A Complex, Compassionate, Perfect End to a Perfect Saga **SPOILERS**
Phantasm IV just might be my favorite film of all time, and I'd like to explain why I adore it so much and feel that, in every sense, it IS a fitting end to the series, and that it leaves NO questions unanswered.
This series has always been a riddle, always an enigma, and the answers are as difficult to see when they're right in front of you as perhaps the destination of one of the Tall Man's dimensional forks.
I'm sure everyone has a theory of what was meant or implied by a lot of the events of Phantasm IV, and here's my personal take that I strongly believe in, so much so that when I watch part IV, it brings tears to my eyes, every time, without fail.
A lot of people get confused by the "contradictory" flashback scenes that depict different events than what happened in the original Phantasm.
Think about this...it IS true that the ending of Phantasm reveals that everything was just a bad dream, and that Jody died in a car wreck. But poor confused little Michael claims that everything felt so real...
Ten years later, his dream is proven a reality because the Tall Man is back, desecrating every town he travels through-he also kills Reggie's family. Reggie then believes Michael and the two team up and the rest of the series plays out rather linearly.
But...then how could everything have been a dream, if it all proved true? What....REALLY happened?
In part IV, Michael is not only beginning to understand everything about the Tall Man's origins, but about the CORRECT origins to his own connection to it all. It WAS a dream, but something ELSE happened. All the flashback footage we are shown in part IV finally reveals what REALLY happened when Michael first encountered the Tall Man. Everything else we saw in the original was either one of many parallel universes we've witnessed in the series, or merely a dream caused by the Tall Man affecting Michael's perception of reality.
So....Jody DID die in a car wreck, but we never LIVED that reality. It's this disconnection and robbery of Michael's memory of his brother that makes this series so effective in it's sense of loneliness and emotional loss.
Also, I believe that the girl from Phantasm II that Michael has a telepathic connection to is a result of this. She looks extremely similar to the granddaughter of the psychic from the original, and I believe, that if everything from part I WAS a dream, then he knew that girl from a separate dimension of reality, the reality we never knew, that is, until we saw glimpses of it in part IV.
The ending of part IV brings tears to my eyes. Reggie tears through the fabric of time, to journey back to where his personal journey with Mike began. Sitting together in the ice cream truck, they truly have traveled back in time, where they can relive the battle, only this time, armed with something more powerful than a four-barreled shotgun....knowledge.
They will continue this battle, most likely forever. Yet every time they come back to where they started, they will have learned more every time.
It is for this reason that I do not wish for a Phantasm V, no matter how much I adore this "phranchise". I have never held so much love and compassion for a series of films or a cast of characters as much as what I've seen in the Phantasm saga. I would love another journey with them, but, in my heart, I know that Reggie and Mike are still out there, traveling across endless dimensions, fighting the Tall Man for all eternity. They are the Yin and Yang, the Life and Death, of Space and Time. For one to give in to, or to destroy the other, would probably unravel the very fabric of all reality. Let's hope their fight never ends.
Thank you, Don, for giving us the most endearing, complex, and compassionate horror film saga that has ever been created. I will cherish these films until the day I die.
Your undying Phan,
Justin Warren
Hopefully not the last! Though I get the impression that this is the last of the Phantasm movies, I really hope that after meeting and talking with A. Michael Baldwin (who informed me that there are talks about a new movie in the works)that this isn't the case. Of course Angus Scrimm isn't getting any younger. Nobody wants to see The Tall Man chasing after Mikey and Reg in a wheelchair! If you are a fan of the series then you will get a kick out of the flashback sequences which used extra footage shot for the first film. If you have never seen the rest of the series I think you will be lost and not inclined to give this any stars except maybe one. So watch at your own risk and keep an eye out for flying spheres! They're murder!
An excellent end to my favorite horror series This is one of my favorite Phantasm's. It brings back the original actors in their original roles. It fell more into the realm of the first Phantasm with its hard to comprehend qualities. The more you watch it the more you come to understand.
I believe that some people will not like this movie, for the same reason some didn't like the first one. It has a sureal quailty that film goers dont like these days. They prefer a movie that spells it out for you and lays it all up front. They lack imagination and expect the film maker to give them one. I'm all for this when I'm in the mood for some brainless fun. However that's not what you get here. If you find this movie confusing its because you haven't actually seen it. Watch it again until you figure it out. If you've made it all the way to OblIVion then I know you're already a Phan. Pay close attention to the end and it will become clear where the story went. It will make more sense as to why the film appears to be so disjointed. Like a dream perhaps? Read further and I'll try to explain.
SPOILERS!!!!
For those of you who were clueless about the end of the film and hate it for that reason here are my thoughts on Phantasm IV.
The whole Phantasm series was a dream in young Mikes head. Jody was killed in a car accident (dead from the very start of the series much like young Mikes parents) and Reggie was taking care of young Mike now that his whole family was deceased. When Mike and Reggie are in the Ice Cream truck together driving away at the end of Phantasm IV and you hear adult Mike say "I'm dying" and Reggie asks Mike "Did you hear something?" Mikes response was "It's just the wind. Only the wind". At this point Mike (young Mike) had given up his dream world and accepted the fact that Jody and his parents were dead and were never coming back and in this fact killing the adult dream Mike who never really existed in the first place. I think even "adult" Mike had an idea of what was truly going on and chose to end it.
Quote: The Tall Man: "Ice cream man, it's all in his head."
Who knows if Tommy was killed by the lady in lavender in the graveyard or if he was in the car accident with Jody? It doesn't really matter if Tommy even existed at all or if he was just another creation in Mikes dream world. There were many characters introduced througout the series that came and went without any real purpose. The only two that stuck it out from the begining to the end were Reggie and Mike. This was due to the fact that they were the only "real" characters from the very begining. Maybe Tommy was a creation to help Mike deal with Jodys funeral.
