IMDb > Phantasm (1979)
Phantasm
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Phantasm (1979) More at IMDbPro »

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Phantasm -- A young boy and his friends face off against a mysterious grave robber known only as the Tall Man, who keeps a mysterious arsenal of terrible weapons with him.

Overview

User Rating:
6.7/10   15,612 votes »
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Down 1% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Don Coscarelli
Writer:
Don Coscarelli (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Phantasm on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
28 March 1979 (USA) See more »
Genre:
Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi See more »
Tagline:
If you're looking for horror that's got balls...IT'S FOUND YOU. See more »
Plot:
A young boy and his friends face off against a mysterious grave robber known only as the Tall Man, who keeps a mysterious arsenal of terrible weapons with him. Full summary » | Full synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
See more »
Awards:
1 win & 1 nomination See more »
NewsDesk:
(402 articles)
FEARnet Movie Review: 'Phantasm 2' Blu-Ray
 (From FEARnet. 2 May 2013, 9:00 AM, PDT)
DVD Obscura: The Indie and International Movies You Should Watch This Month
 (From Movies.com. 30 April 2013, 7:00 PM, PDT)
Now on Blu-ray: Don Coscarelli Double Feature - Phantasm II, John Dies At The End
 (From Twitch. 24 April 2013, 5:00 PM, PDT)
User Reviews:
This gives new meaning to the word "BOOOYYY!!!" See more (241 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)
A. Michael Baldwin ... Mike (as Michael Baldwin)
Bill Thornbury ... Jody

Reggie Bannister ... Reggie
Kathy Lester ... Lady in Lavender
Terrie Kalbus ... Fortuneteller's Granddaughter
Kenneth V. Jones ... Caretaker (as Ken Jones)
Susan Harper ... Girlfriend
Lynn Eastman-Rossi ... Sally (as Lynn Eastman)
David Arntzen ... Toby
Ralph Richmond ... Bartender
Bill Cone ... Tommy
Laura Mann ... Double Lavender
Mary Ellen Shaw ... Fortuneteller
Myrtle Scotton ... Maid

Angus Scrimm ... The Tall Man
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dac Coscarelli ... Funeral Guest (uncredited)
Kate Coscarelli ... Funeral Guest (uncredited)
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Directed by
Don Coscarelli 
 
Writing credits
Don Coscarelli (written by)

Produced by
Dac Coscarelli .... producer (as D.A. Coscarelli)
Paul Pepperman .... co-producer
 
Original Music by
Fred Myrow 
Malcolm Seagrave 
 
Cinematography by
Don Coscarelli 
 
Film Editing by
Don Coscarelli 
 
Production Design by
Kate Coscarelli  (as S. Tyer)
 
Art Direction by
David Gavin Brown 
 
Makeup Department
Kate Coscarelli .... makeup artist (as Shirley Mae)
 
Production Management
Robert Del Valle .... unit manager
 
Art Department
Mark Annerl .... architecture
Doug Cragoe .... set construction
Willard Green .... constructor: Silver Sphere
Stephen A. Miller .... set construction
Marc Schwartz .... set construction supervisor
Kurt Tiegs .... set construction
 
Sound Department
Gene Corso .... sound effects creator
Michael Gross .... sound recordist
Robert J. Litt .... sound re-recording mixer (as Bob Litt)
Lorane Mitchell .... sound effects creator
Colin Spencer .... boom operator
 
Special Effects by
Paul Pepperman .... special effects creator
 
Stunts
George W. Singer Jr. .... stuntman
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Mori Biener .... grip
Steve Chandler .... best boy (as Steven Chandler)
Daryn Okada .... grip
Roberto A. Quezada .... gaffer (as Roberto Quezada)
Roberto A. Quezada .... visual consultant (as Roberto Quezada)
Marc Schwartz .... first assistant camera
George W. Singer Jr. .... key grip
Jacalyn Welan .... second assistant camera
John Zumpano .... grip
Robert K. Feldmann .... grip (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Kate Coscarelli .... wardrobe (as Shirl Quinlan)
 
