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A couple weeks ago I completely blew somebody’s mind. We were talking about popular zombie movies and I mentioned that before Danny Boyle’s “28 Days Later” was an unexpected hit in 2002, the zombie genre was considered, ironically, kinda dead. Sure, we got a zombie movie every once in a while, but outside of the hardcore horror fanbase, the walking dead wasn’t a concept most people cared about or took very seriously. This younger person found that concept hard to fathom. They had literally never known a world when zombies weren’t popular. It just goes to show you: One hit film really can revive a whole genre, and for generations to come.

The same holds true for slasher movies. After John Carpenter’s “Halloween” defined the genre in 1978 — it’s a stretch to say Carpenter “invented it” but he certainly codified the easy-to-copy, very successful formula — slashers...

Temperatures are rising and when it’s too hot, sometimes you just want to lay inside with the AC blasting and a good horror movie playing on the TV. To help you figure out what to watch as summer rears its head, we have a list of 13 horror titles you can stream for free right now, thanks to our friends from Vizio WatchFree+!

Sinister

A controversial true-crime writer finds a box of Super 8 home movies in his new home, revealing that the murder case he is currently researching could be the work of an unknown serial killer whose legacy dates back to the 1960s.

Cast: Ethan Hawke (Training Day), Juliet Rylance (American Gothic), James Ransone (The Black Phone)

The Descent

A caving expedition goes horribly wrong, as the explorers become trapped and ultimately pursued by a strange breed of predators.

Cast: Shauna Macdonald (Mutant Chronicles), Natalie Mendoza (Moulin Rouge!

More terrifyingly free horror titles are now available on Vizio WatchFree+ for June, including Don Coscarelli’s horror classic Phantasm, Scott Derrickson’s terrifying Sinister, Rob Zombie’s slasher sequel Halloween II, and fan favorite The Collector.

WatchFree+ has thousands of free premium movies and shows that can be streamed on demand on Vizio TVs, or Anyone can enjoy titles like these and more using the Vizio mobile app! All you need is a free Vizio Account to start enjoying WatchFree+.

Here’s the full lineup of fresh horror arrivals on June 1, 2025…

Sinister

A controversial true-crime writer finds a box of Super 8 home movies in his new home, revealing that the murder case he is currently researching could be the work of an unknown serial killer whose legacy dates back to the 1960s.

Cast: Ethan Hawke (Training Day), Juliet Rylance (American Gothic), James Ransone (The Black Phone)

The Descent...

If Fright-Rags‘ Phantasm collection doesn’t scare you… you’re already dead!

The Tall Man looms over new artwork by Justin Osbourn, Morningside Mortuary gets its own deadly design by Kyle Crawford, and the classic poster art is represented with a distressed design.

Super soft 4.5oz 100% pre-shrunk ringspun cotton T-shirts are $33. Osbourn’s design is also available on baseball tees for $40, while the poster art comes on zip-up hoodies for $55.

The collection also includes a souvenir cup featuring art by Matthew Skiff. The 32-ounce plastic cup costs $7.

Written and directed by Don Coscarelli, the 1979 horror cult classic stars A. Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornbury, Reggie Bannister, Kathy Lester, and Angus Scrimm.

If you’re a Phantasm phan, be sure to share your appreciation with Bannister by sending him mail while he’s in hospice care.

The post The Tall Man Looms Over Fright-Rags’ ‘Phantasm’ Collection appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Phantasm franchise star Reggie Bannister is entering home hospice care, and he’d like to hear from you.

As anyone who ever met him at a convention or worked with him on a movie can attest, Bannister is a remarkably kind man who is truly grateful for his “phans.”

In his time of need, fans are encouraged to share their appreciation for Bannister by sending letters to:

Reggie Bannister

Po Box 4387

Crestline, CA 92325

The cult actor was diagnosed with dementia and Parkinson’s disease in 2016, which were stabilized until last week when he collapsed. Friend and colleague Russell “GreWolf” Mauck shared the update on Facebook:

“He’s still cognitive, so that’s good, but his body is failing. Reggie and Gigi [his wife] had planned ahead and made an advanced directive. As a result, Reggie will be going home from the V.A. soon, for home hospice care.

“There is no prognosis or time frame.

