Phantasm II (1988)

I can't explain in words how much I love the Phantasm series. Each film is a direct continuation of the last and each time we get answers to questions about The Tall Man while at the same time more are being asked. Phantasm II is probably my fave in the series not because of the action (most phans say it's the most action packed but I think part III holds that honor) but really this is the only one where Reggie and Mike are side by side and in my opinion thats why it's the best (in all the others Reggie being the horn dog he is is trying to find mike AND get laid...which is still cool). I can't believe that no other phans have mentioned how much Phantasm II mirrors Evil Dead 2 (I know they've had to notice it) that however is not a problem cause right next to the Phantasm series is the Evil Dead series. Just look at it and you will see what I'm talking about. Phantasm II follows Evil Dead 2 by going into comedy at times, others have complained that Phantasm III had comedy but they for some reason they forget II did also....it just wasn't as campy but still was funny, like when Reggie beat a dwarf creature into pieces by going crazy on it with the end of a shot gun or the look on his face when Alchemy is riding him and smacks him on top of his head and when he pulls a chainsaw on the graver at the end only for the graver to pull out a really LONG chainsaw...and of course just about everything Reggie says is funny. And like Ash getting equipped with his chainsaw in ED 2 Reggie gets his now trademark 4-barrel shotgun, and the scene where the mortician gets a sphere in his back and bounces all over the room makes me think of ED 2. But believe me Phantasm II is not a copy cat of ED 2. It still has some creepy stuff in it like the scene where the grandfather is getting his mouth sewn up. But this movie screams atmosphere more than anything, with it's great score and visual style really helping to push that home. All the actors give great performances and The Tall Man is the ultimate villain thanks to a great creepy performance by Angus Scrimm...all he's gotta do is twitch an eyebrow. Also the scene where the priest gets it is really cool (you can tell that the MPAA made them trim it though but thats just my opinion). But I think what really separates this horror series from most is that in almost all the other you root for Freddy, Jason, or Michael Myers and even though I love The Tall Man (God bless you Mr. Scrimm) Reggie is without a doubt THE man. Some people may have Indiana Jones or any of those guys as their fave characters but mine will always be Reggie (played perfectly by Reggie Bannister) along with the Ash character from Evil Dead (Bruce Campbell...need I say more), Herbert West from the Re-Animator series (Jeffrey Combs...one of the funniest actors around) and the best character Kurt Russell (no introduction needed) EVER played....no it's not Snake Plissken...but Jack Burton from the great Big Trouble in Little China. Sorry for going off on a rant there just wanted you to know. Anyways Reggie is the glue that holds the series together. Why Universal has not put this and part III out on DVD is beyond me, yet they will do another DVD edition of The Mummy remake. I think the reason this series is not as well known is because of the studio's killing it's chances (check out the web site on how they released Phantasm II) and instead of going in different directions to gain mass appeal (like the Elm Street series....which if I'm right Don Coscarelli was offered to direc

Fmovies: Action-horror is a relatively new genre, personified by Robert Rodriguez' "From Dusk Till Dawn", John Carpenter's "Vampires" and Sam Raimi's "Evil Dead" sequels. The problem with these films, though, is that the scares are overshadowed by the gunfire.

Not so in "Phantasm II." Definitely the best in the series, it features cool weapons, an unstoppable villain, the return of the flying Cuisinart, and a fine performance by a pre-indie-stardom James LeGros.

Angus Scrimm is at his scariest in this one, perfecting his Tall Man character. Reggie Bannister shows his character side way more than in the first film.

This is the finest of the series, with the atmosphere of the greatest 80's chillers. ("Prince of Darkness" comes to mind as a great double-feature idea.)

Buy it now!

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.

Phantasm II fmovies. After watching the Phantasm movies again and again for years, I've always thought that this second installment is the best.

First of all, it starts the saga as it is. Don Coscarelli has stated many times that he never intended part I to be followed by a sequel, so if you check out the continuity between the two, it's incredibly perfect and accurate in this one. (In my opinion, it's got the best prologue of the saga). Phantasm II picks up the best things of Part I and takes the plot onto a whole new direction (a path that will be followed by the other sequels). Guys, if there's a Phantasm Saga it's because of Part 2.

Apart from this, all ingredients and characters are very well balanced and developed (horror, sci-fi, action, humor, Alchemy, the priest). If, for example, you compare P2 next to P3, you'll realize that sense of humor goes over the top in the latter. Also, P3 seems to forget that the real main hero of the story is Mike. OK, Reggie is my favorite character, but I've always thought that he works better as a sidekick (P2) rather than as the leading guy.

