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Phantoms (1998)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
23 January 1998 (USA) moreTagline:
For centuries they told us the terror would come from above. We've been looking the wrong way. morePlot:
150 dead and 350 missing in the tiny mountain town of Snowfield, Colorado. And that's only the beginning... full summary | add synopsisAwards:
1 nomination moreNewsDesk:
(9 articles)
Greatest Scream Queens (From SoundOnSight. 1 September 2009, 12:00 PM, PDT)
The Horrors of Haddonfield: A Halloween Retrospective
(From Fangoria. 5 August 2009, 11:31 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Solid horror storyline compensates routine production. more (148 total)Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| 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 |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for sci-fi violence/gore and language.Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
96 min | Argentina:92 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Dolby DigitalCertification:
Iceland:16 | Ireland:18 | New Zealand:R16 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-16 (video premiere) | Germany:16 | Norway:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:PG | UK:15 | USA:R | Argentina:16Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The lizard that the creature's "tissue sample" takes the form of is a leopard gecko. moreGoofs:
Continuity: Everyone goes into the lab and it begins to snow. Jennifer, Lisa, Bryce, and Flynt are the only people left in town. Yet, when Flynt leaves the lab later, there are footprints and tracks in the snow. moreQuotes:
Jenny: It almost got Lisa.Lisa: No, it wanted Deputy Wargle first, it wants men like him most of all.
Jenny: What do you mean it wants men like him?
Lisa: Well, its the devil don't you think, come up from hell tonight? I think he wants to dance with us.
more
Soundtrack:
FALL moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (148 total)
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Reasonable supernatural horror, the action taking place in a small town where all the inhabitants have vanished or are dead.
The first half hour builds up tension quite well as two sisters return to the town only to find a few dead bodies and some dismembered body parts. Ben Affleck comes on the scene as a very young looking Sheriff, and the plot sort of meanders along until the introduction of Peter O'Toole as an expert in strange phenomenon. The horror turns out to be an evil entity from the depths of the earth, having similar Devil characteristics to those seen in 'Quatermass and the Pit'.
The film is forgetable but is still better than most horror/monster movies that are churned out these days. 'Phantoms' rarely resorts to cheap humour or trite one-liners and, despite the presence of Affleck, doesn't fall back on any romance to pad out the plot. The horror theme stays strong throughout, and while there are obvious ideas lifted from other films - 'The Andromeda Strain' and particularly the metamorphosising dog from 'The Thing'- at least the film remains true to its roots.
The second half of the film begins to wilt but fortunately things are wrapped up quite quickly, and while the performances, effects and script are all routine, the story element itself is allowed to dominate and this is strong enough to carry the film past the average mark.