Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead

The second sequel in Don Coscarelli's horror franchise sees Reg (series regular Reggie Bannister) and Mike (the returning Michael Baldwin), pursuing the malevolent Tall Mann (Angus Scrimm) across America as he destroys town after town in his wake, turning the country into a post apocalyptic wasteland. They are joined by the returning Bill Thornbury as Jody, a kind of spirit guide who has the ability to transform into one of the flying spheres, aswell as a tough Amazonian warrioress called Rocky (Gloria Lynne Henry), and a resourceful kid (Kevin Connors) who has been surviving by living in a booby trapped house to deter looters. This movie abandons the surrealist excess that made the previous two films a genuine delight in favour of a more linear plot that is heavy on humour (it plays like a more gleefully sadistic version of Home Alone). It was released direct to video after Universal Studios refused to distribute it after a fall out with Coscarelli, but was still a hit with horror fans winning Fangoria magazines Chainsaw Award for best limited release film.