Well Go finishes out the PHANTASM films they have the rights
to by releasing the fourth film in the series PHANTASM IV: OBLIVION. As with
their previous efforts they’re offering the film in the best looking version
ever seen and fans should be flocking to pick this one up.
The movie picks up where the third installment left off with
Mike (Michael Baldwin) captured by the Tall Man in a hearse and Reggie left
hanging, trapped by the ever present silver spheres. The Tall Man doesn’t kill
Reggie though saying he’s releasing him "to play one last game".
Deciding he’s had enough Reggie chooses to leave but not before Jody, still
trapped part time in his own sphere, convinces him to help find Mike.
Reggie hits the road again and saves a woman Jennifer after
a car crash. Tired after driving all day they find an abandoned motel where
Reggie tells her his whole story about the Tall Man. During the night he wakes
with a bit of flirting in mind only to find out Jennifer is not who she claimed
and instead of breasts has two of the silver spheres. Reggie fights for his
life and discovers his tuning fork (with him since the first film) can
incapacitate and destroy the spheres.
While all of this is going on Mike escapes the Tall Man and
heads out to Death Valley. Recalling the vents of his past (with plenty of
footage from the previous films in use) he tries to figure out what’s been
going on. At one point he attempts suicide which the Tall Man prevents. As this
happens a portal to the past opens and Mike learns more about the Tall Man. It
seems he was human and from the past, a funeral director named Jebediah
Morningside. Yes this would be the same Morningside that owned the funeral home
from the original film.
Mike and Jody find more out about Jebediah and Reggie eventually
reunites with the pair only to be left behind when they go off to try and
change history. They watch to learn how Jebediah learned the secrets he did and
then attempt to kill him. This fails and Jebediah is replaced by the now
infamous Tall Man.
Once again I’d rather leave more for viewers to watch on
their own instead of a complete play by play description. Hopefully the amount
of information I’ve provided piques your interest enough to give this one a
view. What sets this movie apart from the rest in my eyes is that it spends
most of its time on giving us more backstory as to why all of this is taking
place, a history of the Tall Man in particular. There is still plenty of action
involved but it isn’t central to the film so much as it was in the past.
After watching this and the third installment, both just
released as single blu-ray titles from Well Go, I found myself wanting to
revisit PHANTASM: RAVAGER the final installment (so far) in the series of
films. On first viewing that film I was disappointed and I didn’t think it
lived up to the other films in the series. That might have been in part because
it had been so long since I’d watched the earlier efforts. Much of what was in
that film I now think would have made more sense had I watched them all over
again. Perhaps not but I’d like to give it a try.
In the meantime this film is now offered in blu-ray and Well
Go has done a great job of it. As I said earlier they’ve done the PHANTASM
films proud by offering them in a pristine condition that fans have longed for
for some time. The box set might have been too pricey for some but the
affordability of these versions mean that fans can pick them up individually
and add them to their collection. I’d suggest doing that as soon as you can.
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