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Phantasm 2 is a proud member of a select group of films - sequels that are better than the first. The pace of the movie doesn't let up for a second and it does, therefore, manage to stay exciting and entertaining for it's duration. The sequel picks up, at first, where the first film left off; with Reggie Bannister battling dwarfs that have overrun his home. From there, the film switches to seven years later. Mike (James LeGros, in the role of one of the hero's of the first film) is now being released from a mental hospital after seven years of therapy. Despite this therapy, and admitting that it didn't actually happen, Mike still knows that the horrible goings on that landed him in the hospital in the first place actually happened and when he gets out he means to do something about it, and that is something that he does.
As Mike says to Reggie at one point in the film, "I'm a nineteen year old kid and you're a bald, middle-aged, ex-ice cream vendor"; and that's what sets Phantasm aside from all the similar films in this vein of horror. The characters here, despite being in an abnormal situation, are not comically overblown and they don't have subhuman abilities; they're just normal people thrown into an abnormal situation. Reggie Bannister who, as mentioned, takes the role of 'Reggie' in the film, makes a great horror hero. Although not up to the high standard of Ash (Evil Dead) or most of the other hero's that the horror genre has given us, Reggie has a niche of his own. Most hero's aren't bald, middle-aged, ex-ice cream vendors but the fact that Reggie is not only highlights the tongue in cheek theme of the Phantasm series, but also gives the film a place of it's own within the horror genre.
You'll be glad to know that this sequel features a chainsaw. The chainsaw is a weapon of such undeniable greatness that I find it hard to understand why anyone wouldn't want a chainsaw in their movie. The weapon is so far apart from all other melee weapons in terms of horror credibility that it almost has a life of it's own, just the way it sounds is enough to strike fear into the heart of many a viewer. The chainsaw enters the fray in a delicious sequence that sees our hero's raid a hardware store and tool up, a la Evil Dead II. At first, I thought that the movie would tease me in terms of the chainsaw; as in the early stages of the movie, it only features in a few scenes that see Reggie tear doors down and such, but the film doesn't disappoint as later on we get treated to a great sequence that involves Reggie battling another chainsaw wielding foe. I love chainsaws.
One of the most memorable things about Phantasm were the silver spheres that flew up and down funeral parlour corridors, and we've got more of that here. The sequel is a lot more gory than I thought it would be, and that is no bad thing. The flying spheres feature a lot in the movie's more gory scenes, and I for one think that they are an ingenious creation. These balls attach themselves to their victim via two prongs on the front and then proceed to drill a hole through their head, which results in plenty of bloodshed coming out of the other end of the sphere. Lovely. Also like the first film, a lot of this movie takes place in funeral homes and other such morbid areas, and that creates a great horror feel that few horror films have matched.
Overall, Phantasm 2 is a must see for fans of the original, and a must see for those that aren't yet fans of the original after they have seen the original. Don Coscarelli would later go on to direct one of 2002's best films in 'Bubba Ho-Tep', but it easy to see that the Phantasm series is his labour of love. The kind of heart that has gone into this series is overwhelming and even if you don't like the movie, you have to admire it, if only for the obvious amount of love that Don has for the series he created.
score 8/10
The_Void 29 August 2004
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw0260773/ |
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6-4-2021 02:03:13