Lock your doors, polish your spheres, and buckle up in the ’71 Cuda—because Phantasm has never looked this wicked. The Tall Man stalks sharper than ever in glorious 4K, his polyester suits practically glowing with menace, while those chrome death orbs gleam like disco balls forged in hell. Mike, Jody, and Reggie (yes, the ice cream man turned guitar‑slinging hero) are back to battle goblins, topless graveyard sirens, and nightmare logic that makes you question reality itself.
Welcome back to the church of WTF. We’re glad to have you here.
There’s something seriously off about the Morningside funeral home. And I don’t mean “bad Yelp reviews” off—I mean grunts, growls, and shadowy figures darting around like they’re auditioning for a Joy Division video. Two brothers, Mike (Michael Baldwin) and Jody (Bill Thornbury), keep catching this freakshow in the corners of their eyes. And at the center of it all? The Tall Man. Angus Scrimm, stuffed into suits that look like they were borrowed from a cranky uncle’s closet, stalks the halls with his army of goblin minions. Mike knows this guy is the problem, but proving it? Yeah, not so easy when your villain is basically a nightmare in polyester.
Enter Reggie, the ice cream man with a guitar and a destiny. (Yes, you read that right. A guitar-plucking ice cream man—because Coscarelli knew horror needed a hero who could shred riffs and scoop Rocky Road.) By the time fortune tellers and interdimensional weirdness pile up, the trio has no choice but to face The Tall Man head-on. Spoiler: this is not your average boss fight.
And then—oh sweet Gen X gods of VHS—the craziest scene hits. The silver sphere. That shiny, dagger-bedazzled orb that looks like a disco ball designed by Satan himself. It doesn’t just float. It hunts. It drills into skulls. It sprays blood like a busted ketchup packet at a Denny’s. This is the moment where Phantasm stops being a movie and becomes a religion. You don’t watch it—you testify.
The whole film is a fever dream: topless graveyard sirens, muscle cars with more attitude than half the cast, and nightmare logic that makes David Lynch look like a straight-A student. You don’t “get” Phantasm on the first viewing. You survive it. And then you come back for more, because repeat viewings are basically mandatory.
Don Coscarelli—writer, producer, director, editor, and probably the guy who made sure the Cuda’s carburettor looked sexy—deserves sainthood. Blame him if you’re confused, worship him if you’re enlightened. This is a B-movie that somehow transcends its budget and becomes eternal. Fans aren’t just fans; they’re disciples.
The Phantasm 4K SteelBook edition is nothing short of a shrine for the faithful. The film’s surreal nightmares and chrome-plated death spheres have never looked sharper, with the remaster pulling every shadow, every scream, every spray of blood from a drill bit into wicked clarity. The Tall Man looms larger than ever, his polyester suits practically glowing in HDR, and the silver spheres gleam like relics forged in hell’s own workshop.
And then there’s the SteelBook itself—cold, sleek, and collectable, like a coffin you actually want to display on your shelf. This isn’t just a movie upgrade; it’s a relic of worship, a midnight-movie communion wafer pressed in steel. For disciples of Coscarelli’s fever dream, this edition is proof that the gospel of Phantasm will roll on forever.
Phantasm’s influence is everywhere: Freddy Krueger owes it a debt, Captain Phasma literally owes it a name, and horror nerds owe it their undying devotion. The spheres will roll forever, and I, for one, am happy to kneel at their chrome-plated altar.
Blu-ray / Steelbook Edition
Home Video Distributor: Well Go USA
Available on Blu-ray - November 6, 2018
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English SDH
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0; English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single-disc set
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A
Lock your doors, polish your spheres, and buckle up in the ’71 Cuda—because Phantasm has never looked this wicked. The Tall Man stalks sharper than ever in glorious 4K, his polyester suits practically glowing with menace, while those chrome death orbs gleam like disco balls forged in hell. This SteelBook isn’t just packaging—it’s a coffin you’ll proudly display. Packed with remastered visuals, killer audio, and enough extras to keep you up all night, this edition is the ultimate relic for horror disciples. Whether you’re a first‑time victim or a lifelong worshipper, the gospel of Phantasm rolls eternal… and now it’s sharper, louder, and crazier than ever.
VIDEO
The 4K polish on this Phantasm SteelBook release is nothing short of a resurrection. Every shadow in the Morningside mausoleum now drips with menace, every chrome sphere gleams like it was buffed by the devil’s own hand, and even The Tall Man’s polyester suits radiate a kind of sinister glow that only HDR could bless.
The grain is preserved just enough to keep that late‑’70s fever‑dream texture intact, but the upgrade sharpens the madness—blood sprays brighter, nightmare logic cuts deeper, and the Cuda roars with a clarity that feels almost sacramental. This isn’t just a remaster; it’s a restoration of the gospel, a midnight‑movie relic polished until it blinds you with its wicked glory.
AUDIO
The DTS‑HD Master Audio 5.1 track spreads Reggie’s guitar riffs and the Cuda’s growl across the room like a midnight revival, while every grunt, growl, and sphere‑drill slices through the mix with unholy precision. Dialogue is cleaner, the funeral home’s eerie silence is deeper, and when the Tall Man bellows “BOY!” it’s not just a line—it’s a commandment that rattles your bones.
For purists, the 2.0 mono track is preserved like scripture, keeping that raw drive‑in authenticity intact. Whether you’re worshipping in surround sound or sticking to the old‑school sermon, this audio polish makes Phantasm feel less like a movie and more like a ritual you’re trapped inside.
Supplements:
Commentary:
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A fan-favorite commentary track featuring Don Coscarelli (writer/director), A. Michael Baldwin, Angus Scrimm, and Reggie Bannister. It’s a mix of behind‑the‑scenes anecdotes, production challenges, and playful banter that feels like sitting in on a reunion of the cult’s founding fathers.
Special Features:
The Phantasm 4K SteelBook release comes loaded with special features, though most are housed on the Blu‑ray companion disc rather than the UHD itself. The UHD disc focuses on the remastered film presentation, while the Blu‑ray carries extras, including commentary tracks, featurettes, and archival material.
- Phantasm: Behind the Scenes – archival footage and interviews that dig into the low‑budget ingenuity behind the film’s surreal visuals.
- Graveyard Carz Segment – a spotlight on the legendary ’71 Plymouth Barracuda, treated like a sacred relic of horror cinema.
- Deleted Scenes & Outtakes – glimpses of material that didn’t make the final cut, offering insight into Coscarelli’s editing choices.
- Cast and crew reflections from earlier releases, including Angus Scrimm’s musings on embodying The Tall Man.
- Reggie Bannister’s stories about how an ice cream man became one of horror’s most unlikely heroes.
- Original theatrical trailers and promotional clips, preserved to show how Phantasm was marketed to unsuspecting audiences in 1979.
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