Go back and watch all 4 films from the very begining and pay close attention to the things that happened that didn't really happen. Mikes encounters with the Tallman, Alchemy (Samantha Phillips) lying on the embalming table only to disappear when Mike turns around. Mike and Liz (Paula Irvine) being able to communicate with their minds. The endings to the first 3 films. Everything that happens in the 4 Phantasm films are hints that it's all just a dream. Even now I can hear The Tallman say "No, it's not!".
All the Tall Man was is an undertaker who young Mike thought of as taking away his family (which made him the protagonist in Mikes dreams), but really was just a creepy old undertaker. Perhaps just the sweet old man who offers Mike lemonade in his interdimensional time trip.
End Spoilers:
I believe this was Coscarellis intention all along and so many people complained that it was too vague or they just didn't understand it at all. It was after the complaints that talks for a fifth film began. After all, since when did do artists ever feel the need to explain their vision. Either you get it or you don't.
In earlier interviews he said that Oblivion would be the 4th and final Phantasm, and that he intended to have a suprise ending that wrapped up the whole story. I feel thats exactly what we got, all that time to find out that Mike was still just a little boy with a dead family and none of it ever really happened. It was so sureal and I love it! I think it was an excellent end to an amazing trip.
Notice the use of dreamlike sequences throughout the whole series. Even the ones tossed out of Phantasm II by the studios.
There were some rumors about a possible Phantasm V after the remake trilogy fell apart (thank the gods of horror). However Don Coscarelli hasn't mentioned it in any of his recent interviews. When questioned about Phantasm V Angus Scrimm's exact words were "Don't hold your breath!". Not to mention the fact the guy is 82 years old. At Louisville's Fright Night Film Festival Mike Baldwin, Reggie Banister and Angus Scrimm all stated they weren't interested in a remake of any sorts.
I don't think Don Coscarelli's heart is really in making a 5th film in the series. Considering that his original concept of Phantasm IV was closure.
I could be TOTALLY OFF on this. However I like to think I'm on target. Since I don't see another film in the near future and definately not with Mr. Scrimm who makes Phantasm what it is. I choose to let it end here and most certainly don't want to see my favorite series get the same treatment as the most recent Crow and Highlander installments.
For those of you still waiting on Phantasm II on DVD if you have a region free DVD player you can get the complete set via Region 2. The copies contained in the set are the exact re-released DVD's of Phan 1,3 and 4 plus you get a really cool bonus disc. So I'm pretty sure that if we ever get a Region 1 release of Phantasm II it will just be the same version issued on Region 2.
If you don't have a region free DVD player it's real simple to make 90% of current DVD Players region free. No hardware modifications.
The best sequel in the series Don Coscarelli outdid himself with Phantasm IV: Oblivion, which is the best film in the series since the classic original, and by far the best sequel in the series as well. Picking up right where Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead left off, Mike (A. Michael Baldwin) is on the run from the Tall Man (Angus Scrimm), with Reggie (Reggie Bannister) in hot pursuit. Soon enough, Mike begins to learn bits and pieces of the Tall Man's past, what role his dead brother Jody (Bill Thornbury) plays in all this, and his own mysterious ties to the Tall Man begin to unravel as well. While Phantasm IV does feature some predictable moments and suffers from some uneven pacing, Coscarelli manages to brilliantly integrate unused footage from his 1979 original to tie everything together, bringing the entire saga as close to full circle as it may well get. Needless to say, the Phantasm series has always managed to be one of the absolute best and most intelligent horror series over the past few decades, and Phantasm IV is ample proof. Maybe one day Coscarelli will finally give us a fifth film to bring it all to a close (and maybe we'll get Phantasm II on DVD too).
Phantasm IV: Excellent
Horror/slasher films can be so predictable. Toss in a villainous character, add a body count, include gruesome CGI, meld in a suspenseful soundtrack (although it can be heavy metal now), cast a beautiful young woman for titillation, and use light sparingly. If you are so inclined, plan at least two sequels so you can release director cuts and special editions. Toss in a good story for good measure.
It's a good thing Don Coscarelli is not predictable. The Phantasm series, while possessing some of the `standard' horror film characteristics, eclipses itself in the fourth and last film. There have been zombies, dwarf killers, and a truly outstanding villain in the `Tall Man'. "Oblivion", while a final film, answers the questions that fans have been asking. "What caused the Tall Man to become evil?" "What are the spheres anyway?" "Did Jody really die in the car crash?" Lastly, can Mike stop the Tall Man from becoming evil?
Coscarelli's response is almost poetic. Mike travels through crystal gateways into alternate time frames and realities based on his what-ifs. Jody, his late brother, returns to guide him. The Tall Man teases him with the past, and the offer to join him as he hastens a final death for all mankind. "Be careful what you search for, you just might find it." The ice Cream Man, Reggie, travels through an abandoned landscape only to realize that his final destination depends on Michaels' actions. There is gore, there is action, and there is a strong underlying theme in the film. Our past decides our future. Our decisions have consequences.
The film is immaculately produced. Visually, the photography and special effects are well done. Sharp TV fans will notice the improved 1313 Mockingbird Lane house from the Munsters (now Astoria Lane in Desperate Housewives). The Alabama Hills and Lone Pine sparkle. In a backhanded tribute to the Lone Pine area, Coscarelli includes a western scene where the Cisco Kid and Lone Ranger once galloped. For a horror film, the few spots of humor are well handled and appropriate.
Intelligent horror is rare. This film makes the grade. Bravo Mr Coscarelli.
Anything Goes Trivia
Last Kiss
Megaton Man
Trevor
