Easily one of the most influential horror films of the modern area Phantasm is one of those films that once you have viewed it, you never forget it. I can still remember sitting in the theater and seeing the Tall Man and those awesome flying spheres for the first time. If ever a film is worthy of a spectacular DVD release it’s Phantasm. Sure it has been out on DVD before but never like this. Yep, it’s Anchor Bay again and this will be the second release in their Anchor Bay Collection series. On the same day they will also be releasing Phantasm III. Gonna be awesome!! Check out the official press release below for all the details:
Pay Your Respects To The Sphere and The Tall Man!
ANCHOR BAY ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS DON COSCARELLI’S
PHANTASM AND PHANTASM III UNDER NEW ‘ANCHOR BAY COLLECTION’ BRAND
Phantasm III Makes Its North American DVD Debut With Unrated Version
The Mortuary Re-Opens April 10th
BURBANK, CA – In 1979, a young filmmaker amazed moviegoers with a new kind of horror film…and created one of the most enduring horror franchises ever. The filmmaker’s name is Don Coscarelli and the film was Phantasm. Now, 28 years later, the Tall Man and the Sphere come back to enthrall a whole new generation!
Anchor Bay Entertainment, the leader in classic horror DVD, proudly announces the April 10th return of this cult classic with a new DVD released under the "Anchor Bay Collection" banner. Under the personal supervision of Coscarelli (The Beastmaster, Bubba Ho-Tep, "Masters of Horror: Incident On and Off a Mountain Road"), the classic chiller Phantasm has been cleaned and optimized for the ultimate home presentation, boasting remastered Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 sound and a slab of bonus features, including two documentary featurettes never before seen in North America.
On the same day, Don Coscarelli’s 1994 sequel Phantasm III makes its North American DVD debut and will be presented in an unrated version, with added scenes of gore and violence excised from the edition previously seen only on VHS. Whether you’re a die-hard "Phan" or simply enjoy good old-fashioned horror films, the Anchor Bay Collection releases of Phantasm and Phantasm III promise to be the definitive DVD versions of these horror classics! SRP is $19.98 each and pre-book is February 28th.
Upon its initial theatrical release, Phantasm broke new ground in horror films. Only 24 when he wrote and directed the film, Don Coscarelli was instantly hailed as one of the next generation’s "Master of Horror." Entertainment Weekly has declared it "unforgettable." The story concerns brothers Mike (Michael Baldwin) and Jody Pearson (Bill Thornbury), who discover that their local mortuary hides a legion of hooded killer dwarves and a flying silver sphere that drills into skulls. These malevolent denizens are all controlled by the demonic mortician known as The Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) who harbors a horrific supernatural and extraterrestrial secret.
Fifteen years after the original horror classic and six years after the first sequel, writer/producer/director Coscarelli reunited with many of his original actors and collaborators to continue the adventures of Mike and Jody Pearson, the Ice Cream Man (Reggie Bannister) and the Tall Man with 1994’s Phantasm III (also known as Lord of the Dead). Once again, Mike must battle zombies, more killer spheres and the Tall Man, in a spectacular, climatic confrontation between good and evil. Cindy Ambuehl (JAG) co-starred in this insane sequel, packed with so much sex, violence and gore that previous video releases could only show an abridged version of the film. Anchor Bay is proud to release Phantasm III in the unrated, uncut version as originally intended by the director.
In 2007, the fan hunger for the Phantasm films has not abated, evidenced by the new dedicated website, www.Phantasm.com. With its imaginative premise, special makeup and visual effects that still shock today and the career-defining performances of Angus Scrimm and Reggie Bannister, the Phantasm films still click with fans and critics and nearly three decades later are still hailed as some of the scariest movies of all time.
Phantasm and Phantasm III truly receive the "Anchor Bay" treatment with these Anchor Bay Collection releases. Working closely with the filmmakers and actors, Anchor Bay assembled the following definitive DVD extras documenting the history and legacy of these landmark films.
Phantasm DVD bonus features include:
• Widescreen presentation (1.85:1), enhanced for 16x9 televisions
• Remastered Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 sound
• Audio commentary with writer/director Don Coscarelli and stars Michael Baldwin, Angus Scrimm and Bill Thornbury
• Phantasmagoria: The Making of Phantasm – First U.S. availability
• Phantasm: Behind-the-Scenes
• Phantasm: Actors Having a Ball – First U.S. availability
• 6 Deleted Scenes
• 1979 Phantasm Interview
• 1988 Fangoria TV commercial
• Angus Scrimm 1989 Convention Appearance
• Interview Outtakes – First U.S. availability
• Theatrical trailers for Phantasm and Phantasm III
• TV Spots
Phantasm III DVD value-added supplements:
• Widescreen (1.85:1) presentation, enhanced for 16x9 televisions
• Remastered Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 sound
• Audio commentary with Stars Michael Baldwin and Angus Scrimm
• Phantasm III: Behind The Scenes
• Trailers for Phantasm and Phantasm III
• Screenplay (DVD-ROM)
Now that’s a release with balls... Keep it here for further coverage as the release date nears.
