The Big Movie House

Dario Argento considers Phenomena is favorite of the films that he has made. I have to agree with the man. The film is loaded with beautiful imagery and has enough scary moments to keep you on the edge of you seat. This set from Arrow includes three versions of the film plus some of the best special features of the year.

Evil Ed is a film that is devoid of humor, except for a line or a bit here and there, and has developed a cult following that is hard to explain. Most films that develop cult followings are good films, but Evil Ed is anything but. The film is a slog to get through and when you do, you ask yourself "why?". "Why did I just sit through this?" Hopefully others will find what I didn't: a good film.

The Phantasm Collection , from Well Go USA, is one of the best box sets on the market, with an embarrassment of riches in both the A/V department as well as the special features department. If only other horror franchises were as lucky as the Phantasm series, we would all be better off. Previous Days in the week of Phantasm: Day 1:  Phantasm (1979) Day 2:  Phantasm II (1988) Day 3:  Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead (1994) Day 4:  Phantasm: Oblivion (1998) Day 5:  Phantasm: Ravager (2016) Day 6:  Phantasm Collection Bonus Disc So we have made it to the last day of Phantasm Week and I have to say that I had a blast. Having only seen the first film and parts of the fourth film (which I don't really remember which parts), I was excited to be able to sit down and do a marathon of all five films and do it with the ability to watch them with very little knowledge of where the series was going. I had fresh eyes on this series and that is a true rarity in this day and

Well Go USA has done an impressive job so far with the Phantasm series. Can they end the disc based items with a bang or do they sing for the wall and miss completely? I know that reviewing this as a separate review might seem like am trying to make this week out to a full week (which I am because if I didn't this would be a six day week), but I think that this disc holds enough docs on it that it deserves its own day. This disc is found in the same case as the fifth film in the series, Ravager. There is no indication on the box or the case that the bonus disc is in that particular case. It is the same way that Scream Factory did the bonus disc for their  Halloween Limited Edition Set. Phantasm and You (3m 28s, HD) A comic recap of the first four films by Phantasm Ravager director David Hartman. This is presented as an educational film and is amusing for about a minute. Phantasm Flashback Weekend Convention Panel Discussion (2008) (32m 22

Phantasm Ravager is film that I did not like very much, although it is better than Oblivion, it is a film that was made with a lot of heart and that goes a long way with me. The blu-ray from Well Go USA is great and gives the film a lot more meaning than one would gather during their first viewing.

Phantasm Oblivion is not a very good film, but it does boast some of the best special features in the entire Phantasm Collection. Previous Days of Phantasm Week: Day 1:  Phantasm (1979) Day 2:  Phantasm II (1988) Day 3:  Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead (1994) THE FEATURES ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Death is No Escape: The Making of Phantasm IV: Oblivion (47m 38s, HD) Another wonderful doc from the guys at Red Shirt Pictures. We begin with the story of the sequel that never happened, Phantasm 1999. We then move into the production and hear many stories of the troubles the cast and crew faced with a meager budget. This is a must for fans of the film. Behind the Scenes Compilation (30m 25s, SD, 1.33:1) Fly on the wall footage of the film being made. Phantasm Sequels: Conceptual Art Gallery by John Zaharczuk (8m 36s, HD) Here we see art from the failed sequel along with commentary from Zaharczuk. Phantasm IV: Behind the Scenes (10m 48s, HD, 1.33:1) Mo

Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead is a goofier film than the previous installments, but this helps the film find better footing than Phantasm II found. This is by far the funnest film in the series.

Phantasm II doesn't hold a candle to the first film, but does try to do its own thing. While it does not succeed all that well, one has to give them credit for trying. The fact that this film was made within the studio system is a miracle in and of itself Previous Day(s) in the Week of Phantasm: Day 1:  Phantasm (1979) THE FEATURES ⭐⭐⭐1/2 The Ball Is Back (46m 38s, HD) This is a newer making of from Scream Factory and it is a pretty damn good making of. We start with the success of the first film and how Universal wanted to make the sequel during their “horror days”. We then move into the script and the casting (the most famous bit being the replacement of Michael Baldwin as Michael with James LeGros.) We end with the film not being the box office juggernaut that everyone though it was going to be, but the studio still makes money, so it had to a success. This is definite viewing for any Phantasm fan. The Gory Days (22m 1s, SD) Greg Nicote