Phantasm

[Andy]

Just wondering, any phantasm fans on here? id never seen these movies before but krackers was over this weekend an we did a beer induced phantasm marathon and im actually getting into these movies now. Anyone else here seen/like these films?

[axlish]

[rongravy]

Yeah, Phantasm 2 is what brought me in. Helps the first one go down a little bit smoother. Wonder when they'll reboot it...

[MikePizzoff]

Phantasm is one of my favorites! What a great flick. Excellent atmosphere, sets, script, soundtrack, characters..... everything! It's really bizarre, which is the main reason I love it, but that makes it tough to get other people into it. My girlfriend and I own the first one. Plan on getting the rest of them, but haven't seen them since wayyy back... in the 80s, probably.

[LouCipherr]

Yeah, Phantasm 2 is what brought me in. Helps the first one go down a little bit smoother. Wonder when they'll reboot it... It's only a matter of time. It's really bizarre, which is the main reason I love it, but that makes it tough to get other people into it. I think that pretty much sums it up. "Bizarre" I still liked it though - was creppy to me when I was a kid. It hasn't aged well (the first one), but I still watch it when it comes on. Something about The Tall Man that's just... creepy.

[soulsyfn]

I used to watch the first 3 all the time when I was younger but I havent seen it in ages. I will have to check them out again for sure.

[Andy]

To be honest (krakers will probably kill me lol) i thought the first one was pretty lame, but the second really picks it up and i actually got into it, i ended up watching the 4th one on my todd later on lol.

[MoonSylver]

To be honest (krakers will probably kill me lol) i thought the first one was pretty lame You kids today... (j/k) Like a lot of things, it was probably better if you saw it when you were younger/back in the day/the 80's/whatever... Things that don't age well to newer viewers probably hold up better to those that were exposed to them "way back when" in a lot of cases. That being said, love's me some Phantasm! Still dig the 1st, 2nd just added to the awsomeness, 3rd...eh...never did track down the 4th...

[C5NOTLD]

First two I really enjoyed. Got to love those late 1970s/early 1980's trailers

[LouCipherr]

Got to love those late 1970s/early 1980's trailers "Phantasm... is it.... a sucky trailer?"

[Mr.G]

To be honest (krakers will probably kill me lol) i thought the first one was pretty lame, but the second really picks it up and i actually got into it, i ended up watching the 4th one on my todd later on lol. same here....liked the first one, loved the second. Never got around to three or four. Worth my time?

[triste realtà]

Holy crap, Spherical was posting here and he plugged his forum and retcon theory!

[DubiousComforts]

Like a lot of things, it was probably better if you saw it when you were younger/back in the day/the 80's/whatever... Things that don't age well to newer viewers probably hold up better to those that were exposed to them "way back when" in a lot of cases. You can only have pity upon the generations of fans that missed out on these films when they were new and so fail to appreciate them today. Unless you lived through that era, you really have no clue as to the impact Phantasm had on the horror film genre. It was released just prior to ALIEN but was low budget and so it took a bit longer to make its rounds to local theaters. Word of mouth quickly spread about this scary, bloody film with the Goblinesque soundtrack that typically played late-night screenings. The silver sphere scene was already legendary. There was no instant home video gratification at that time. To see these films, you had to get your ass to the theater which was nowhere near as easy as it is today. Phantasm was a 'hard' R when theaters still enforced movie ratings. The first sequel, though entertaining, pales in comparison to the original. Films like Re-Animator had already set new standards for the horror genre, so Phantasm II offered nothing new. Of course, the effects are technically better since an entire special effects industry had sprung up in the 8-9 years between films, but if it took the sequel to get you into Phantasm, then you've completely missed the point.

[axlish]

From an outsiders perspective, and someone who watched all four films for the first time, recently, it is my opinion that Part 4 is the gem of the series. A very ballsy idea that was pulled off to perfection. I've heard a lot of chatter regarding another entry, but I don't think it is needed after such an amazing conclusion to part 4.

[MoonSylver]

You can only have pity upon the generations of fans that missed out on these films when they were new and so fail to appreciate them today. Unless you lived through that era, you really have no clue as to the impact Phantasm had on the horror film genre. It was released just prior to ALIEN but was low budget and so it took a bit longer to make its rounds to local theaters. Word of mouth quickly spread about this scary, bloody film with the Goblinesque soundtrack that typically played late-night screenings. The silver sphere scene was already legendary. There was no instant home video gratification at that time. To see these films, you had to get your ass to the theater which was nowhere near as easy as it is today. Phantasm was a 'hard' R when theaters still enforced movie ratings. Mmmm...even in the early days of home video, before the internet, there was something gratifying about finding the movies that (it seemed) no one else but you knew about, or that you didn't even know about yourself. That first reaction of "WHOAH! WHAT THE $%&#*$^ WAS THAT!!!" is something that isn't easily replicated, if at all. I know it's something I certainly miss. Doesn't happen much, if at all anymore. Not like "back in the day", when all of the hidden gems were still hidden, the thrill of the discovery of the heretofore unknown was there, and all of them seemed slightly sinister & dodgy, just sitting there on the shelf, waiting for you to rent them. It was like belonging to a secret society, or maybe a cult.