For a truly silly staple of the VHS horror era, Don Coscarelli’s 1979 spook show Phantasm has a lot to unpack. There’s the unconventional plotting, which forgoes standard slasher-movie style for a whimsical, almost dreamlike stream-of-consciousness. There’s the central, human story of a young boy dealing with grief (which, at risk of spoilers, may or may not inform the aforementioned dreaminess). There’s the iconic performance of the late Angus Scrimm, a moonlighting classical music producer who found unlikely fame as a horror movie superstar. And there’s the fact that, unlike nearly every other long-running horror franchise (with the exception of Child’s Play), the series has been shepherded by a single creative visionary. Each of these topics could sustain a full article– and have, many times over. So instead, allow me to sing the praises of Reggie Bannister.
Reggie Bannister is not the main character of Phantasm (although he would assume that mantle in later films, including the upcoming finale Ravager), but he is by far the second-best-remembered character. Instead, he is a hilariously realized image of the small-town “cool guy.” We learn early on that Reggie had once been in a band with the protagonist’s older brother and their recently deceased friend. The band never made it, of course, and Reggie now spends his days driving an ice cream truck. His hairline is receding, but he defiantly maintains a luxurious ponytail, and even his tidy uniform can’t harsh his mellow vibe.
If it’s not clear by now, Reggie Bannister is a deeply silly character. But what’s unique about him is how silly he isn’t. In any other film – particularly one made now – Reggie Bannister would be portrayed as a bumbling, overblown Jack Black type. But while Phantasm is clearly fully aware of the character’s absurdity, he’s rarely the butt of the movie’s jokes. You get the sense that Reggie Bannister is a real person Coscarelli knows – and, given that Reggie Bannister is played by an actor named Reggie Bannister, you would be correct.
All of which is just one example of what makes Phantasm so special. In a decade when horror became increasingly cheap and formulaic, the Phantasm series remained resolutely personal and weird, and clearly the unfettered vision of its creator. Don Coscarelli has been less than prolific in recent years – his only features since 1998 have been the beloved cult novel adaptations Bubba Ho Tep and John Dies at the End (even Ravager, while written by Coscarelli, sees directorial duties passed on to animator David Hartman). On the one hand, this lack of output is disappointing – both Bubba and JDATE are pretty great – but it also leaves Coscarelli with a batting average far higher than most of his contemporaries. This purity and integrity make Coscarelli a perfect specimen for Art House Theater Day, which brings Phantasm’s new, J.J. Abrams-funded digital restoration to the Brattle tonight. Besides which, there’s pretty much never a bad reason to watch Phantasm. BOY!!!
Phantasm
1979
dir. Don Coscarelli
88 min.
Screens Saturday, 9/24, 9:45 PM @ Brattle Theatre
Brand new digital restoration – part of Art House Theater Day!