MovieChat Forums > Phantasm (1979) Discussion > I always meant to check this series out....

I always meant to check this series out. How is it overall?

posted 8 years ago by Vaajraath
3 replies | jump to latest

I've gone through bunch of other horror franchises from back in the day-

Friday the 13th
Children of the Corn
Puppet Master
Halloween
Hellraiser
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Child's Play

-and somehow Phantasm has eluded me, despite my constant intention to one day give at least the first one a shot.

I guess I'm just curious how it compares to some of these other franchises. From what I gather, it's a bit more akin to A Nightmare on Elm Street or Hellraiser, in so much as it's more of a supernatural, surrealistic type of horror rather than a slasher. And that's just fine by me.

Is the whole series worth checking out, or is there a certain movie that provides a better stopping point than the actual last movie?

Does the series have an ongoing plot with recurring characters, or is it just a new batch of characters to die every movie? And is there any closure to the series?

Also where can I watch find this series, either to just rent or purchase? I checked on itunes, and only the second one is available. On ebay, I am able to track down all four movies, but all the Region 1 dvds are "rare" "out of print" and a couple of them are a bit over-priced to be honest.

Gruss Vom Krampus!

[–] Mr_Ectoplasma 8 years ago

The Phantasm series is the oddblal (no pun intended) of pretty much all horror movies IMO. It's been a long time since I've seen the sequels, but they do have a cohesiveness, and there is continuity with most of the characters. It's a very strange series of films though, and Part IV from what I remember is a real head-spinner.

You really have to start out with the first one and then move from there. I believe this film (the first one) is on Vimeo, or at least it was. The DVD releases are out of print, aside from Part II, which got a Blu-ray release a few years ago. The entire series is supposed to come out in a Blu-ray set this year, so we'll see what happens. The first film got two different DVD releases—one from MGM and one from Anchor Bay—both of which had slightly different bonus features. I own both of them, and at one time the MGM release was SUPER rare, then wasn't anymore once Anchor Bay came out with their edition, but that went out of print too and then both of them were crazy expensive.

[–] !!!deleted!!! (9347176) 8 years ago

It is completely different from each of the big franchises you listed. Phantasm is its own thing, always has been.

What makes it easy to relate to for me is that I could have been Mike, just a kid from down the block that starts seeing/experiencing weird things that he can't explain. I was always creeped out by funeral homes and mausoleums, so it really hits home for me.

-Rod

[–] mider2009 8 years ago

It's crazy but FUN.

It's truly unique and unlike most of the other horror movies I have.