mwilson1976 Review of Phantasm IV: Oblivion

Phantasm IV: Oblivion (1998)

A low budget sequel that tries to bring back the surrealistic creepiness of the original movie

[5/10 · 15 April 2020]

When diehard Phantasm fan and film maker Roger Avary's proposed Phantasm 1999 AD fell by the wayside due to financing difficulties, series creator Don Coscarelli stepped in to write and direct this fourth instalment in the popular franchise, which features Avary making a guest cameo appearance as a Civil War soldier in a dream sequence. The lowest budgeted of the Phantasm sequels, it features series regulars Mike and Reggie (Michael Baldwin and Reggie Bannister) pursuing the Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) across a multitude of different dimensions and time itself (including being transported back to a cool scientific laboratory in 1860), all whilst battling mysterious flying spheres, including ones which Reggie discovers emerging from the breasts of a hot female companion he picks up. The effects for the swarm of spheres was created by fans of Phantasm after Reggie Bannister recommended Coscarelli to hire them. Large parts of the film were shot in California's Death Valley, and it is an attempt to bring back the surrealistic creepiness of the original movie, but it is let down by its minuscule budget and over reliance on flashbacks and unused footage from the earlier movies.