans and we just might see that sooner then you think.

i hope this helps.

Like with every sequel in the series, "Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead" begins immediately where the previous film leaves off (in this case "Phantasm II"). Reggie (Reggie Bannister), who was left for dead in part 2, is still alive and runs to help Mike and Liz. He finds Liz dead and Mike out cold. After a run in with The Tall Man (Angus Scrimm), he and Mike (A. Michael Baldwin after being replaced in part 2) get away, and run into Jody (Bill Thornbury), Mike's brother killed years earlier by The Tall Man and has become a servant of his. Soon after The Tall Man finds them and kidnaps Mike, leaving the ex-ice cream vendor hot on the trail of The Tall Man once again. During his search for Mike he runs into a sexy looter (Cindy Ambuehl) and her friends, a kid (Kevin Conners) who can shoot straight, a girl named Rocky (Gloria Lynne Henry), and more of The Tall Man's flying silver spheres. Together (minus the looter and her pals) they plan to save Mike and complete the task begun in Phantasm II: destroy The Tall Man once and for all.

Phantasm III many conceder to be the absolute worst of the Phantasm series. Yes, it is probably the worst but it's definitely not bad, I liked it (but then again I'm a big fan of the series). The biggest problem people have with Phantasm III is that it has a much bigger campy and comedic side to it in addition to a lot of action (think "Commando" sort of) while the first was focused on mainly chills with additional dark action in the second. This isn't really a negative in my opinion as the film was pretty funny and it didn't seem to hurt it in any way. Another point brought up by some is that it's a low budget film and effects look crappy. Umm....those guys must be high because I know the budget wasn't so high but the film looked great; special effects, make-up, and stunts were all great. There is an amazing car jump in the film that apparently was extremely frightening behind the scenes (see commentary) and the zombie make-up is realistic and sphere effects were really cool. The film is also very rich in color; the first two were very dark tone wise (which I liked) but this one has very vibrant colors which giver the film a fascinating look. Just watch the trailer for the film; it pretty much shows off a lot of the great effects as well as the color tones.

That being said how exactly is this one the worst in the series? Well one part in the beginning pretty much ruined the movie for me practically. The character Liz (Paula Irvine), who starred with Mike and Reggie in "Phantasm II", was made out to be an equal with Mike in the eyes of The Tall Man; meaning she was just as big a character as Mike plus she and Mike were deeply in love and they were played out to be soul mates. Phantasm III opens with the cliffhanger end of Phantasm II and shows Liz dead and Mike still alive. It wasn't even a believable death. Now your probably thinking "of well she's just a character, your just obsessing" your absolutely right; I loved Paula Irvine and Liz but it's not just that. As I said she and Mike were made out to be soul mates as well as equals and after the shot of her corpse there isn't even as much as a mention of her for the rest of the movie. Yeah, I know. What the hell? I've herd of poor story telling but this is just retarded. Now I would have felt a lot better had they just at least took her death into consideration and had Mike actually react I would have been a little happier. Seeing Bill Thornbury of the original Phantasm return Jody was cool, especially for die-hard fans, but aside from navigation it didn't seem like his character served much of a purpose. He has a bigger role in the next film in the series though. The character Mike, who was the main character in the first two films (and still has a big role), only appears in 10, 15, maybe 20 minutes of the 91-minute film. I found that kind of strange Also, The Tall Man's intention in Phantasm I and II was to kill Mike, but here (despite that it picks up where Phantasm II ends) he for whatever reason wants to capture Mike ALIVE. I don't get it either, but this continues onto the next film as well.

The Breakdown:

PROS: Very funny, awesome fantasy action, attractive women (Cindy Ambuehl and Gloria Lynne Henry), beautiful sets and color tones, a bald guy with a quad-barrel shotgun and a Hemicuda, great acting for the most part, and flying silver balls! Plus the Anchor Bay US DVD is great pretty good.

CONS: Killing/ignoring Liz, a few continuity errors annoyed me, Michael Baldwin's performance wasn't very good in comparison to the first and fourth films, seeing Bill Thornbury was nice was it wasn't really necessary, the thing with brains and extend able eyeballs in the silver spheres I wasn't really fond of, and of course, the whole thing with Liz.

OVERALL: "Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead" is a very fun and humorous fantasy/action flick that is very enjoyable. Michael Baldwin's return didn't really thrill me like it did others since he appears very little and gives a below par acting job (he gives a great one in "Phantasm IV: Oblivion" though) but Angus Scrimm and Reggie Bannister are great as usual. The film ignores a key plot point but the rest is pretty good. I highly recommend it as it is a very fun and entertaining film.

Rated R: Fantasy Violence/Gore, Language, and Some Sexuality; Runtime: 91 minuets; Score: 7/10

Like most horror series, the more you use your trump card the less effective it is. In this case it's the Silver Sentinel Balls of Hunting Death (or whatever they're called), which by this instalment have lost a fair bit of their menace.

The film does serve it's purpose as a sequel though by fleshing out the Tall Man's motivations and revealing a bit more of what's going on whilst still confusing you with it's surreal logic (or lack there-of).

There's also plenty of laughs, as it's mining the same vein of slapstick horror as the 2nd movie, and while the new sidekicks couldn't be more ludicrous if they tried, we have to assume that they are trying and that Coscarelli is every bit as aware of the ridiculousness of a nunchuk wielding ex-military hottie as the audience is. It's also hilarious to watch Reggie continue to develop into a Bruce Campbell style horror hero, especially he's the least likely loverman you're likely to see in a movie.

Like the 2nd film, you're not going to be scared but if the humour is on your wavelength then you should find it a very enjoyable fantasy adventure.