I saw this first in the mid 80s on a VHS. Was terrified by the Tall man. Revisited it recently on a DVD. Don Coscarelli (his episode- Incident on n off a mountain.. from Masters of horror is my fav), did an awesome job with this film. His direction, writing n cinematography were all very good considering the tiny budget. The film has a very eerie music adding to the tension. The plot is about two brothers, one of em a teen, dealing with the recent death of their parents n how they are pulled back to the mortuary when one of their friends turns up dead. It gets weird when the teen brother sees the frightening mortician single-handedly lift a coffin into the back of a hearse. The film is creepy, fast paced n inspite of low body count there is enuff violence n scares. It is full of surreal images – the drilling spheres were scary n tension filled, the entire film n its characters r isolated with just the mortuary. The scariest part bah the film is the sinister figure of the Tall Man, always walking in slow-motion with the accompanied sound of the drumbeats n his shoes.

I knew from the very first scene that I would love this movie, and I was totally right. Mike (played by A. Michael Baldwin) is still processing through the grief of losing his parents. He lives alone with his older brother, Jody (played by Bill Thornbury), who is growing a bit weary at his clinging and neediness. When Mike goes against Jody's request and spies on the funeral of a friend of theirs, he becomes suspicious of the undertaker — only known as the Tall Man (played by Angus Scrimm) — and what his motives really are. The rest of the movie unravels into delightful chaos — a bit disjointed at times, totally, but with some absolute gems, too.It's worth noting that the director, Don Coscarelli, not only wrote, directed, photographed, co-produced, AND edited this film, but he did so on a budget of around $300,000 (all privately funded). He was literally renting equipment just for the weekends, which dragged the filming process out to a full year. His father helped fund the movie, his mother designed some of the special effects and costumes, and the cast — unsurprisingly — was comprised of friends and aspiring professionals. They worked scene by scene and much of the script was improvised. But oh man, for what it lacks in cohesion and solid acting it makes up for in charm, creepiness, and some really awesome gore.It's an endearing story to begin with — two brothers just trying to make it through life alone after a tragic loss. Mike justifiably worried that Jody will leave him to retain some independence and freedom. And the naturally undeniable curiosity that comes from being a young teen — the only explanation for him busting a basement window at the funeral home to investigate further when most of us would have run for the hills after seeing the Tall Man.The scene where Mike slams the hand of his pursuer in the heavy metal door and yellow blood comes spurting out… awesome. The fact that he makes sure to take that finger home to convince his skeptical brother that he is, in fact, seeing some crazy things… even more awesome. And then you see the first glimpse of the Sentinels — the metallic orbs that latch onto your head and pump your blood out — and you're a fan for life (if you're anything like me, that is).Ultimately, the Tall Man is one of the creepiest goddamn villains I've seen in anything. He's just got this air about him that makes your blood run cold. I could relate deeply to the scene where Mike sees him out on the street and presses himself hard against the wall behind him in a vain effort to escape the mere sight of him from a distance. The fact that he is meant to represent death — and the morbid but honest idea that we can only escape it in our dreams — just makes him even more awesome.

Mike (A. Michael Baldwin) and his older brother Jody (Bill Thornbury) are mourning the death of their parents in a small Oregon town. Together with their friend Reggie (Reggie Bannister), an ice cream man, they must do battle with a nefarious undertaker known only as The Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) and his various minions...not to mention a neat flying sphere that can puncture skulls.Writer / director / cinematographer / editor Don Coscarelli truly hit paydirt with this enduring fan favorite, a horror / fantasy classic that spawned a franchise spanning over three and a half decades. A great film it is not, but it sure is a fun and entertaining one. Admittedly, the acting is mostly amateurish and our heroes less interesting than our villain. But Coscarelli clearly enjoys himself playing with as much "it's all supposed to take on the tones of a nightmare" shtick as he can. He never does worry about any of this making sense.Baldwin, Thornbury, and Bannister are at least likable as our heroes, especially Bannister, whose character turned into more of a badass as the series went on. Kathy Lester is alluring as a mysterious "lady in lavender". But "Phantasm" ultimately belongs to the imposing Scrimm, whose appearance is very memorable. "BOOOYYY!!!"The film also benefits from a music score by Fred Myrow and Malcolm Seagrave that is pretty catchy, in particular its haunting, somewhat "Halloween"-esque main theme.The main set piece involves the sphere mutilating a caretakers' face; Coscarelli fought the MPAA to keep this sequence in the film and actually succeeded.Worth watching, at least once, by devotees of the horror genre.Seven out of 10.

Thoroughly enjoyed re-watching this movie. Many parts I had forgotten. 1.5 hours went by too fast! Extremely well written and executed. BOOOOOYYYYYYY! Angus Scrimm plays the Tall Man Masterfully. I would like to have seen more of the "alien" world... if that is what it is. Was a little put off by the way they transitioned into Phantasm 2. I miss Mike's Brother, and it is a mystery what happened to him. How to fill 10 lines, omg, it is hard without giving away spoilers. However, I must say this is a classic and any fan of Horror Movies must watch it. I am re-watching the entire series so that I can get to Ravager! Can't wait.