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"Unequalled by anything we've seen before … I cannot think of a better way to experience this film now than with the remastered version. If you get a chance to see it on a big screen this year, I would heartily recommend you take advantage of any such opportunity, because it is a stunning and wonderfully surreal experience." – Daily Dead
Legendary horror director Don Coscarelli (John Dies at the End, MIFF 2013) cemented his cult status with this beloved 1979 film. Nearly 40 years on, it is now considered one of the most influential classics of the genre. It even inspired JJ Abrams to name Star Wars villain Captain Phasma after the film's iconic killer ball. Abrams himself, and his Bad Robot company, headed up the stunning 4K restoration of Phantasm, a new digital print and 5.1 audio soundtrack that makes this icon of B-movie horror look and sound better than it ever has. In the wake of the death earlier this year of the film's unforgettably terrifying star, Angus Scrimm, this restored version serves as a worthy tribute.
Set in a small town plagued by mysterious deaths, the story centres on Mike, a young boy who becomes convinced that a local mortician, the mysterious Tall Man (Scrimm), is responsible, with a floating chrome ball taking out his victims, then reanimating the dead bodies to serve as his minions. But can Mike, with help from his brother Jody and family friend Reggie, stop him?
"Scrimm's portrayal of The Tall Man … solidified the character as one of the silver screen's all-time scariest boogeymen." – AV Club
