Phantoms (1998)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

Joe Chappelle

Writers (WGA):

Dean R. Koontz (novel)
Dean R. Koontz (screenplay)

Release Date:

23 January 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | Horror | Drama

Tagline:

For centuries they told us the terror would come from above. We've been looking the wrong way.

Plot:

150 dead and 350 missing in the tiny mountain town of Snowfield, Colorado. And that's only the beginning...

Plot Keywords:

Monster | Alien | Death | Shot To Death | Severed Face

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Ben Affleck	...	Sheriff Bryce Hammond
Peter O'Toole	...	Dr. Timothy Flyte
Rose McGowan	...	Lisa Pailey
Joanna Going	...	Jennifer Pailey, M.D.
Liev Schreiber	...	Deputy Stuart 'Stu' Wargle
Nicky Katt	...	Deputy Steve Shanning
Clifton Powell	...	Gen. Leland Copperfield
Rick Otto	...	Scientist Lockland
Valerie Chow	...	Scientist Yamaguchi (as Rachel Shane)
Adam Nelson	...	Scientist Burke
John Hammil	...	Scientist Talbot
John Scott Clough	...	Scientist Shane
Michael DeLorenzo	...	Soldier Velazquez (as Michael Delorenzo)
William Hahn	...	Scientist Borman
Robert Himber	...	Scientist Walker

Also Known As:

Dean Koontz's Phantoms (USA) (complete title)

MPAA:

Rated R for sci-fi violence/gore and language.

Runtime:

96 min | Argentina:92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Ireland:18 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-16 (video premiere) | Germany:16 | Norway:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:PG | UK:15 | USA:R | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Colorado, USA

Company:

Dimension Films

Trivia:

The "flatworm theory" used in the movie (that flatworms can eat the remains of their own kind and absorb their knowledge) is based on actual tests given to flatworms which involved seeing how quickly they would make the "correct" turn at a Y-intersection after eating the previous experimenters. The results were more inconclusive than the film says.

Goofs:

Continuity: The number of cigarettes that Lisa has dropped in the toilet.

Quotes:

Deputy Wargle: Oh, you've got some guns, ladies, you wouldn't shoot an unarmed man would you?
[both women cock shotguns and point them at him]
Deputy Wargle: That's a dumb question.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)

Soundtrack:

JESUS LOVES ME

Intelligent, atmospheric and highly under-appreciated.

In the peaceful town of Snowfield, Colorado something evil has wiped out the community. And now, it's up to a group of people to stop it, or at least get out of Snowfield alive. The first time I saw "Phantoms", I liked it, but didn't think too much of it. Recently deciding to rent it again for the hell of it, this film is so much better than the previous viewing, I mean REALLY good, one of the best Hollywood-produced horror films I've seen in a while, not to mention THE best Dean Koontz adaptation. Joe Chappelle, who's films in the past unfortunately haven't been very good, does an excellent job directing here, delivering a dark & genuinely haunting atmosphere, not to mention great cinematography and a strong visual style. This film proves he's capable of directing a good movie if he's given a strong script. Oh, that brings me to the script, which Koontz penned himself, having been (Quite understandably) disappointed in the previous adaptations, has done an excellent job with the screenplay. Not only is it intelligent and thought-provoking but is also tightly written. When was the last time we got a SMART horror film? OK, there are plenty out there, but not many that Hollywood have made recently, mind you! Performance-wise, everyone does a great job here, especially the creepy Liev Schreiber (scream 2). Special effects are carefully used, few and far between but generally quite good. Once we finally see the creature it's kind of disappointing (I wish they had used the giant winged serpent described in the book) and quite vague. There's some nice gore too.

"Phantoms" is a smart, creepy, underrated horror gem that deserves better than it's gotten and really makes you think.

9/10.