Editorial Department
James Becker .... editorial assistant
Bruce G. Chudacoff .... editorial assistant
Roberto A. Quezada .... assistant editor (as Roberto Quezada)
Dena Roth .... assistant editor
 
Music Department
Paul Ratajczak .... music recording
 
Other crew
Wendy Kaplan .... script supervisor
Adele Lustig .... production coordinator
Dena Roth .... script supervisor
 
Crew believed to be complete


Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
"The Never Dead" - Australia, India (English title) (poster title)
"Zombies" - Pakistan (English title) (informal English title)
See more »
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
88 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Australia:R | Finland:K-18 (cut) (1980) | France:-16 | USA:R (Approved No. 25327) | UK:15 (video re-rating) (2005) | UK:18 (video rating) (1989) | UK:X (original rating) | Norway:16 (video rental version) | Iceland:16 | Germany:(Banned) (2002) | West Germany:18 (cut) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Singapore:PG (heavily cut) | Italy:VM14 (new rating) | Italy:VM18 (original rating) (VHS) | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (2001) | Spain:18
Filming Locations:
1232 Corsica Drive, Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California, USASee more »
Company:
New Breed Productions Inc.See more »

Did You Know?

Trivia:
The theme song is played by death metal band "Entombed" in the middle section of the title track of their debut album, 'Left Hand Path' (1990), before the solos.See more »
Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: At the beginning of the movie when Mike is joy riding on his motorcycle through the cemetery, the tracks of the trailer towing the motorcycle are visible in the grass behind him.See more »
Quotes:
Mike:I know you're not going to believe this, but these things were here, right in the garage, and they were going to get me!
Jody:Aww, give me a break, would you?
Mike:They were jumping on the car and making these weird sounds!
Jody:You're sure it wasn't that retarded kid, Timmy, up the street?
Mike:No, it was the same thing that chased me last night!
See more »
Movie Connections:
Featured in Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead (1994)See more »
Soundtrack:
Sittin' Here At MidnightSee more »

FAQ

What are the dwarves?
I heard there is a three hours director's cut. Is that true?
Is "Phantasm" based on a book?
See more »

User Reviews

   (Review this title)
11 out of 16 people found the following review useful.
This gives new meaning to the word "BOOOYYY!!!", 21 March 2003
Author: Zbigniew_Krycsiwiki from United States

Written, directed, photographed, produced and edited by Don Coscarelli, this doesn't make much sense but it's still a great bit of fun to watch with the lights turned out. This kid named Mike convinces his older brother Jody that there is something weird going on at the local cemetery. So he and Jody break into the old mausoleum and find out that it's actually some kind of factory where people are killer by a flying metal ball, crushed down to a height of about 3'2", dressed up like little monks and packaged up into round metal garbage cans and shipped off for use as slave labour in some other dimension. A dimension ruled and resided over by the mortician (known throughout the entire ordeal as just simply "The Tall Man") working at this cemetery. Then The Tall Man kills another friend of theirs, and they decide to put and end to him, or at least try to.

This movie has many different layered meanings, over the years some people have said that it's a reference to corporate America coming in (in the form of The Tall Man) and killing off everyone (by turning everything into a 'business') and some have said that this movie is also about a kid's loss of innocence and fears about everyone around him leaving (or in this case dying) Whatever the hell this movie is about it's still great fun followed by a couple of really disappointing (and belated) sequels.

Was the above review useful to you?
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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Phantasm (1979)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
The scariest thing about this film... richufc
Best horror movie ever made! dullfinboy
'Sabbath Bloody Sabbath' cover htownsteve
Blu-ray? JoeX2525
'take him to the antiques store, He'll be safe there' htownsteve
Scene interpetation Medinensis
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