Phantasm II (1988)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Don Coscarelli

Writer (WGA):

Don Coscarelli (written by)

Release Date:

8 July 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Now, the horrifying truth is about to be revealed...and all it took was a little digging.

Plot:

Mike, now released from a psychiatric hospital, continues his journey to stop the evil Tall Man from his grim work.

Plot Keywords:

Tall Man | Psychiatric Hospital | Cemetery | Oregon | Sphere

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

James LeGros	...	Mike
Reggie Bannister	...	Reggie
Angus Scrimm	...	The Tall Man
Paula Irvine	...	Liz
Samantha Phillips	...	Alchemy
Kenneth Tigar	...	Father Meyers
Ruth C. Engel	...	Grandma
Mark Anthony Major	...	Mortician
Rubin Kushner	...	Grandpa
Stacey Travis	...	Jeri
J. Patrick McNamara	...	Psychologist
A. Michael Baldwin	...	Young Mike
Amanda Gray	...	Background Player
Elizabeth Quezada	...	Background Player
Lauren Gray	...	Background Player

Also Known As:

Phantasm II: The Never Dead Part Two (Australia) (video box title)

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:PG (heavily cut) | Italy:VM14 | Australia:R | France:-12 | Hong Kong:III | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18 | Iceland:(Banned)

Company:

Spacegate Productions

Trivia:

A sequence involving an entire 2-story house exploding in flames was filmed using a genuine house which was in the path of the California 105 freeway construction. The production company bought the house for $200 from the State of California, under the condition that they would move it from the site. The house was rigged with primer cord, mortars, black powder bombs and a plenty of gasoline and blown up. Afterwards, the company kept their word and removed what was left of the house.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the Tall Man carries Liz out of the pillar room to strap her down on the embalming table, the pillars are seen in the background. Reg's feet should be visible, hooked around the right one, preventing him from being sucked completely into the alien world. No feet are visible.

Quotes:

[Reggie revs up his chainsaw, about to take on one of the Tall Man's henchmen]
Reggie: Come on, you mutha!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Phantasmagoria (2005) (V)

Best Horror Movie Ever?

Phantasm II, with its robed, evil midgets and flying mini-saw wielding spheres, is a film that delivers the goods. We've got a chainsaw dual, cool characters in the Reg-man, Mike, and the Tall Man, and a hell of a lot of action!! Right from the opening title when you hear the atmospheric theme (which is amazing by the way), the tone is set and you know you're in for something special.

With the help of some dark and fantastical imagery, the story is laid out. Mike and Reggie are hunting down the Tall Man, a mysterious undertaker from another world who plunders graveyards and carts the dead off to be crushed into evil slave midgets. The movie strikes a chord with some of its imagery, especially those of embalming. What better way to be reminded of your mortality than to see a cadaver having his mouth sewn shut, and later another being drained of his blood and pumped with chemicals? Perhaps the Tall Man sums it up best when he says, "You think when you die you go to heaven? You come to US!!" It may make you uncomfortable to think about such things, but that is the point, at least partially.

Don't get up to get a beer on this one either. The movie has such a quick pace, you'll be left behind and might miss one of the many memorable scenes: Reggie and Mike walking through an empty graveyard, Father Meyer's encounter with a sphere, the quad-barreled shotgun, or the aforementioned chainsaw dual!!

All in all, Phantasm II is a film that surpasses its predecessor (itself a classic) and takes you on a 90-minute roller-coaster ride. It's fun, action-packed, and above all, highly entertaining.