By Geno McGahee
Most movies are influenced by others. The 1979 horror film, “Phantasm,” breaks new ground and is one of the more memorable and original horror movies of all time. Angus Scrimm is “The Tall Man,” a menacing funeral director that just doesn’t seem right, and when Mike (A. Michael Baldwin), a young boy, witnesses the superhuman strength that this man possesses, the suspicions are proven true. In one of the best scenes ever in horror history, “The Tall Man” lifts a 500 pound coffin with ease, and throws it into the back of his hearse.
Mike teams up with Jody (Bill Thornbury), his older brother, and Reggie (Reggie Bannister), a family friend, to take on this evil force. Now The Tall Man isn’t the only thing that they have to deal with. He has a legion of midgets in cloaks that do his bidding, harassing and killing anyone that they are told to. Reggie, Jody, and Mike are on the list and are now playing a game of survival, but also intend to take out this monster and send him “straight down to hell,” as Bill Thornbury dramatically stated.
The way that this movie is filmed separates it from most. Nothing has to happen to frighten you, but when The Tall Man appears, that will certainly do the trick. It is no wonder that they have made sequel upon sequel of this movie because of the appeal of the villain. The acting is reasonable and the look of the movie is creepy in itself. The 1970s just had a way to give you that false sense of security and then hit you with a frightening scene. I know that I am beating a dead horse here, but Angus Scrimm has a genuine presence on the screen and is one of the best bad guys EVER in horror history. When he is on the screen…and it doesn’t matter what he is doing. He could be skipping rope…it is scary.
I highly recommend this movie, and if you are new to horror films, this is a good place to start. From start to finish, this is a smart, interesting, and scary horror film.
Scared Stiff Rating: 8/10 Phantastic
