Phantasm II
All actors and roles (10)
Short description
Phantasm II follows Mike, who leaves a psychiatric hospital after years of treatment, having come to believe that the horrors he witnessed were imagined. Once out, he reunites with his friend Reggie, and the two set off to hunt the Tall Man, who is still active and still taking bodies from cemeteries. A young woman Mike keeps seeing in his dreams also needs to be found before the Tall Man reaches her.
Don Coscarelli directed and wrote the film, the third feature he made and the second entry in the series he began with Phantasm in 1979, before going on to Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead and later Bubba Ho-tep. James Le Gros plays Mike, Reggie Bannister returns as Reggie, and Angus Scrimm plays the Tall Man; Paula Irvine, Samantha Phillips and Kenneth Tigar are also in the cast, which lists 32 credited performers and 84 credited crew. Roberto A. Quezada produced.
Made for about 3 million dollars, the film took roughly 7 million worldwide, a modest return for a wide release from Universal. On IMDb it holds 6.4/10 from around 18,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.2/10 from over 400. A critics' rating of 4.9/10 from 15 reviews sits well below both audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- The scene with the house explosion, subsequently engulfed in flames, was filmed in California, and a house slated for demolition – as it obstructed highway construction – was used. The film company bought it from the state government for $500. The structure was single-story; a second floor (as in the first film in the franchise) was added. A safety officer was assigned to the location and consistently insisted on using less explosives (due to the airport's proximity). He once asked what the scene was for, and when told it was for “Phantasm,” he exclaimed, “Then blow it to smithereens and tear the building to pieces!” The scene was shot with six cameras. It was directed by Angus Scrimm, Reggie Bannister, and Laurie Laughlin (as young Mike). The same structure was used in the scene where Verzi kills Reggie's family. The filmmakers later kept their word, and the remnants of the structure were removed.
- The scene in which Kenneth Tigar's character has his ear cut off was filmed as follows: the actor lay on a table, and the camera was placed on its side, creating the impression that the character was standing.
- The name Alex Murphy (the police officer’s name in the film "RoboCop") can be read on one of the tombstones.
- In the crematorium scene, the bags used to collect ashes bear the name of Sam Raimi, the director of the Evil Dead trilogy.
- Brad Pitt auditioned for the role of Mike.
- Reggie Bannister performed all the stunts himself. The only exception was the jump over a chainsaw, which he was simply not allowed to do.
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