Phantasm: Ravager (2016)


Dir: David Hartman

The original PHANTASM film was released in 1979. As my father was not a fan of horror films, and I was too young to go it alone to the theatre, I missed out on seeing what would eventually become a cult classic. Years later a local television broadcast station played the film in heavy rotation late at night. During the first few airings I'd watch a few minutes but the film didn't grab hold of me and I'd change the channel (probably to KELLY'S HEROES or WHERE EAGLES DARE which I recall also being in heavy rotation). If I ended up renting the film on VHS or watching the edited television print all the way through has been lost to the ravages of time on my memory. But I do recall enjoying the nightmare ride that is PHANTASM.

Over the years three sequels were helmed by Don Coscarelli. The first two amped up the action and SFX as friends Mike (A. Michael Baldwin in all the films except for the second where Mike is played by James Le Gros) and Reggie (Reggie Bannister) battled the Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) and his menagerie of demonic minions. Along the highway to hell that they traveled in a Plymouth Barracuda they met companions that would aid them in the fight. Then the third sequel, OBLIVION, found its way into my DVD player. The previous entries certainly didn't make a lot of sense but their dream logic worked to keep me interested in the characters and wanting to see what new menace threatened them. To me, OBLIVION was a mess of a film. Out takes from the past films were cobbled together with newly shot footage. While viewing the film I was confused as to what was going on. The old and new scenes did not mesh well together. Instead of the nitro fueled madness of previous entries, OBLIVION was a head scratching, watch-looking experience.

And now the fifth film in the PHANTASM series, and the only one not directed by creator Coscarrelli, has been unleashed.

Sadly, it is more OBLIVION than a return to the glory years.

Picking up where we left off at the end of OBLIVION we find Reggie sans muscle car wandering the desert. And he wanders around some more. He gets his car back. He's attacked by spheres. Picks up a woman who's car has broken down. Wanders around the dimension that the Tall Man calls home. Wanders around a bit more.

There's not much plot but none of the previous films had much either. The issue I have with RAVAGER is that it seems to be made up of short vignettes that are barely related to one another. As Reggie battles spheres he jumps back and forth between a world where he is dying from dementia, Mike at his side to console him. Reggie jumps again to confront the Tall Man who offers up the good life if the ice cream man stops meddling. Back and forth the film goes. I grew tired of trying to figure out what was happening and why.

Should I even mention the lack luster special effects? Green screen and cut rate CGI galore. This is PHANTASM man. The blood and gore should be practical, not computer generated.

What I did like about RAVAGER is seeing the old gang again. I won't spoil who shows up but I got a kick out of the cameos.

Reggie is the man, man. And the only reason I'd recommend anyone to watch this film.

** out of ****

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