Ranking high on the list of the all-time greatest heroes in the horror genre is the badass ice cream man Reggie, who took on The Tall Man and the forces of evil in all five of the Phantasm films. Reggie was named after the actor who played him, Reggie Bannister – and some sad news about our hero has made its way online this morning. Bannister associate Russell GreWolf Mauck, who recently worked with Reggie and his wife Gigi Fast Elk Bannister on their fan fiction script-turned-novel Phantasm SurVIval (which is available for purchase on Amazon), has taken to social media to reveal that Reggie’s health has taken a turn for the worse and he will now be in home hospice care.

Mauck wrote, “My beloved Phantasm Phamily and Phriends. Most of you know, beloved Reggie Bannister was diagnosed with Dementia and Parkinson’s in June 2016. They were able to...

After taking a look back at the John Ratzenberger cameo in House II: The Second Story, the beginning of House of 1000 Corpses, the awesomeness of Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight, the leg smashing in the Stephen King adaptation Misery, three separate moments from John Carpenter’s Big Trouble in Little China, the “Jason vs. Tina” battle in Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, the “all hell breaks loose” sequence from the start of Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead remake, the opening sequence of Pitch Black, a cool moment from The Crow, a memorable shark attack from Jaws 2, a creepy moment from Lost Highway, the climactic factory chase sequence from Child’s Play 2, the “Stigmata Martyr” dance scene from Night of the Demons, the beginning of Strange Days, and the Tech Noir club scene from The Terminator, JoBlo’s own Lance Vlcek is...

Bruce Campbell and Don Coscarelli are celebrating 21 years of Bubba Ho-Tep. It's an indie film through and through, as the two say, proud of the accomplishments the project managed to achieve.

On the social media platform X, Bubba Ho-Tep director Don Coscarelli shared poster art for the cult classic film. The art features Campbell in the role of Elvis Presley, now living in a nursing home after faking his death decades prior. Behind him is the silhouette of the ancient mummy who's been resurrected, leaving it up to Elvis and JFK (Ossie Davis) up to stop him. With such an outlandish concept, the movie is not the kind of project that would typically be put out by a major movie studio, leaving it up to the Bubba Ho-Tep team to not only make the film, but handle its distribution as well.

Lots of talk about Indie this and Indie that.

Bill Cone only had one acting credit to his name, and that single screen appearance didn’t last very long, but it’s worth taking note of because it happens at the beginning of one of the best horror movies ever made, writer/director Don Coscarelli’s 1979 classic Phantasm (watch it Here). Cone plays a character named Tommy in that film, and it’s his death that gets the story rolling. Sadly, today we have to report that Bill Cone has passed away.

The news of Cone’s death was first shared on the official Phantasm Facebook page, where it was also revealed that he had contributed to the soundtracks of both Phantasm and Coscarelli’s earlier film Kenny & Company. Here’s the text from their post: “We are saddened to learn of the passing of one of the core Phantasm cast members, Bill Cone (aka Tommy from the...

Known to horror fans for his brief but memorable appearance as Tommy in Don Coscarelli’s original horror classic Phantasm (1979), actor and musician Bill Cone has passed away.

Bill Cone also worked behind the scenes on the horror classic, providing key contributions to its iconic soundtrack. Story goes that Cone was a fan of horror movies and expressed an interest in dying onscreen in one, which led to Coscarelli casting him as the ill-fated Tommy, whose death kickstarts the events of the film. And into the hallowed halls of horror history he went.

The official Phantasm page on Facebook writes, “We are saddened to learn of the passing of one of the core Phantasm cast members, Bill Cone (aka Tommy from the original Phantasm). In addition to acting, Bill was a superlative musician. He was a key collaborator on the original Phantasm soundtrack, providing skilled guitar work.

“Previous to that,...

As Benjamin Franklin famously wrote, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”

The horror genre offers a controlled environment in which viewers can reflect on their own morality, whether it be via catharsis or escapism, but a personal loss can complicate one’s relationship with horror. Even the most hardened of fans may struggle to find comfort in the genre after experiencing the death of a loved one.

45 years ago today, Phantasm helped viewers confront death head-on while subtly exploring the grief that accompanies it. In the film, 13-year-old Mike (A. Michael Baldwin) convinces his older brother-turned-guardian Jody (Bill Thornbury) and their affable neighborhood ice cream man, Reggie (Reggie Bannister), to investigate a mysterious mortician dubbed The Tall Man (Angus Scrimm).

Phantasm was the third feature from writer-director Don Coscarelli. The seed was planted upon witnessing the audience react to a small jump...

Key takeaways: Some horror movies use trippy and surreal elements to create a unique and terrifying experience. The incorporation of hallucinatory imagery and surreal elements can heighten the scares in a horror movie. These movies often play with time, space, and the medium of film itself to disorient and frighten viewers.