Another important reason is that, to me, this is the darkest and most adult entry in the series: it's got the goriest moments and the creepiest atmosphere, and takes the plot very seriously. Special effects are great too (although being a low budget B-movie, and the cheapest film produced by Universal in 1988, it looks like a super-production).

And what can we say about the girls? Liz is the best partner Mike will ever have, and Chemy the most dangerous and sexiest chick Reggie will ever meet. Next to these characters, the other girls in the series look terribly under-developed (Lady in Lavender in Part I, Jennifer in part IV) or too far out (Rocky and Edna in Part III).

Some people complaint that this sequel, unlike its predecessor, spells everything out for you. No doubt P2 is the most linear installment in the series, but that doesn't necessary mean that spells everything out for you. OK, more dream sequences wouldn't have been bad, but I prefer a standard plot well developed and executed rather than a twisted story full of holes, forced elements and unsatisfying explanations (P3 and P4).

P2 is separated from P1 almost 10 years in time. Universal Pictures planned that the target audience for P2 should include people who never saw the original. They didn't want to take too many risks with the sequel of a movie that wasn't a huge success at the time and was released a decade before. That's the main reason why Universal executives forced Coscarelli to cast somebody else for Mike's part and write a more linear plot without mixing dreams and reality. Because of this, P2 is the only installment in the series that you can watch and understand without having seen P1.

Now, James LeGros is THE BEST Mike EVER. He portrays a strong, tough, grown up Mike. But he can also look sensitive and fragile. Michael Baldwin was great in Part I, but sometimes, when an actor grows up, he doesn't fit in the same role as good as in the past. In P3 and P4, Baldwin looks weak and lost, and his lack of charisma and sex appeal is what makes Reggie take the leading part. James LeGros is a better actor, and a better choice for Mike.

Producing a sequel to a unique horror film like "Phantasm" had to have been a challenge, but somehow writer/director Don Coscarelli managed to strike gold twice. Arriving nearly ten years after its predecessor and in a decidedly different climate, "Phantasm II" shifts gears from the creepy, dream-like original to a unique action/horror hybrid and passes with flying colors. While the tone is noticeably different from the first, most of the elements that made the original so special are re-arranged to make something altogether different and ultimately, well, fun.

Picking up where we left off in the original, Reggie (Reggie Bannister) and Mike (re-cast from Michael Baldwin to James LeGros) effectively send the Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) packing. Unfortunately, after spending a number of years in a mental hospital, Mike starts having visions of his foe as well as a mysterious young girl (Paula Irvine). Together with his surrogate big brother, he goes on a cross-country quest to track down the Tall Man and defeat him once and for all.

"Phantasm II" is a rare case of a sequel breaking away from the format of the original and succeeding in its own right. The film makes nods to horror movies of its time -- there's a bit of "Elm Street" and "Evil Dead" sprinkled throughout -- and it's remarkable how well it comes together. Coscarelli does an excellent job of keeping the pace going while balancing ambitious ideas and bizarre special effects. It's not quite as challenging as its predecessor, but that's part of the film's charm. Bannister is as game as always as the lovable Reggie, while LeGros steps into Baldwin's shoes effortlessly. The two have excellent chemistry together and the journey they take is every bit as fun and the frenzied finale the film offers.

From front to back, "Phantasm II" is good old spooky fun from the late '80s as only Coscarelli could deliver. And if that's not enough for you, there are still two more enjoyable sequels to plow through. "Phantasm II" is but a landmark in one of the most bizarre and unique horror series of its time.

While it isn't the iconic horror film it's predecessor was, Phantasm II is backed by better production values, a cool apocalyptic premise and a stand-out improvement in James LeGros replacing Baldwin. There is a reason why LeGros has appeared in a great deal more than Baldwin (including a hilarious parody of Brad Pitt in Living in Oblivion) and shows it here in spades. Frankly I feel this was as good or better than the first but the required shock ending that punctuates each of the films in this series has grown tiresome and makes each feel like they do not truly stand on their own as their own experience. Nevertheless, the entire series is original, imaginative and involving. Phantasm II really should have capped off the series with it's big budget backing, as the very next film in the series felt a lot like Alien 3 where the film picks up characters from the second film discarded in a very unfortunate and disappointing manner...but I digress. Phantasm II is solid, quad barrel shotgun monster blasting fun and a must see for monster movie fans everywhere!