There's a point in Phantasm 2 where a mortuary assistant handles a bag of ashes labelled "Sam Raimi". It's a moment of confirmation for the viewer, as in the time between Phantasm movies Raimi had (in Evil Dead 2) reached the perfect balance of humor and horror, and it's obvious Don Coscarelli was watching closely.
The influence is everywhere here, from its love of chainsaws and shotguns to the slapstick gore and the deliberately hilarious machismo. It's not pitched to the perfection that Raimi achieved, but it does make for a very fun movie, and as such is much more enjoyable than the first Phantasm.
The story is still barmy and the acting still dreadful, but this isn't ever trying to be anything more than an entertaining way to spend 90 minutes and it succeeds in that respect, as once it settles into it's rhythm there's a lot of laughs to be had, and them silver balls are still horribly threatening. The slicker visuals mean it's aged a lot better than the first film, and it's one of those rare things; a sequel that's an improvement on the original in every way.
The influence is everywhere here, from its love of chainsaws and shotguns to the slapstick gore and the deliberately hilarious machismo. It's not pitched to the perfection that Raimi achieved, but it does make for a very fun movie, and as such is much more enjoyable than the first Phantasm.
The story is still barmy and the acting still dreadful, but this isn't ever trying to be anything more than an entertaining way to spend 90 minutes and it succeeds in that respect, as once it settles into it's rhythm there's a lot of laughs to be had, and them silver balls are still horribly threatening. The slicker visuals mean it's aged a lot better than the first film, and it's one of those rare things; a sequel that's an improvement on the original in every way.