Top ten moments in the Phantasm series!!!

Top ten moments in the Phantasm series!!!

I'm sure I'm not the only one who's not only thrilled with happiness beyond belief, and stunned with excitement over new of Phantasm V: Ravager. For years ever since part IV's release rumors have been floating around for a Phantasm part V. Tons of scripts have been tossed around along with rumors from the cast and crew. Just this week the world of horror exploded when news and the trailer of Phantasm V was released. Very little is known about the sequel but after the teaser was released along with a few stills from the film all the horror and Phantasm nerds are rejoicing. I'm honestly floored by how they were able to keep this under wraps for so long. I'm a huge Don Coscarelli fan, and the fact this is being made while the original cast is still with us is amazing. I'm a HUGE fan of the series and loved how the forth film ended. In fact I would have been downright happy if that's honestly how the series ended. I felt it came full circle, yet after seeing this trailer I really can't wait. 

So in honor of Ravager's news, I decided to post my top 10 favorite moments from the Phantasm series!

10) "You're him." 

- In part IV Mike begins to time travel by going into several dimensions before stumbling onto a farm around the time of the civil war. Here he walks out of a strange lab and walks out to a large farm house and climbs up on the porch. There he's greeted by a friendly old man who Mike knows very well. It's Jebediah Morningside. The man who once was long before the tall man creature took over. The look on Mike's face says it all. "You're him..." This scene gets me every time since you get a small glimpse into the man before he became the monster. Also seeing the creepy blind palm reader from the original film sitting on the porch is a very settle but perfect nod to the original.

9) Sphere death x 2

- Phantasm II is truly an awesome movie. The only nag I have with it is the fact they replaced actor A. Michael Baldwin as Mike in this one. Besides that the bigger budget, gross effects, and amazing action honestly kicked the film up a new notches for me. One of my favorite moments from part II has to be when the golden sphere is released and goes crazy. I love all the Sam Raimi like shots of it crashing through the doors to get to the two leads and how it ends up drilling into one of the funeral workers only to drill itself into his body and end up bursting through his mouth. I was so floored by this scene that while I was at school I gave my friend the idea of doing this make-up on me which ended up coming out amazing. By far one of the coolest effects I've seen in a horror movie ever.

8) Jody in the rain.

- I find Phantasm III highly amusing. Sadly it's a huge step down from part II and the only really good thing it has going for it is the fact A. Michael Baldwin returns. My favorite scenes in fact are the ones he appears in even though he's missing through half the movie. The best moment that feels the most haunting has to be when Mike awakes from his coma and is rushed away by Reggie. Having been dead to the world for years, Mike is thrusted back into this horrible world and just seeing Baldwin return as the original Mike is a huge reward to Phantasm fans. I loved the shot of him sitting in the Cuda, staring out the window and seeing his older brother Jody standing in the rain. A great moment with the original cast.

7) The last perfect day...

- A huge reason why I loved the forth entry of the series was the fact how full circle it felt. Using deleted footage from the original, Coscarelli did the clever choice in turning them into flashback scenes. Seeing everyone much younger was great and one of the best uses of this trick was when Mike reflects back on his life and remembers the last perfect day in their town before the tall man arrived. Love the shot of Mike chasing after Reggie's ice cream truck with all the cherry blossom trees in bloom and how the following day both Mike and Jody were together when the tall man arrived.

6) Dwarf attack/willing back to life.

- One of the scariest moments in the original Phantasm is when Mike and the two girls find Reggie's ice cream truck turned over in the middle of the road. Getting out, Mike tries to investigate only to know something is horribly wrong. Rushing back into the car, he demands the girls to start the car only to hear strange noises come from outside. There hooded dwarfs begin to attack the girls and shove Mike through the back window as the girls are driven off screaming. Here with a wonderful use of the beautiful score the movie is cut back and forth between Jody sitting at home, and Mike who very much could be dead in the road. Finally, almost as if Jody himself willed his brother to awake he does and begins to run home.

5) part II meets part III

- Coscarelli decided to screw the big studios after part II and did things his way when he came back for part III. The best use of editing has to be how he was able to change the actors of Mike back to A. Michael Baldwin, and get rid of the love interest the studio so badly wanted. Using footage from how the last film left off, along with some clever camera shots, part II and part III float nicely together and seem almost flawless as if you're watching one long movie. I love how they put Baldwin with the same clothes as the last actor, and how wonderful the shot looks when Reggie collapses outside of the hearse with Liz and Mike trapped inside. A great way to kick things off with part III and enjoyed how they took care of Liz. The look on Reggie's face when he sees her head is the best.

4) The space gate. 

- The original Phantasm truly is a visually stunning surreal ride. One of my favorite scenes from the original has to be the part where Mike puts his hand in-between the two dimension forks only to be sucked into it and pretty much goes ass over tea kettle into the red world where the tall man brings his dead. Love the sound effects used in this scene and how stunned Mike looks as he falls down. In fact that's my favorite piece on the original art work for the film's poster. 

3) "Boyyyyyy!!!"

- In the past I've gone on and on about my different theories about these movies. I'm sure after the release of part V it's only going to add to it. The ending of the first film through is one of my favorite endings to a horror movie ever. In fact this quick crash into the credits was something they carried on for the next two sequels. I feel with this film it worked best. At the end of the movie Mike awakes only to be told everything that happened was just a dream. That his parents and brother were killed months ago and that it was just a nightmare. Going upstairs to pack after his Uncle Reggie offers to take him away to get his mind off things, Mike hurries up the stairs to his bedroom where he begins to toss things into his bag and stare at a photograph of his brother. With the score blasting, Mike closes his closet door where he steps back stunned. Staring at him in the reflection of the mirror is the tall man. "BOYYYYYY!!!" The tall man screams only to have his creatures grab Mike and pull him through the glass. With a crash and a scream the credits begin. = Horror perfection. 

2) I've been waiting...

- This is a scene I really honestly love. I picked it apart in a film class, and was even a huge inspiration for a book I'm in the process of writing. This scene of course comes from the original movie where Mike believes he's safe and goes running out of his house only to be stopped by the tall man, healed and ready. "I've been waiting." The tall man smiles before grabbing him by the collar and lifting him up. The score has never sounded so beautiful as Mike is lifted up and carried across the lawn. Sure it's pretty laughable since you know the exact moment he's placed on a ramp but nothing feels more unsettling than watching Mike be thrown into the hearse. 

1) It's just the wind...

- This one scene is a huge reason why I honestly wouldn't mind had there not been a part V in the series. Part IV feels very full circle and the way this movie ended honestly was a dream come true for a Phantasm fan. Like I said again the amount of nerd theories I got from this movie was insane. The movie ends with poor Mike laying on the desert ground dying. The tall man having taken the sphere from his skull finally and walking between the two forks. Reggie kneels by him "Mike, you're still alive!" in which Mike weakly stares up and says "I'm dying Reg..." Reggie shakes his head no telling him not to give up and that he'll come back for him. Dressed in his ice cream uniform and his bad ass 4 barrel shot gun, he chases after the tall man leaving Mike all alone. There a close up of his eye reveals one last happy memory...or maybe reality itself. Here we're back to the 70's where both Mike and Reggie were younger. Mike is standing alone on the dark street and thinks he hears voices. Reggie pulls up in his ice cream truck and offers him a ride. As they drive away Reggie hears the same voices Mike did "Mike, you're still alive!" "I'm dying Reg..." Nervous, he glances over at 13 year old Mike and asks if he heard something. Mike shrugs and says "It's just the wind..." and together the two ride off into the darkness.