Phantasm (franchise)

Phantasm is an American horror film series that consists of five films, novels, comic books, and merchandise. It's 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. He is opposed by a young boy, Mike (A. Michael Baldwin), who tries to convince his older brother Jody (Bill Thornbury) and family friend Reggie (Reggie Bannister) of the threat. The first film was released in 1979 and received generally positive reviews and has garnered a cult following.

The story idea for the original film came to Don Coscarelli in a dream; one night, in his late teens, he dreamed of fleeing down endlessly long marble corridors, pursued by a chrome sphere intent on penetrating his skull with a wicked needle. There was also a quite futuristic "sphere dispenser" out of which the orbs would emerge and begin chasing him.

Originally writer-director Don Coscarelli considered the first film’s ending to be conclusive and did not feel knowledgeable about writing a sequel, but, Coscarelli had what he described as a breakthrough when he realized that he could start the film immediately after the previous film’s final scene. He also added a road movie element in how Reggie and Mike combat the Tall Man, after which he described the process as straightforward. Coscarelli has later revealed that some elements of this movie were influenced by Stephen King, specially a few aspects of his novel 'Salem's Lot'. For instance, at the end of the novel, when the characters go out on the road chasing down vampires, gave him the "road movie" idea of Mike and Reggie chasing The Tall Man.

Universal Studios, who took an interest in the film because they wanted a horror series, allocated three million dollars; this was the lowest budget of any of their films in the 1980s, but it was the highest budget of any Phantasm film. Greg Nicotero and Robert Kurtzman, later of K.N.B. EFX, were recruited for special effects. The studio exerted much control over the film, and they did not allow Coscarelli to include any dream sequences or ambiguity. The executives also wanted to recast both A. Michael Baldwin and Reggie Bannister because they were unknown and had been out of the movie business since the release of the first movie. Don Coscarelli resisted their efforts and was forced to audition A. Michael Baldwin and Reggie Bannister for the opportunity to reprise their roles. In the end, his efforts won him a concession: he was allowed to keep one of the two, but had to replace the other; Coscarelli chose to keep Bannister and cast James Le Gros in Baldwin's place. After the mild box-office results of Phantasm II (1988), Universal Studios chose not to personally pursue a sequel but did offer to distribute it should Don Coscarelli and associates make it themselves.

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