While the horror genre can be pretty straightforward in its scares, some of the genre’s weirder efforts use their trippy, surreal tone to terrify film fans. Horror movies are usually creepy, but they aren’t always strange. Some uninspired slashers and supernatural horror movies rely on the same familiar jump scares, gruesome gore, and predictable tropes to unsettle audiences. However, plenty of horror movies delve into weirder, more offbeat territory in their attempts to scare viewers. Some horror movies feel more like a bad acid trip than a standard issue scary story, and this makes them all the more effective.

45 years ago, writer/director Don Coscarelli delivered one of the best horror films ever made: Phantasm, and film which spawned three sequels that Coscarelli wrote and directed himself, then a fourth that he wrote with director David Hartman. Now, to celebrate the original film’s 45th anniversary, Coscarelli is expanding the franchise – not with another movie, but with a book called Phiction: Tales from the World of Phantasm. Our friends at Bloody Disgusting report that Molotov Press will be publishing this “new limited collector print edition of original stories written by Don Coscarelli, the creator of the Phantasm films.” “The book will be released on the 45th Anniversary of the 1979 film with a celebration event and signing at Dark Delicacies in Burbank, CA on Saturday, March 23rd at 2Pm.”

Coscarelli and franchise star Reggie Bannister will be at the Dark Delicacies event. Plus, “the Phantasm 2 ‘Cuda muscle car will be...

This year marks the 45th anniversary of Don Coscarelli’s horror classic Phantasm, and Coscarelli has joined forces with Dark Delicacies for new book Phiction: Tales from the World of Phantasm. The book is described as “a new limited collector print edition of original stories written by Don Coscarelli, the creator of the Phantasm films.”

Phiction explores characters and stories from the Phantasm universe, and it also includes an introduction by best-selling author Joe R. Lansdale (Bubba Ho-Tep), Bd has learned.

Bloody Disgusting has also exclusively learned that Dark Delicacies will host a celebratory 45th anniversary event complete with a book signing and star Reggie Bannister in-person! In a once in-a-lifetime opportunity, the Phantasm 2 ‘Cuda musclecar will be on-site at Dark Delicacies and fans can take a photo riding shotgun With Reggie! Additionally, the original “Spacegate Poles” from Coscarelli’s personal prop collection will also be available for photos with fans.

The Phantasm family is back together again for the new brand new music video “Cheyenne,” which comes courtesy of Phantasm star Bill Thornbury and his band Remington Ridge.

Bill Thornbury played Jody in the original horror classic from 1979, a role he reprised for Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead, Phantasm IV: Oblivion, and Phantasm: Ravager.

Of particular note for Phantasm fans, the music video for “Cheyenne” was directed by franchise creator Don Coscarelli and David Hartman, who directed Phantasm: Ravager.

Coscarelli tweets this afternoon, “Many people might remember Bill’s absolute banger of a song from the original Phantasm that he wrote and performed with Reggie Bannister in our film Phantasm… ‘Sitting’ Here At Midnight’! ‘Cheyenne’ is an emotional, rootsy country ballad, telling tales of lost love and fading sunset dreams.”

“It was great to get the Phantasm family back together to make this video,” Coscarelli adds. “The talented David...

The Bubba Ho-Tep episode of Wtf Happened to This Adaptation? was Written and Narrated by Andrew Hatfield, Edited by Mike Conway, Produced by Lance Vlcek and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian. Here is the text of Hatfield’s script:

Sometimes you find out that your favorite movies were adaptations of novels. While everyone knows when they are getting a Stephen King adaptation, a lot of the time you won’t know that a movie is based on an existing story until you get hit with it in the credits. Bubba Ho-Tep (watch it Here) is one of those properties. All of the advertising and certainly the feeling of the movie is that it’s a Bruce Campbell and Don Coscarelli movie, but the short story was written by Joe R. Landsdale. The movie was the little indie that could that was destined for cult fame and make...

The Wishmaster episode of Wtf Happened to This Horror Movie? was Written by Emilie Black, Narrated by Jason Hewlett, Edited by Juan Jimenez, Produced by Lance Vlcek and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.

Horror has had many periods and the late 1990s were very much for self-referential films, dark humor, and cameos. Wishmaster, or Wes Craven’s Wishmaster (watch it Here) as it was marketed at the time, is more on the dark humor side of things than self-referential. Still, it does have plenty of cameos and references to other movies to be found by those paying attention.

