By Dustin Hall
As the fifth and final Phantasm film hits the screens, we examine it and have a look at the previous installments in the legendary cult classic. One last time, let the Tall Man release you from your imperfect flesh, which ties you to time and space… But before looking at Ravager, let us peer back at the four preceding Phantasm films that spanned almost four decades and endured across an endless stream of horror fads:
Phantasm (1979) – The original Phantasm film came, as most memorable films do, out of nowhere. It was the dream-inspired brain child of Don Coscarelli, an inventive low-budget horror that drew people in with its combination of unique story, chilling music, and a provocative villain played wonderfully by the late Angus Scrimm.
The story centers around 3 friends: young Mike, his older brother Jody, and their friend Reggie, the ice cream man. The three of them enjoy cars, music, and summer nights with plenty of Dos Equis. The trio’s world is shook when, while still in mourning for the death of Jody and Mike’s parents, another of their friends dies under mysterious circumstances. It’s not long before Mike discovers the truth: the cemetery’s undertaker, the Tall Man, is behind the killings. The ultimate goal of the Tall Man, who is actually an alien, is to take bodies from the cemetery, convert them into small, super strong munchkins, and use them as slaves in his home dimension. Aiding him in this endeavor are also his signature flying silver spheres, which monitor the mortuary, slice, drill, and drain any human unfortunate enough to cross their paths.
The original cut of Phantasm, now lost to the ages, was over three hours long. When Don Coscarelli cut the film down to its current 90 minute form, some connective tissue was lost. This leads to odd moments with fortune tellers, supporting cast, and some of the Tall Man’s powers and motivations remaining esoteric, mysterious. The twist at the end only further solidifies that some of the events that transpired on screen were indeed dreams… but others were not. In the end we don’t know what reality is, other than the enduring terror of the Tall Man.
Phantasm II (1988) – Nearly ten years after the first film, Universal decided to push another horror property into the halcyon days of the 80’s and decided to resurrect the cult hit Phantasm as a moderately budgeted franchise. This second installment immediately benefits from the leap in budget, and the effects and innovation are off the charts, as well as a jolt of that classic 80’s lighting and atmosphere. The studio involvement changes some things, including the actor who portrays Mike, but this only begins a trend wherein each Phantasm film has familiar elements, but feels different than any other film in the franchise.
Universal felt uncomfortable with the dream-like narrative of the original film, and so this more grounded story takes a linear turn into apocalyptic territory. By now the Tall Man’s army has spread beyond the small town from part one, and has started tearing across the countryside. Entire towns have been wiped from existence, all of their graves pillaged and enslaved. Mike and Reggie travel cross country, hunting the Tall Man, dodging traps, hoping to rescue a young psychic girl from the undead menace. It all culminates in an explosive and goopy climax.
As fun as it was, Phantasm II wasn’t a major hit, and so it was the last studio funded film in the franchise.
Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead (1994) – Now back solely Cosacrelli’s hands, Phantasm celebrated its return to the indy scene by reinstating the original Mike, and delving deeper into the dream-state of the original film.
In this outing, old cast members are offed, and some fairly atrocious new ones are added. Some fans enjoy Rocky, the nunchuck whippin’ bad ass chick, but there’s little love for the Home Alone wannabe Tim, a 10-year old who fends off invaders with booby traps and a trick Frisbee. This one is definitely high on camp. Despite that, the hunt for the Tall Man becomes a circle chase, as he now also pursues Mike for some unknown purpose. When the Tall Man finally catches him, it’s up to Reggie and the others to save him. But Mike seems to already have been experimented on by the Tall Man, or is inhuman himself. Is that a sphere in his head? Also, the deceased Jody reappears via some questionable CGI.
Phantasm IV: Oblivion (1998) – The nineties come to a close with this divisive entry in the series (and my personal favorite sequel). This film uses some of the previously lost footage and cuts it together into dreams, flashbacks, and more importantly an element of time travel. In this film more than any other, the Tall Man’s origins are explored, as well as his plans for Mike. The implications of the dreams make this feel more like a sequel to the original in many ways than the previous campy installments.
Oblivion’s plot is straightforward. Reggie, separated from Mike, journeys through the desert to find him. Mike, on the other hand, explores the strange powers the sphere in his head has given him, and uses them to look into time and see the origins of the Tall Man. While the plot may be light, the imagery and implication are not. We begin to see the truth that was hinted at by the end of the first Phantasm take shape: that this all might be some delusion of Mike’s, a symbol of his mourning over Jody’s death. Is it all in his mind? Why was he chosen by the Tall Man? The cliffhanger ending kept us waiting for 18 years.
