Phantasm IV: Oblivion (1998)

Director:

Don Coscarelli

Writers (WGA):

Don Coscarelli (characters)
Don Coscarelli (written by)

Release Date:

13 October 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The sequel with balls!

Plot:

Taking off immediately where the last one ended, in this episode Mike travels across dimensions and time fleeing from the Tall Man...

Plot Keywords:

Tall Man | Undead | Mausoleum | Person On Fire | Roman Numeral In Title

Cast

A. Michael Baldwin	...	Mike
Reggie Bannister	...	Reggie
Bill Thornbury	...	Jody
Heidi Marnhout	...	Jennifer
Bob Ivy	...	Demon Trooper
Angus Scrimm	...	The Tall Man / Dr. Jebediah Morningside
Christopher L. Stone	...	Music & Dwarf Creatures (voice) (as Christopher Stone)
Chloe Kay	...	Background Player
Sylvia Flammer	...	Background Player
David Gasster	...	Background Player
Sasha Kassel	...	Background Player
Aidan Kassel	...	Background Player
Eric Avary	...	13th Morningside Volunteer Infantryman
Andy John	...	13th Morningside Volunteer Infantryman
George A. Craig	...	13th Morningside Volunteer Infantryman

Also Known As:

Phantasm IV
Phantasm IV: Infinity (USA) (alternative title)
Phantasm: Phorever (USA) (working title)
Phantasm: oblIVion (USA) (video title)

MPAA:

Rated R for horror violence/gore and some strong language.

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Australia:MA | Germany:16 (cut) | Germany:18 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Lone Pine, California, USA

Trivia:

In the sequence showing Mike, Reggie, and Jody playing guitar and sitting on the hood of a car, the same actors A. Michael Baldwin, Reggie Bannister, and Bill Thornbury are actually the ones playing the part. No younger actors were used at all.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Mike and Jodi are walking through the "deserted" town, supposedly everyone in town has been killed by The Tall Man, when the Tall Man walks down the centre of the street you can see an old lady pushing an empty shopping cart, and a car driving around a corner in the distance.

Quotes:

The Tall Man: Where do you think you're going boy. Death is no escape from me.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (2006) (VG)

Soundtrack:

Have You Seen It?

Surprisingly Good

A horror movie that is fourth in a series should be terrible. This one actually stands on its own as a good movie, though perhaps not great as fourth in the series.

As other users have commented, this movie does not answer questions about the Phantasm series. It shows a little background on the tall man, and that's it.

On the other hand, looking at it as a stand-alone-movie, it works! It has very coherent and often beautiful art direction. There are very few characters (I assume to save money), but that works. It keeps the movie from bogging down in goofy dialogue and laughable characters like Phantasm III.

The movie actually gets rather artful at times. Just observe the desert scenes with the field of metal rods to see what I mean. The Tall Man doesn't seem too threatening in this one. He come across much more as a constant pressure instead of an acute danger.

The individual characters aren't really developed any more than the previous films. They are reaching archetypal roles of heros, seekers, fighters, etc.

This is not a slasher film. It almost is not a horror movie. Oddly enough, it is almost stepping out of its low-brow beginnings (except for the breast scene in the hotel) and nearly reaching art movie status. I would love to see Phantasm V taken further in this vein. Unfortunately, I think this is the last of the series. Enjoy it if you can find it!