Phantasm 2 (1988) #369

I'm a firm believer that Don Coscarelli never planned to turn "Phantasm" into a series and that a sequel only came about because the studio that he worked for demanded one and soon! It took nine years for it to come, but eventually the world was given "Phantasm 2". It appeared that the studio had other demands as well, including the recasting of the main character and no funky dream sequences or abstract events. This doesn't mean that "Phantasm 3" is any easier to follow! The sequel is almost just as loopy and bizarre as the first film. And like many sequels that came out in the 80's, everything had to be bigger than before; there are now different kinds of flying orbs, including a gold one with a targeting ray, and let's not forget Reggie's four barreled sawed off shotgun. Even though it has changes and it might not be the sequel that Coscarelli wanted to first give us, I thought it was a fun and enjoyable little movie.

The film picks up six years after the original, with Mike having spent the last few years locked up in an asylum. He fakes his recovery and makes his escape after having repeated dreams about a blond girl who will soon be in danger from the Tall Man. (I honestly thought it was the neighbor girl who's grandmother gave him a fortune telling). Mike meets up with Reggie who soon comes to believe Mike's crazy idea after his house blows up minutes before they arrive. The two load up on weapons and gear and head to the West Coast looking for the Tall Man and his minions. It's in the deserted little town of Perigord, Oregon, that the two find Liz and the Tall Man; along the way they also pick up a hitchhiker named Alchemy who Mike doesn't trust. Soon there are dead bodies, minions, flying orbs, the Tall Man, and fighting. Like most classic 80's horror movies, the villain is defeated and the heroes make their getaway only to be fooled yet again as the Tall Man has the last laugh.

Phantasm (1979)

Simply stated, “Phantasm” is one odd movie! I have to admit that it took a few viewings before I was able to get a clear understanding of what was going on. This isn’t surprising considering that the crew was trying to figure out what happens next while they were making it! But in the end, there ended up being one of the more original horror films from the 1970’s and 80’s. It was followed by three sequels that were just as head scratching as the original. The film was written and directed by Don Coscarelli, who would go on to film the sequels, the classic fantasy adventure “Beast Master”, and “Buba Ho-tep”.

“Phantasm” has one of my favorite movie tag lines – “If this film doesn’t scare you, you’re already dead!”

Mike Pearson, his older brother Jody, and their friend Reggie become entangled in the mystery surrounding the mysterious deaths occurring in their small town. Shortly after Mike and Jody’s parents die, their friend Tommy is murdered while having sex in the graveyard. They’re told that it Tommy died by natural causes but Mike notices strange things going on at the cemetery when he sneaks along to the funeral. Later, Jody is nearly seduced and murdered by the same fiendish ghoul that killed Tommy, surviving the encounter only because Mike interrupts them after being chased by a small demon-like jawa-thing. Events only become more bizarre when Mike sneaks into the mausoleum and witnesses a man being killed by a flying silver sphere with knives, spilling the blood in a fountain is it drills into the victims head. Soon Mike and Jody are being chased by the Tall Man, the mortician of the mausoleum and leader of the shrunken demonic servants.

Favorite scene – Mike is able to obtain a cut off finger that continues to move on its own. Mike and Jody plan to use this finger as evidence when they decide to get the police involved but before they can leave the house, the finger turns into a gnarly fly-monster that they end up trapping and killing in their trash disposal, only with the help of Reggie, who didn’t know about the strange occurrences at the mausoleum yet.

Mike and the Tall Man

Reggie the Ice Cream guy and the Tall Man

Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)

How could you not love a movie about an elderly Elvis (he’s alive!) and JFK (he’s actually an elderly black resident who believes he’s JFK) who fight an ancient mummy killing the residents of a nursing home in the middle of Texas?? “Bubba Ho-Tep” is a rare gem of a movie that mixes comedy, horror, and a sense of sharp melancholy in a way that is entertaining and memorable. It was co-written and directed by Don Coscarelli, the man who gave the world the “Phantasm” series and “Beastmaster”, and stars Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis. The film was not released and shown in mainstream theaters but was able to cover costs in independent and art house theaters in the US. It has a cult following and earned approval from most movie critics.

Elvis is alive and well (not really) and living in a convelsant home in Texas in the late 1990’s. He explains that he traded places with the best impersonator he could find, a man named Sebastian Haff, and was doing ok for himself until he lost any proof that he had showing that he was the real Elvis and finally having an accident where broke his hip and had a coma. Now he is old, alone, ignored, and his only friend is an elderly black man who thinks he’s JFK. When residents began dying and Elvis is attacked by a giant scarab beetle, Elvis and JFK begin to look for clues as to what’s happening in their little home. It turns out that a re-animated Egyptian mummy that was stolen from a travelling museum exhibition is eating the souls of the residents at Shady Rest Retirement and it’s up to Elvis and JFK to stop him, since no one would ever believe their story.

Favorite moment - I really enjoyed the relationship and chemistry between Bruce and Ossie in this film. I get the feeling that these two actors really enjoyed working together on this film and playing such interesting, iconic roles.

Elvis and JFK

It's Bubba!