And now, after almost two decades, we finally come upon Phantasm: Ravager (2016). At last Phantasm fans gain a continuation of Oblivion’s cliffhanger, and answers to its many implications, as well as a final sendoff for the series. Was it all worth it?!
In many ways, no. It pains me to write that, really.
There were always going to be some issues with Ravager. Having been made across several decades, each Phantasm film bears the marks of the decade it was made in, which is part of why no two of the films feel alike. The original has the surrealism and Euro-style soundtrack that is prevalent among cult films of the 70s, while part II gives way to the slick lighting and practical fx bonanza that was the 80’s. Parts III and IV are full of dated CGI, and reflect both a campiness and a dourness from 90s films, respectively. And so it is with Ravager, that we have a film reflecting a certain class of film unique to this current era. But it exists on the opposite end of the spectrum from explosive, big budget action fests. It reflects the CGI-action of this era, and it reflects the nostalgia fest that peppers so many films with fan-service, but it belongs to an ultra-low budget webseries class of film telling a story whose scope outstrips its means.
This was always going to be the case, as Ravager was originally planned as a web series expanding upon the adventures of Reggie after he’s separated from Mike at the end of Oblivion. After a few of these were finished, though, the crew decided to get back together to make a feature to close out the series. Their budget woes are obvious from the get go, as every scene is peppered with CGI over practicals. Blood is CG, the spheres are all CG, gunshots are CG, as are entire environments and, yes, in some instances even Angus Scrimm himself is replaced with a CG stand-in. This would be fine, if the computer images weren’t somehow worse than the CG spheres that appeared back in 1994. But the problem isn’t the effects, despite how absolutely wretched they are, but the nature of the film as a final installment in the series. It would work fine as a fifth entry, if a sixth were on its heels, but for fans looking for closure, they’ll find only disappointment.
The film opens in typical Phantasm style, with Reggie giving a brief recap of the previous installments, and wandering through the desert, seemingly moments after the end of the last film. We follow him for a while, having adventures involving the recovery of the classic ‘Cuda, more unfortunate encounters with the silver spheres and lovely ladies along the road, all in Reggie’s usual hard luck form. The story takes a turn, though, when Reggie suddenly wakes up in a nursing home. Mike is there, and explains that Reggie has dementia, and has been slipping in and out of lucidity. The film then follows Reggie on a complex journey through three or four realities at any given time, with our heroes battling against the Tall Man in apocalyptic wastelands in one, while trying to sneak Reggie out of a hospital in another, and ultimately matching wits with the Tall Man on a plane outside of normal time.
And again, all of this would be fine as a 5th installment, if it weren’t also the final installment. There are some great moments here, as we finally see the long-alluded to army of the Tall Man invading the world, with mega-spheres leveling buildings, taking on tanks and jets. There are cameos from various cast members across all the Phantasm films. And, though he’s underused by necessity, there is the final melancholy turn of Angus Scrimm as the Tall Man, at times threatening, at others devilish, and in one scene, seemingly saying goodbye to his devoted fans.
What hurts the film so much, assuming you can get past the visuals, is that it in no way progresses the story or answers the questions that were posed by Lord of the Dead or Oblivion. In the end, the lack of answers, and the supporting cast being written out with each successive chapter, makes each step of Phantasm’s journey feel a bit hollow and meaningless. What was once Mike’s story has, over time, become Reggie’s story instead. While we all love Reggie, refusing to address the mysteries surrounding Mike’s connection to the Tall Man make exploring the mystery in the previous installments less fun. There are new reality-warping mysteries surrounding Reggie throughout this film, but assigning them suddenly to him feels like a cheap proxy in lieu of a larger budget and a stronger script.
In the end, there is still much to like in Ravager, but also many things which disappoint. Watching previous installments will always be enjoyable, but never will the films’ puzzles be solved, and so that aspect of enjoyment may pass. Maybe somewhere there is another cut of this film that manages to solve some of its mysteries. After all, the end credits highlight quite a bit of unused footage depicting a war against the Tall Man’s forces. In the meantime, what we can take away from Phantasm is that it is a film series in which no matter what reality we or the characters believe we’re in, no matter if they win or lose their battle against the Tall Man, the main story seems to be about the camaraderie and sacrifice of the three main characters; loyalty, friendship, and trust. Reggie, Mike, and Jody may never conclusively defeat the Tall man, but neither will their wills be broken, so long as they stay together.
Phantasm V: Ravager is now available on Amazon instant video, and will be released on Blu-Ray before long!