Fans of the PHANTASM films are thrilled to be getting these
movies released on blu-ray format from Well Go. Sure they’ve been available as
DVDs but the clarity and crispness of these blu-rays feels like seeing them for
the first time.
At the end of the second film the Tall Man (Angus Scrimm)
was supposedly dead only to come back once more. While weakened he was able to
crash the car that had Mike (Michael Baldwin) and Liz in it. Reggie (Reggie
Bannister) faces off against him, preventing him from taking Mike but he
threatens to return. Fast forward 2 years with Mike in a coma and the Tall Man
rested and ready to come after him once more.
With the help of a monster/nurse the Tall Man arrives as
Mike comes out of his coma having talked to his brother Jody (Bill Thornbury) there.
Reggie interferes, a sphere pops out of the nurse’s head, the Tall Man turns
Jody into a sphere and then he leaves with Mike his captive. Reggie sets out to
find Mike and accompanied by the Jody sphere helping him heads in the direction
it tells him.
Reggie arrives in a town devastated by the Tall Man. When he
arrives in a town he decimates it. Stopping at a gas station Reggie is
overpowered by a trio of looters who toss him into the trunk of his Cuda. The
trio find a house to ransack but are taken out by a young boy in the house who
sets Reggie free from the trunk.
Reggie meets Tim (Kevin Connors), the young boy of about 10
who’s been surviving on his own since his parents were killed. With his set of
skills including being a sure shot with his pistol, they hit the road but not
before taking on the now risen dead trio. Wanting the kid to grow up normal,
Reggie attempts to leave him in a nearby orphanage but Tim sneaks into his
trunk.
In the mausoleum that Reggie was originally headed for he
meets up with two women, Tanesha (Sarah Scott-Davis) and Rocky (Gloria Lynne
Henry). Before he can convince them he intends no harm to them a sphere attacks
taking out Tanesha before Rocky and Reggie put it out of commission with the
help of the now exposed Tim.
I could provide more details but then it would take away the
joy of watching this yourself. Suffice to say that most of this film revolves
around Reggie and his new compatriots while giving us bits and pieces of what’s
taking place with Mike. It’s about their search for Mike as well as finding out
bits and pieces about the Tall Man as well.
This is the first time we get to see Michael Baldwin in the
role as an adult and he does a fantastic job. Completely underused in movies
other than those Coscarelli has chosen to include him in, Reggie Bannister
turns in a solid performance as well. Even Connors does a good job making the
young warrior believable. Angus Scrimm was born to play this roll and is always
perfection. Perhaps the weakest performance here comes from Henry and the fact
she only had 5 credits to her name at IMDB shows she made the right decision
not to keep at it, sorry.
For me by far the best film in the entire series is the first.
It provided the information needed to understand enough of what was going on
along with the surprises and shocks that kept you watching. Subsequent films
spent more time adding to the mythos that is the world of the Tall Man and why
he’s here. This film along with its follow up PHANTAMS IV: OBLIVION (also just
released by Well Go) spend more time on that mission than on the action that is
involved. They’re still entertaining but as they attempt to clarify they add
new layers of questions as well. But that’s a good thing as it keeps you
guessing.
Extras are limited with some behind the scenes footage and
some trailers. But it is the movie that makes this one worth picking up. And
unless you purchases that over $200 boxed set then this is the way to go, picking
them up one at a time.
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