While the film was marketed as Wes Craven’s Wishmaster, the film was in fact, written by Peter Adkins and directed by Robert Kurtzman, two creators the world of horror already knew. Craven was an executive producer here, but his name put butts in seats back in the day,...

Robert Englund’s most famous role as Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise only scratches the surface of his prolific career. With over 150 credits in film and television and counting, the actor remains a heavyweight in the horror space. That includes cameo appearances, where Englund’s history and experience bring welcome depth to each part, no matter how fleeting.

Some Robert Englund cameos offer a wry wink to horror fans, while others intentionally play on audience expectations based on his more prominent roles.

For #RobertEnglundDay, here are six of the best Robert Englund cameos in horror.

Wes Craven’s New Nightmare

Writer/Director Wes Craven warmed up his meta-horror muscles with this 1994 franchise entry. Englund plays Freddy Krueger, who crosses over from his fictional film franchise into the real world to torment the cast and crew behind his films. While Englund plays a prominent role as Freddy Krueger,...

The Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead episode of The Black Sheep was Written and Narrated by Andrew Hatfield, Edited by Brandon Nally, Produced by Lance Vlcek and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.

It’s a rare thing to see a horror series with near complete creative control from one person. Currently, Damien Leone seems to be in the drivers seat for the Terrifier series that we are certain to get more entries in and I’ve talked about the Chucky/Child’s Play series that Don Mancini is the driving force for. There’s also another Don that’s in charge of another important horror series. Don Coscarelli gave us one of the most original and successful independent films of all time with 1979’s Phantasm. He wrote, directed, shot, and edited that first movie with his dad helping produce it and his mom doing costumes, production design,...

Writer/director Don Coscarelli kicked off a mind-bending horror franchise with his low budget 1979 classic Phantasm, following that up with Phantasm II in 1988 and Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead in 1994. One Phantasm phan who thought they knew where the franchise should go next was Roger Avary – and soon after sharing an Academy Award win with Quentin Tarantino for co-writing the stories that made up Pulp Fiction, Avary started crafting a Phantasm sequel script he called Phantasm 1999. Coscarelli was impressed with what Avary had come up with, and set out to bring Phantasm 1999 to the screen… but it never happened. Nods to the ideas in that script made it into Phantasm: Oblivion and Phantasm: Ravager, but the budget required for Phantasm 1999 (which was also called Phantasm 2013 A.D. and Phantasm’s End as time went on) could never be secured. So find out about the Phantasm movie that never was...

When it comes to the golden era of slasher films, most will say it was the 1980s, but the 1990s are not to be ignored as they brought us an amazing bunch of films and some that redefined the sub-genre (including one that’s getting a fifth sequel this weekend). Here’s our list of the Best 90s Slasher Films:

Wishmaster (1997)

This one is considered a fantasy slasher, so it’s a bit controversial as to if it is a slasher or not. For this list, let’s consider it one. It’s fantastic and Andrew Divoff is 98% of why it’s so good. This film is his and he makes it the best it could be. His work is both charming and menacing, giving his character an aura that makes the whole film what it is. It’s creepy, it has great kills, and the cameos in this one are to die for.

Elvis has a lot of buzz this awards season, but Baz Luhrmann didn’t get the story right. The real Elvis Presley traded places with an impersonator in order to live a simple life as an impersonator himself before retiring to Mud Creek, Texas alongside John F. Kennedy, who was patched up and dyed Black after the assassination attempt.

Those are the facts according to Bubba Ho-Tep, at least.

The 2002 horror-comedy is based on the short story of the same name by Joe R. Lansdale (whose work would go on to be adapted into Cold in July and Hap and Leonard), first published in the 1994 anthology The King Is Dead: Tales of Elvis Post-Mortem. When cult filmmaker Don Coscarelli approached Lansdale about optioning the story for a film, the author tried to talk him out of it, as he believed it couldn’t be made.

Lansdale passed on writing the screenplay for the same reason,...

The first two Silent Night, Deadly Night films get all the glory — to the point where casual horror fans may be surprised to learn that three more installments were produced in the franchise. The 1984 original generated highly publicized controversy by showing its killer dressed as Santa Claus in advertisements, while the 1987 first sequel gained cult status for its over-the-top campiness and liberal reuse of clips from its predecessor.

The series was then relegated to straight-to-video territory with 1989’s Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out, 1990’s Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation, and 1991’s Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker. While the third installment continues the killer Santa plot, the storyline was abandoned for the latter two installments, which each tell an unrelated tale set during Christmastime.

