Phantasm Series

A bizarre cult horror classic about loss and mourning

I've never been a huge fan of horror, but when I first saw the original Phantasm film as a teen in the early 80s, surprisingly, I absolutely loved it.  If you look beyond the campy special-effects generated gore (fake blood and yellow embalming fluid), viewers will see that the original film is essentially a coming-of-age story about a teen learning to deal with the grief involved in mourning the loss of his parents.  One review indicated that the film’s creator was attempting to make a statement about the alienating nature (the horror) of our modern funereal practices.  So, it makes sense that the most terrifying character in the original film as well as the four sequels, is not a monster in the form of a scary looking creature, but rather a sinister mortician dubbed “The Tall Man,” who possesses supernatural powers. 

I’ve always really liked this film primarily because it has a bizarre plot that defies genre classification; not quite horror; not quite science fiction.  Shortly after the film’s opening, many first-time viewers may be on the edge of their seats wondering… “what the heck is going on here!” The original film as well as sequels three through five are available on Hoopla.