Phantasm – Remastered: Blu-ray Review
The Movie:
At a funeral, Mike (Michael Baldwin), watches as a tall mortician clad in black (Angus Scrimm) tosses the unburied coffin into a waiting hearse as if it were nothing. Seeking the truth behind this unusual sight, Mike breaks into the mortuary, where he comes face-to-face with the sinister Tall Man. After barely managing to escape with his life, Mike enlists the help of his brother, Jody (Bill Thornbury), and their friend Reggie (Reggie Bannister). Together they set out to uncover the secrets of the Tall Man and those who dwell in his hellish world.
The film that started it all! I’ve been looking forward to revisiting this movie since I heard that it was being remastered. First off, the movie looks amazing in HD especially considering that it was released in 1979. The coloring of the film has become more vibrant and as weird as it sounds you can tell the most when blood comes gushing out of peoples heads. The plot to the film has a bit of a slow burn to it which may be a surprise to some that haven’t seen it before but I personally think that’s what makes it great and creepy. It takes its time to make The Tall Man a threat and it’s done in such a wonderful way. The one thing that I completely forgot was that Reggie was just a sidekick in this movie and not the gun totting badass that we end up seeing in the sequels. The story focused more on Mike and Jody which I actually really liked. It set the stage for what was to come for their characters in the future. Another thing that I totally forgot about as well was the fact that The Tall Man ran and chased after Mike instead of just being a presence. I freaked out for a second when that happened because that changes exactly how I remembered him to be in the past and it made him that much more terrifying. If you’ve seen any other version of this film then you’re definitely going to want to pick this up simply for the awesome upgrade to HD. Don’t miss it! 8/10
Special Features:
Graveyard Carz Episode – A cool feature that stars director Don Coscarelli and A. Michael Baldwin.
Interviews from 1979 – Old interviews about the film featuring Coscarelli and Angus Scrimm.
Deleted Scenes – About 6 scenes here that are pretty interesting to check out if you get a chance.
Audio Commentary With Director/Writer Don Coscarelli, A. Michael Baldwin, Angus Scrimm and Bill Thornbury