Diverging from the franchise’s headline-making narrative may have been a death knell — look at how long it took viewers...

The Manson Brothers Show, which is hosted by the writers/stars of the horror comedy The Manson Brothers Midnight Zombie Massacre – Chris Margetis (Stone Manson) and Mike Carey (Skull Manson) – got its start a couple weeks ago with an episode in which the boys looked back at the 1976 classic The Omen… and also discussed tortilla soup, Iron Maiden, and the wrestling word of the week. Last week, they revisited John Carpenter’s The Fog. And in the new episode that has just arrived online, they’re discussing writer/director Don Coscarelli’s 1979 mind-bender Phantasm (get it Here). To find out what they think of the movie – as well as other assorted topics – check out the video embedded above!

Here’s some information on The Manson Brothers Show: At long last, The Manson Brothers (Stone and Skull Manson) bring their lunacy to The Arrow in the Head Show YouTube Channel! The...

It’s time for a new episode of our Deconstructing… video series, and with this one we’re looking back at one of the all-time greats of the horror genre: writer/director Don Coscarelli’s 1979 classic Phantasm (watch it Here). To watch Phantasm get the Deconstructing… treatment, check out the video embedded above!

Phantasm has the following synopsis:

The residents of a small town have begun dying under strange circumstances, leading young Mike to investigate. After discovering that the Tall Man, the town’s mortician, is killing and reanimating the dead as misshapen zombies, Mike seeks help from his older brother, Jody, and local ice cream man Reggie. Working together, they try to lure out and kill the Tall Man, all the while avoiding his minions and a deadly silver sphere.

The film stars Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornbury, Reggie Bannister, Kathy Lester, Bill Cone, Mary Ellen Shaw, Terrie Kalbus, and Lynn Eastman,...

Bubba Ho-tep (watch it Here) director Don Coscarelli has taken to social media to confirm that he has been working with Scream Factory to bring his 2002 horror comedy to 4K Uhd… and now Scream Factory is accepting pre-orders at This Link! The release date for the Bubba Ho-tep 4K Uhd is February 7th, and Scream Factory is providing multiple different sets. Fans will be able to order the 4K Uhd and Blu-ray alone, or with two posters and a slipcover; with two posters, a slipcover, and an enamel pin set; or with the theatrical poster, an autographed exclusive poster, a slipcover, and an enamel pin set. You can make your choice at the link provided.

Scripted by Coscarelli and based on a short story by Joe R. Lansdale, Bubba Ho-tep has the following synopsis:

Elvis Presley and a black “JFK” stay in a nursing home where nothing happens – until a...

Death Breed – a horror anthology comes out on DVD & VOD on December 14, 2021 from Bayview Entertainment. Three ghoulish tales of horror and suspense. Death Breed, an anthology film in the tradition of “Creepshow” and “Tales from the Crypt,” brings these shocking stories to life with a number of legendary horror greats. Wolfsbayne …

The post Death Breed – A Horror Anthology w/ Kane Hodder, Gunnar Hansen, Linnea Quigley, Edwin Neal, Reggie Bannister, Debbie Rochon Arrives December 14, 2021 appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.

Subsoil Films is putting together the horror anthology, ‘Seasons – Four Spine-Tingling Tales of Terror’ and you can join the team or support the film through IndieGoGo. This already loaded production stars Jeremy London (Kevin Smith’s Mallrats), Lisa Wilcox (Nightmare on Elm Street 4 & 5), Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp), Reggie Bannister (Phantasm) & Lynn …

The post Seasons – Four Spine-Tingling Tales of Terror w/ Jeremy London, Lisa Wilcox, Felissa Rose, Reggie Bannister & Lynn Lowry appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.

November 6th’s home media releases are all about the Steelbooks apparently, as horror fans have four different titles that are coming home this week that would be great additions to anyone’s collections. Scream Factory’s Steelbook for John Carpenter’s The Thing is a work of art, and Well Go USA has put together two beautiful Steelbook releases for both Phantasm: Remastered and Train to Busan, and we even get a Grindhouse Steelbook to boot. Scream Factory is also pulling double duty with the Collector’s Edition of Sleepwalkers, and as far as recent horror offerings go, Mara, The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time, and All Light Will End are getting released this Tuesday, too.

Other notable releases for November 6th include Revenge of the Dead aka Zeder: Voices from the Beyond, Restraint, and Apartment 407.

Phantasm: Remastered: Steelbook Edition

In Phantasm: Remastered, Well Go USA presents...

