This past january we lost horror legend angus scrimm. Ravager has been announced as the final entry in the series. Phantasm ravager is the concluding chapter of don coscarellis always independent, unexpected and subversive phantasm film series. As for phantasm, the original film will be remaster and rereleased as phantasm. Phantasm is a 1979 american science fantasy horror film directed, written, photographed, and edited by don coscarelli. Ravager begins in a desert, where we find reggie reggie bannister slowly walking down a empty road, narrating the story up to now. Ravager was announced to the world as a completed project on march 26, 2014. Ravager, the fourth and hopefully last sequel to don coscarellis 1979 horror gem phantasm, is for established fans only. Michael baldwin, reggie bannister, and angus scrimm in his final appearance as the tall man. Ravager also known as phantasm v is a 2016 american horror film, and the final installment in the phantasm series.
Theres the sequence in the desert, the sequence at the mountain cabin, the sequence at the mental hospital, the. Jebediah explains hes nearly finished, and has lost many friends. Remaster when it reaches theaters on september 24th as part of art house theater day. It marks the only film in the series not directed by don coscarelli, although he acts as producer and cowriter. On or about september, 2016 the film was in completed status. Sure, phantasm has always been scrappy and relatively lowbudget, but its always stayed within its means, something ravager cant even feign at doing. There were 16 other movies released on the same date, including middle school. Michael baldwin, who tries to convince his older brother jody bill thornbury and.
Multiple emmynominated animation director david hartman transformers prime, my friend s tigger and pooh, roughnecks. Formally announced as completed on march 26th, 2014, phantasm. Although the actors do a credible job, and the special effects are welldone. Rerelease united states october 7, 2016 limited rerelease canada october 7, 2016. Originally conceived as a short film set in the phantasm universe, ravager is a loose patchwork of scenarios, held together by the main character of reggie bannister and justified by the fact that this is a phantasm movie. Its kindasorta like an alain resnais movie, only with zombie dwarfs. But even though its a near perfect conclusion to a phranchise first launched in 1979, its not likely to resonate with those unfamiliar with the previous films and their core mythologies. The film was completed before scrimms death, but its clear he wasnt able to participate as much as would have been hoped, and his brief appearances in the. Ravager 2016 smalltown friends reggie reggie bannister, mike a.
Ravager, the longawaited fifth and final entry in his classic horror phantasm series, has completed principle photography. Its also a film that cares very little about having a coherent plot, fully content to operate using nothing but dream logic. It was supposedly completed in 2014, but was then for some reason delayed until 2016. Ravager is everything a phan could hope forand so much more. The original phantasm was a cumbersome affair that wore its limited budget on its sleeve. Starship troopers is the first new director in the franchise s history. Ravager has finally been released, but was it really worth all the wait. Unsightly cgi is the most obvious eyesore, plaguing every scene with distracting effects. This new phantasm will not be of interest to anyone who doesnt already know who the tall man is, or why he needs to be stopped. In some ways, this might truly be the phantasm ending we were always going to get. Filmmaker don coscarelli announced today that phantasm. The bigbudget roger avery version talked about in the late 90s was never going to become a reality. Ravager photos reveal the tall man, reggie sep 19, 2016.
Ravager is the fifth installment of don coscarelli s cult classic, the phantasm series. Plot details are under wraps, but word has it that. Posing as an undertaker, he steals dead bodies and transforms them into dwarflike zombie slaves, nicknamed lurkers. It introduces the tall man angus scrimm, a supernatural and malevolent undertaker who turns the dead into dwarf zombies to do his bidding and take over the world. Aside from 1988s universal studiosbacked phantasm ii, coscarelli said, phantasm has always been a guerrilla operation. The worst years of my life, the girl on the train and the birth of a nation. Remastered was released in 2016 on friday, october 7, 2016 in limited movie theaters. Ravager is a triumphant conclusion to this franchise, and i had a great time seeing the entire original cast together onscreen one last time, as they all brought an infectious sense of. Before passing at the age of 89, scrimm had completed his final role, a return to the phantasm franchise a the tall man in phantasm. Ravager, phantasm 5 went through multiple story concepts and over a decade of development. The film also comes out at the last possible opportunity for it to do so, given that angus scrimm died at the start of 2016 aged 89 although after all his scenes for ravager had been completed. The cult favorite phantasm series comes to a close as mike and reggie join forces across time and space to finish off.
