Synopsis:

For years, the Tall Man has waged a gruesome war against humanity, slowly populating the world with his undead legions. To stop the horrifying onslaught, two determined heroes, Michael and Reggie hurtle themselves through a gateway in the time/space continuum to unearth a vital clue that may put an end to the horror. But, time is running out as the Tall Man amasses a dark army for a blood curdling final assault in which Michael and Reggie must fight not only for their lives but the lives of all mankind as well. (Back of the box spin)

I chose to use their synopsis primarily because after watching this film, I had no clue as to what the heck was going on with anyone. Sure, they provide background information on the Tall Man but for the life of me, if I was quizzed on what this film was about, I'd fail miserably. One of the problems I found with the film is that it's just way too busy to work. It seems that everything onscreen is happening for shock value as opposed to story telling. For the record, the first film, "Phantasm" was a terrific horror film in that it was uncharted ground, strictly low budget and benefited from the musty look and feel of an old grave! Every sequel to this film has been awful. Oblivion is supposed to be the final chapter however, a huge door was left wide open at the close of the film so I guess, we'll be in store for Phantasm V: it only gets worse from here.

Audio/Video:

The audio as presented for the feature is in a fairly decent DD 5.1 mix that has a bit of kick to it in some of the more rousing sequences. On the whole, it's a decent presentation but definitely not awe inspiring. The dialogue is well delineated but the surround action is less than stellar. The spheres that populate the film should provide more movement in the theater than they do. There is the general high pitched whine associated with their movement but surprisingly, not very much front to back/back to front action to assist the imagery onscreen.

For a low budget film, the video ain't half bad. The colors seem true and the transfer is relatively clean. There are the occasional pixellation issues in the darker scenes but on the whole, I found the video pretty decent. While both a full frame and Widescreen version are provided on the disc, the Widescreen version was the only one reviewed.

Extras:

The film's trailer is the sole extra on the disc. Like all trailers, it gives away far too much of the film and leaves little for the film to actually present. It's in full frame and 2.0 Dolby Surround. The quality of the imagery is on par with the rest of the film. It's ok.

Overall:

This movie stinks! I can't say it enough. Sequels generally never live up to the hype of their predecessors. Once in a very great while they break through the barrier of ignominy and a gem is found that not only equals the success of the first film, it exceeds it. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Aliens) The struggling franchise that is Phantasm falls into the pit of the ordinary in that each of the sequels was a little worse than the previous film. The low budget, bad acting, and awful scripting, all lend themselves to a pretty abysmal experience for an hour and a half. Part of the problem is the re-treading of the actors who originally starred in the first film. All older, they are acting as they did back in the first film and it doesn't play very well. In addition to that Angus Scrimm (The Tall Man) looks as though he could just drop on the set. Once menacing in presence, he's little more than a joke in the later films. His "BOOOOOOY" that use to jar you could use a little Robittusin. It's terrible when a decent film gets mired in funky sequels. At least the first film is available in a loaded disc that maintains and delivers the same terror the film launched those many years ago. Skip it