Phantasm

1979's Phantasm is an usual film. Self-financed and relying on amateurs and those just getting a start in the business, the horror flick is arguably more professional than many independent movies produced today. Credit to writer/director Don Coscarelli who manages to hide the deficiencies of the talent on-screen with its unusual look and feel limiting what was needed from a performance standpoint as much as possible. As with any low-budget horror movie, the acting is often a sore spot, but even with its rough edges the film is still more inventive and memorable than many studio productions.

The story involves 13-year-old voyeur Mike Pearson (A. Michael Baldwin) stumbling upon odd events the local undertaker, referred to as the Tall Man (Angus Scrimm), who steals the body of the recently-deceased friend of Mike's older brother Jody (Bill Thornbury). Mike will struggle to convince Jody for most of the film that there's something happening in their town.

The film has all the staples of classic horror including our odd killer (whose motivations are to turned the recently deceased into zombie minions), a protagonist who knows the truth but can't get anyone to believe them until it's almost too late, and even the sexual romp of randy teens ending in murder. Coscarelli also makes the most out of the unnatural, even surreal moments of the film, even blurring the line between reality and nightmare in the final scene. The cult following for the film would eventually lead to a franchise exploring more of the world and characters including the Sentinel Sphere, controlled by the Tall Man to drill into the brains of his victims. The remastered version, released in 2016, beautifully restores the odd little film that is both creepy and goofy in a way that somehow works and doesn't overstay its welcome.

• Title: Phantasm
• IMDb: link