September 18th is definitely a phan-tastic day to be a genre lover, as we’re finally getting individual Blu-ray releases for both Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead and Phantasm IV: Oblivion this week, courtesy of Well Go USA. Scream Factory has given two classic horrors an HD overhaul—Scream for Help and The Evil—that cult film enthusiasts should definitely check out, and there is a pair of Special Edition Blu-rays arriving on Tuesday from Arrow Video to boot: Horrors of Malformed Men and The Pyjama Girl Case.

Other notable Blu-ray and DVD releases for September 18th include Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, The X-Files: Season 11, Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum, Impulse, and 666: Seance Hour.

The Evil

A psychologist (Richard Crenna) and his wife (Joanna Pettet) buy a dilapidated historical mansion with a dark past in this terrifying chiller. Hoping to restore the estate and turn it into a drug rehabilitation clinic,...

Phantasm is easily one of the best horror movies in the genre. With it's tightly constructed plot, the film often moves from accessible to opaque with careless abandon. However there is enough there to really create a film that is inimitable. It's why we still discuss/debate it today. It's also why yours truly recently turned in a podcast to this site in which I broke down the film on a minute by spine tingling minute basis.

As excellent as Phantasm is, like any franchise, it certainly doesn't hit a home run every time out of the park. That said the "Phans" of this film are a rabid lot. I consider myself a part of this group. So no matter how much I might get frustrated by any one film in this franchise, I am always going to come back for more when it is offered.

For this article my ranking system was fairly basic.

The Tall Man is back with a Vengeance!

Phantasm III: Lord Of The Dead and Phantasm IV: Oblivion, two Cult Classics in Don Coscarelli’s Legendary Horror Franchise, make Their Standalone Blu-ray Debuts September 18th. Available Separately, each Title Includes a Behind-the-Scenes Featurette, Audio Commentary and More!

Mike (Michael Baldwin) faces off against a lethal arsenal of terrible weapons when he confronts a mysterious grave robber known only as the Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) in horror icon Don Coscarelli’s Phantasm III: Lord Of The Dead (1994) and Phantasm IV: Oblivion (1998). Two of the most popular titles in the Phantasm franchise, the films will be available separately when they make their Blu-ray debuts September 18 from Well Go USA Entertainment.

In addition, Don Coscarelli turns author when his memoir, True Indie: Life and Death in Filmmaking, is published by St. Martin’s Press on October 2. A crash course on the indie film world,...

Last year, the folks at Well Go USA Entertainment made dreams come true for fans of the Sentinel Spheres when they released the entire Phantasm series on a five-film Blu-ray collection. If you didn't pick up the collection or you prefer individual releases over box sets, Well Go USA still has you covered with their upcoming standalone Blu-ray releases of Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead and Phantasm IV: Oblivion, and we have the full release details and a look at the cover art for both Blu-rays:

Press Release: Plano, Texas. – Mike (Michael Baldwin) faces off against a lethal arsenal of terrible weapons when he confronts a mysterious grave robber known only as the Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) in horror icon Don Coscarelli’s Phantasm III: Lord Of The Dead (1994) and Phantasm IV: Oblivion (1998). Two of the most popular titles in the Phantasm franchise, the films will be available separately...

Full disclosure: Phantasm II is my least favorite Phantasm movie. Fuller disclosure: the Phantasm movies comprise my favorite horror franchise, making the first point irrelevant to anyone else except my feeble little mind. So, even though it sits last on my roster, it’s still one of ’88's best horror movies, loaded with non-stop action, top-notch effects, and another towering and glowering turn by Angus Scrimm as The Tall Man. This is the super-sized and slick Phantasm movie that a lot of folks turn to when they have to scratch that graveyard itch.

To be honest, I wasn’t even aware that a sequel was on the horizon when I opened my local newspaper that hot summer night in ’88 looking for something to watch on the big screen. Yet there it was in the ad: the unmistakable glare of Scrimm, two unrecognizable teens, and series mastermind Don Coscarelli’s name plastered all over it.

Stars: Andrew Divoff, Tammy Lauren, Robert Englund, Ted Raimi, George “Buck” Flower, Reggie Bannister, Tony Todd, Kane Hodder, Chris Lemmon, Wendy Benson-Landes, Tony Crane, Jenny O’Hara, Ricco Ross, John Byner, Gretchen Palmer, Angus Scrimm | Written by Peter Atkins | Directed by Robert Kurtzman

Special makeup supremo Robert Kurtzman directs this 1997 homage to 1980s horror, and while its gross-out effects are impressive, the plot, characters and script leave much to be desired.

