Mar '19
I don't think there have been any threads about Phantasm in awhile. Anyone? Anyone? BOOOOOYYYYY? GIIIRRRRLLLL? BUUUUEEELLLEERRRRR? Anyone have anything to say?
I was just thinking, it is too bad they never did more with that idea from the first movie, about the Tall Man's severed finger turning into a giant carnivorous fly. They could have done a lot of things with that. Maybe every time they lop off part of the Tall Man's body, it would turn into some kind of creature? Or, it could always turn into a giant fly, or several giant flies... that could have been pretty cool. Or, just have those giant flies turn up in the sequels somehow, not necessarily having anything to do with the Tall Man's severed body parts.
Reggie Bannister got back to me when I e-mailed him once, years ago. So, he will always be cool, as far as I'm concerned.
Anyone have any thoughts on Phantasm today?
I was just thinking, it is too bad they never did more with that idea from the first movie, about the Tall Man's severed finger turning into a giant carnivorous fly. They could have done a lot of things with that. Maybe every time they lop off part of the Tall Man's body, it would turn into some kind of creature? Or, it could always turn into a giant fly, or several giant flies... that could have been pretty cool. Or, just have those giant flies turn up in the sequels somehow, not necessarily having anything to do with the Tall Man's severed body parts.
Reggie Bannister got back to me when I e-mailed him once, years ago. So, he will always be cool, as far as I'm concerned.
Anyone have any thoughts on Phantasm today?
The first one has a strong 70s/dreamlike vibe to it, and with that dreamscape, I feel that the writing got very loose. Things didn't have to make sense, and the series kind of went aimless after that. The sequels always seem like they're going somewhere epic, but they never really get there. I think the series is like a road trip in a hemicuda... It's about the journey, and not the outcome, because none of the movies end up making sense. There's no great revelation, but these characters are definitely looking for one!
With that said, I don't think there was any logic in the fly bit. They were probably thinking, "When he looks in the box, how can we scare the audience? Ooh! Let's have a big-ass fly come out!", which is kinda weird, but whatever. Everything somehow works out wonderfully in the original movie, whereas the sequels turn to a more cheesy/adventure route, sustained by the grandeur of one Reggie Bannister. The dude is cool as hell.