Phantasm:
Remastered
(1979/Well Go USA Blu-ray w/DVD)
Picture:
B+/B- Sound: B+/C+ Extras: B Film: B
Just
in time for the holiday season is the 1979 cult classic horror flick
Phantasm,
directed by Don Coscarelli (Bubba
Ho-Tep).
Remastered in 4K HD for the first time courtesy of current mega
producer/director (and obvious fan) J.J. Abrams and his Bad Robot
Production Company, the film has never looked better than it does
here (even considering some fine previous restorations) and is one of
the best looking discs I've seen this year. For those who haven't
seen it or those was are due to revisit it, you'll be hard pressed to
find a better restoration of a lower budget film. Period. If you're
new to the film or the Phantasm
series, I would also suggest checking out the worthy sequel Phantasm
2
(reviewed elsewhere on this site), which is now also available from
Scream Factory in a nice release, as well as the newest film in the
series Ravager,
which is also available from Well Go USA (now reviewed elsewhere on
this site).
The
original Phantasm
stars the late-but-great Angus Scrimm, A. Michael Baldwin, Bill
Thornbury, Reggie Bannister, Kathy Lester, and Terrie Kalbus.
After
the mysterious death of his friend, Jody (Thornbury) is followed by
his teenage brother Mike (Baldwin) to the funeral. Mike snoops
around the cemetery and sees an unusual mortician known as The Tall
Man (Scrimm) carrying Tommy's coffin and loading it into a van alone
without any help. Desperate for answers, Mike breaks in the mortuary
to investigate the mystery and discovers weird hooded dwarf creatures
with yellow blood and dangerous flying spheres that protect the
location. Who is the Tall Man and what secret is he hiding?
Presented
in 1080p high definition, this stunning 4K remaster looks better in
every way to previous releases with rich colors and hardly any noise
on the print whatsoever, without compromising the original look of
the film. Presented in its original widescreen aspect ratio of
1.85:1, Phantasm
also sports a lossless DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
mix that brings the film to life like never before. Most notable is
the musical soundtrack by Fred Myron and Malcolm Seagrave that sets
the haunting mood for the film and really sounds excellent in DTS.
Also included is a standard DVD version that looks and sounds fine
for the format but isn't as impressive as the Blu-ray. The audio mix
on that disc is a lossy 5.1 Dolby Digital track.
Special
Features on the disc include...
-
Audio Commentary with Director Don Coscarelli and cast members
Michael Baldwin, Angus Scrimm, & Bill Thornbury
-
Graveyard Cars
-
Interviews from 1979 with Don Coscarelli and Angus Scrimm
-
Deleted Scenes
The
Tall Man is one of cinema's greatest and most iconic horror villains
and it's great to see a low budget film like this get the grand
presentation that it deserves.
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