Wishmaster opens in 12th century Persia, and a royal party in chaos: people are mutating, skinning themselves, turning inside out, that sort of thing. It seems the king has made a deal with a Djinn, a mythical demon who will grant three wishes. On the third wish, a portal will open and the Djinn (plural) will be unleashed and take over the world of men. Or something. Thankfully, this Djinn is banished thanks to an opal made of blood.

Stars: Andrew Divoff, Tammy Lauren, Robert Englund, Ted Raimi, George “Buck” Flower, Reggie Bannister, Tony Todd, Kane Hodder, Chris Lemmon, Wendy Benson-Landes, Tony Crane, Jenny O’Hara, Ricco Ross, John Byner, Gretchen Palmer, Angus Scrimm | Written by Peter Atkins | Directed by Robert Kurtzman

Wishmaster is one of those movies that is a treat for horror geeks. Featuring some of the genre’s most iconic actors part of the fun is hunting out all the Easter eggs that are so easy to spot. The question is, on revisiting the film, does The Djinn (Andrew Divoff) still have what it takes to make your dreams come true?

When a Persian statue of Ahura Mazda is broken, a red jewel is discovered within. Given to Alexandra Amberson (Tammy Lauren) to evaluate for auction, she accidentally awakens the Djinn inside. While capturing more souls inside the jewel, he chases down Alexandra with the aim...

Bonejangles is new horror comedy (review here) from director Brett Dejager, which was selected to play at the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival on Saturday 27th January. I got chance to ask Brett a few questions about his influences, taking on the role of creating a new immortal killer in Bonejangles and working with horror legends Elissa Dowling and Reggie Bannister.

What can we expect from the film Bonejangles?

If there is anything from Bonejangles that horror fans can expect it’s that you will leave the theatre wondering when Bonejangles II will be available! Ha ha, but in all seriousness, Bonejangles is about having fun and making the experience of watching movies fun again. I believe it has a nice balance of slasher and comedy. We took the production of Bonejangles very serious but had a lot of fun with the characters and storyline. So far Bonejangles has been well received...

Bonejangles is new horror comedy (review here) from writer Keith Melcher, which has been selected to play at the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival on Saturday 27th January. I got chance to ask Keith a few questions about his influences, taking on the role of playing the immortal killer Bonejangles and working with horror icons Elissa Dowling and Reggie Bannister.

What can we expect from Bonejangles?

You can expect a campy horror comedy that is a throwback to slasher films of the 1980s. You can expect over the top characters, bizarre situations and ample amounts of gags and gore!

How did you come up with the concept for the film Bonejangles and what were your influences?

The original idea for the film came about after imagining what would happen if the events of the Evil Dead films were to happen at the same time as the events of the Friday the 13th films.

"You play a good game, boy, but the game is over. Now you die!" Keep an eye out for flying Sentinel Spheres, because the the Tall Man and his undead army are coming to home media in a new DVD collection featuring all five Phantasm films, and Well Go USA has provided us with one DVD set to give away to one lucky Daily Dead reader!

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Prize Details: (1) Winner will receive (1) 5-Film Phantasm Collection on DVD.

How to Enter: We're giving Daily Dead readers multiple chances to enter and win:

1. Instagram: Following us on Instagram during the contest period will give you an automatic contest entry. Make sure to follow us at:

https://www.instagram.com/dailydead/

2. Email: For a chance to win via email, send an email to contest@dailydead.com with the subject “Phantasm DVD Collection Contest”. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.

Entry...

Well Go USA Entertainment brings all five films in Don Coscarelli’s iconic horror franchise to DVD for the first time in one box set when Phantasm: 5 Movie DVD Collection debuts on September 19. The collection includes Phantasm: Remastered (1979), Phantasm II (1988), Phantasm III: Lord Of The Dead (1994), Phantasm IV: Oblivion (1998) and the most recent installment Phantasm: Ravager (2016). Each film finds Mike (Michael Baldwin) facing off against a mysterious grave robber known only as the Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) and his lethal arsenal of terrible weapons.

Phantasm: 5 Movie DVD Collection includes:

Disc 1: Phantasm: Remastered

Bonus Materials Include:

Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Don Coscarelli and Stars Michael Baldwin, Angus Scrimm and Bill Thornbury

Graveyard Carz

Interviews with Don Coscarelli and Angus Scrimm

Deleted Scenes

Theatrical Trailer

Phantasm: Remastered Synopsis:

At a funeral, Mike (Michael Baldwin), watches as a tall mortician clad in black (Angus Scrimm) tosses...