He is opposed by a young boy, mike michael baldwin, who. Nothing in this film feels like anything that coscarelli mightve done, and after directing four phantasm films, its safe to say that he has a visual style thats. Directed by don coscarelli, 1979s original phantasm film is one of the most nightmarish, captivating horror films to ever be released. Ravager 2016 oblivion shouldve lived up to its name and destroyed the future of this franchise, such was its wretchedness, but phantasm got a chance to redeem itself and conclude the story 18 years later. Ravager is a 2016 american science fantasy action horror film, and the. Both that film and the original 1979 phantasm, now retitled phantasm. Its about the tall man angus scrimm, a supernatural and malevolent undertaker who turns the dead into dwarf zombies to do his bidding and take over the world. New western movie english 2019 full length movies action hollywood duration.
It feels like a final battle and, more importantly, like an ending. This includes the recentlyannounced and completed phantasm v. But an epilogue during the end credits, involving fanfavorite character rocky gloria lynne henry from. The best horror movies still to come in 2016 include the long awaited final installment of phantasm. He is opposed by a young boy, mike michael baldwin, who tries to convince his older brother jody bill thornbury. Ravager, a love letter to the series and a film that captures the heart, if not. Ravager, the fifth and final film in the phantasm series. After spanning four decades, phantasm ravager completes the. Sure, the films creators do their due diligence, and try to get newcomers up to speed with flashbacks that allude to the bynow unnecessarily convoluted story of three friends decadeslong struggle to defeat the tall man, an evil. They should not have done all the cheap fx and focused more on a good story like part one.
Allow me to be much more informal now, because theres a huge gap of information im missing when talking about this fifth film. Now, 38 years later, and a hefty 18 years since the last sequel see. Ravager, the franchises final film, will hit theaters and digital hd on october 7th. Scrimm saw the completed film only a few weeks before he died.
Written by hartman and coscarelli, but directed only by hartman, phantasm. Angus scrimm returns one last time as the tall man in the phantasm franchise finale. Is this movie as horrible as i remember or do lowered expectatio. Ravager, cementing his legacy and leaving a gift behind for horror fans everywhere. As horror fans know, angus scrimm who played the tall man in the phantasm movies passed away on january 9, 2016, at the age of 89. Angus scrimm returns for the final time as the tall man who has put reggie on ice for 10 years to finally play one last game with him having completely taken over the earth in the meantime. Michael baldwin, reggie bannister, dawn cody, gloria lynne henry. Getting past its lofi aesthetic is difficult because its sometimes an unpleasant film to look at. October 31, 2016 well go usa entertainment brings two terrifying installments in the cult favorite phantasm series from legendary writerdirector don coscarelli when the fifth installment in the franchise phantasm. Michael baldwin, and jody bill thornbury continue in their quest to stop the evil, dimensionhopping schemes of. The film was, much like the first one, shot largely over weekends, and with an average crew of just five people.
Although finally released in summer 2016, shooting technically began a full decade before, with coscarelli and protege david hartman making phantasm shorts in the. Michael baldwin and jody pearson bill thornbury take on supernatural undertaker the tall man angus scrimm, in his final screen appearance as the hit horror franchise reaches its conclusion. Ravager completed, hartman directs by trapjaw march 27, 2014 march 4, 2015 for immediate release hollywood, ca. Ravager 2016 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Why phantasm 5 took so long to release screen rant. The first film in the phantasm franchise, it introduces the tall man angus scrimm, a supernatural and malevolent undertaker who turns the dead of earth into dwarf zombies to be sent to his planet and used as slaves. Ravager is a 2016 american science fantasy action horror film, and the fifth and final installment in the phantasm series. Ravager features the return of angus scrimm, reggie bannister, and michael baldwin. But before the horror icon passed, he completed phantasm. Phantasm is an american horror film series that consists of five films, novels, comic books, and merchandise.