![]() ![]() The result is a unique film perfectly suited for impressionable adolescents just beginning to watch horror movies it seems to be about everything while it is actually about nothing at all. Phantasm's appeal rests in its nature as a snapshot of contemporary America coupled with its adventurous, if chaotic, inclusion of iterations on popular themes and objects borrowed from across genres and films. Some of the more successful elements of the film seem to be mere happenstance Brad wondered if they "made a hit by accident." I think so. In addition, the Tall Man, played by the late Angus Scrimm, stood out as particularly unique and the best performance of the film he both contained and transcended several villainous archetypes, from the grouchy old Scrooge to the malevolent mastermind. ![]() The brothers' relationship works well on screen and insulates the core of the film from its other shortcomings, broadening its appeal across middle class white America. Mike plays the quintessentially bothersome little brother, following Jody around and recruiting Jody's help against the Tall Man. While I found the pacing slow, the plot underwhelming, and the acting lacking, Phantasmsketched a distinct atmosphere at once comfortable and familiar but tinged with a nonlinear surrealism. The supernatural, extraterrestrial, and quaintly suburban combine to frame an authentically American horror film. The supernatural, extraterrestrial, and quaintly suburban combine to frame an authentically American horror film.Īmong the youngest people in the theater (besides the adolescent children of adult audience members), I spent most of the time thinking about which aspects of the movie rendered it a 'classic.' The movie abounds in contemporary pop culture references, with those from Dune and Star Wars pithily summed in the moniker of Jody's preferred dive bar, 'Dune's Cantina.' Bell-bottom jeans and an admittedly sexy 1971 Plymouth Barracuda do not, however, confine Phantasm's appeal to its initial audience. Mike, along with his older brother Jody and Jody's friend, Reggie, begin to investigate the parlor's mysterious Tall Man as the unsavory character responsible for the ghastly occurrences. After a number of strange occurrences at the local funeral parlor. Michael Baldwin) in the aftermath of several deaths within his family. Abrams's Bad Robot Studios, follows 13-year-old Mike (A. The film, recently restored to 4k resolution by J.J. The movie? A screening of Phantasm, the 1979 'cult classic,' written, directed, photographed, co-produced, and edited by Don Coscarelli. Brad began laughing when I admitted I hadn't even looked up the trailer. Truly, not a single one: I trusted his judgment if Brad was seeing a movie, it was probably worth seeing. When Brad Pettigrew, Editor-in-Chief of The Moviegoer, asked if I was interested in seeing a movie at the PFS Roxy, I didn't ask questions. Throughout the month of October, Moviegoer writers will be sharing their thoughts on a number of horror films. This marks the first in a series of articles. ![]()
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