Phantasm (1979) Horror Movie Review

by Lauratheaxewieldingmaniac
(Philly)

Phantasm (1979) Horror Movie Poster

***Reader Submitted Review***

***Semi-Spoiler Warning (meaning I tried not to but some spoilers popped in)***

Personally, all I needed to know about Phantasm before watching it was that there were murderous midgets involved. That officially bumped this movie to the top of my "must see" list immediately.

But, if deadly dwarves aren’t necessarily your thing (and for you, I feel sorry!) then you are still bound to find something of interest in this classic horror flick.

I have to admit that the first scene of Phantasm led me to expect yet another 70's slasher film (not that there's anything wrong w/ that, of course). Pretty blond, sex in a graveyard, tits, and a fairly bloody knifing... heard it before, right? Yea... keep watching!

The movie than cuts quickly to show our heroic, older brother, Jody (as played by Bill Thornbury) walking through the Mausoleum at the Morningside Cemetery where almost immediately one can sense that something very strange is going on. It is here that we first meet the Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) who creeps up on Jody and quickly ushers him into the funeral parlor for his brother Tommy's funeral.

Hiding in the bushes outside is younger brother, Mike, who has some very serious issues with abandonment and is constantly following Jody around. Unbeknownst to the The Tall Man, Mike watches him load an entire casket, body and all, into a hearse with no help.

From this point the film just keeps getting crazier. Michael begins seeing small hooded midgets all over and having dreams about the Tall Man. Unable to convince Jody that these strange events are really occurring, Mike decides to break into the mausoleum and investigate one night. And now my fellow horror fans comes the coolest part of the whole movie. The flying silver orb of death!! No explanation needed... just go watch it!

The thing I like best about this movie is that it was so ahead of its time but yet it had just enough of the 70's horror mentality that made films from the era so lovable. I mean the best friend is a friggin guitar playing, ice cream man for god's sake!

The Tall Man is definitely underrated as a horror movie villain. Angus Scrimm so fully embraces the character that I really would not be surprised to hear that he really was a psycho funeral director that midgitized dead people and sent them to alternative universes. Even the way he walked was creepy!

Now, what really makes this movie (besides the soundtrack which ill get to) is the semi twist that the plot takes. Its just keeps getting crazier! Apparently The Tall Man and his army of little people ("its probably just a gopher") aren’t just on a murderous rampage for the fun of it - and we all know how fun they are! The Tall Man needs corpses to shrink and send off to another dimension/planet to be slaves. I have to be honest that this is kind of where I got a little lost. But lets be honest, Phantasm was created around the time that movies never made complete sense and always had a plot hole or two. Believe me it isn’t anything that subtracts from the film in any way. In fact, in this case it could be an asset - SEQUEL! I think we're up to Number 5?

Now any self respecting horror fan has to respect a great soundtrack. Soundtracks so easily make or break a movie that it can be hard to find just the right sounds to fit a mood. There's so many directions that the director can go when choosing the right background music. So many times it is even the music that's the creepiest! In my opinion Phantasm has a really good soundtrack. Its a perfect blend of horror and sci/fi - just like the movie!

Overall, I was blown away by Phantasm. It’s creepy, suspenseful, and keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time. The acting isn’t Oscar worthy but better then expected and even so the characters are great! I plan on watching all 5 sequels soon.