Phantasm: Special Edition
OVERALL:
ASPECT RATIO(S)
Widescreen (1.85:1)
SOUND MIX
FEATURES
STUDIO
RECOMMENDATION
Dolby Digital 5.1
- Director's Commentary
- Deleted Scenes
- 1979 Interview with Director
- Theatrical Trailer
- TV and Radio Spots
- Behind-the-Scenes Footage
- Still Gallery
MGM
Buy it!
GRADING SCALE
Film 
Features
Audio 
Video
Extremely low-budgeted horror flick pits a young boy against The Tall Man and his group of midget demons. The Tall Man is an alien being from another world who has came to Earth, disguised as a clergyman, to take away corpses and used them as slaves in his world. So it's up to the boy and some bad actors to help stop him.
If you can stand some of the hokie dialogue, you should be able to enjoy the movie. Features quite a bit of shocks and scares. And that flying metal ball is one freaky machine. A horror fan's delight.
Features
This "Special Edition" from MGM is basically a reproduction of the laserdisc features. The deleted scenes are okay, the interview is barely watchable, but the commentary is worth a listen. You'll also get behind-the-scenes footage, which is pretty amusing. And some neat menus.
Audio
Remastered in 5.1, "Phantasm" has never and will never sound better than it does here. The surrounds aren't used too much, but the speech and effects never sound muddled. Most everything is directed up front.
Video
Not 16x9 enhanced, but this is way better than the VHS version. Colors are pretty much non-existent (hey, this is a '79 film!), and there is a fair amount of grain, but it's still a very watchable film. Resolution and detail would have greatly been enhanced with the anamorphic transfer, however.
Overall
Originally priced at $34.99 retail, MGM has (smartly) decided to drop the price to $19.99 retail, which is a real bargain. Experience the madness in all its digital glory.