Earlier this year, Well Go USA Entertainment unleashed the Tall Man and his Sentinel Spheres on Blu-ray in an eye-popping Phantasm box set, and now they've announced a DVD collection of all five films in the Phantasm franchise:

Press Release: Plano, Texas. (August 8, 2017) – Well Go USA Entertainment brings all five films in Don Coscarelli’s iconic horror franchise to DVD for the first time in one box set when Phantasm: 5 Movie DVD Collection debuts on September 19. The collection includes Phantasm: Remastered (1979), Phantasm II (1988), Phantasm III: Lord Of The Dead (1994), Phantasm IV: Oblivion (1998) and the most recent installment Phantasm: Ravager (2016). Each film finds Mike (Michael Baldwin) facing off against a mysterious grave robber known only as the Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) and his lethal arsenal of terrible weapons.

Phantasm: 5 Movie DVD Collection includes:

Disc 1: Phantasm: Remastered

Bonus Materials Include:

Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Don Coscarelli and Stars Michael Baldwin,...

Now that the Phantasm series (for now, at least) has wrapped itself up, you’d think “The Hardest Working Man in Horror” himself, Reggie Bannister would take it easy. Not in the slightest, as he’s continuing to do what he’s been doing for the past 40 years. His newest film is Brett DeJager’s Bonejangles. Part-slasher, part-zombie […]...

The comedy horror film also stars indie horror actor Elissa Dowling.

The post Exclusive Clip from Reggie Bannister Bloodbath Bonejangles appeared first on ComingSoon.net.

Stars: Reggie Bannister, Elissa Dowling, Kelly Misek, Jr., Julia Cavanaugh, Devin Toft, Jamie Scott Gordon, Lawrence Wayne Curry, Hannah Richter | Written by Keith Melcher | Directed by Brett DeJager

After slaughtering nearly all the local police force, the legendary immortal serial killer Bonejangles has finally capture. With Bonejangles now detained and heavily sedated, the four surviving officers need to transport him to a secure facility. On route, the police van breaks down in a cursed town called Argento(!), overrun by zombies and controlled by a succubus witch and to make it worse Bonejangles escapes.

There are plenty of horror comedies, but it is always difficult to get the right balance between the two. Bonejangles thankfully follows in the footsteps of the Hatchet series, by creating a mix of ridiculous laugh out comedy and enough bloody gore to keep most horror fans entertained. The violence in the film is played out...

Steve Zahn's character "Bad Ape" from War for the Planet of the Apes is depicted in a new Pop! vinyl figure from Funko, and we also have trailers and details for Bonejangles and Capps Crossing in today's Horror Highlights.

War for the Planet of the Apes Pop! Vinyl Figure: From Funko: "Pop! Movies: War for the Planet of the Apes - Bad Ape

The war between man and ape is not over. We have one more addition to our War for the Planet of the Apes Pop! line!

Bad Ape is now joining the Funko family.

Collect Bad Ape as we prepare to watch War for the Planet of the Apes. Releasing July 14th, 2017!"

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Bonejangles VOD Release Date & Trailer: Press Release: "This July, Wild Eye Releasing lets loose the next iconic movie monster!

While transporting the legendary killer Bonejangles, a group of police break down in a town cursed with monsters,...

Do you want to see something really scary? The next name in horror is being let loose this July when Bonejangles gets set free from his tomb. Today, we have the scary trailer and poster for this exciting ride though monsterland, which looks like a surefire cult hit.

This July, Wild Eye Releasing introduces the next iconic movie monster! While transporting the legendary killer Bonejangles, a group of police break down in a town cursed with monsters, and must release him to survive! Reggie Bannister, Elissa Dowling, Kelly Misek, Jr., Julia Cavanaugh, Devin Toft, Jamie Scott Gordon, Lawrence Wayne Curry, and Hannah Richter star in a Brett DeJager film, written by Keith Melcher. Bonejangles stalks VOD July 18.

'When bones rattle, blood will flow!' That's the spooky tagline that comes fixed to this glorious horror outing. the unstoppable killing machine that is Bonejangles used to reside in an asylum, until...

Nick Aldwinckle Jun 5, 2017

We round up the latest horror-tinged Blu-ray and DVD releases....

So, after a brief hiatus, it turns out a lot’s happened in the few months between these round ups. A snap general election has been called, terror has struck at the heart of Manchester and a scandal approaching Watergate levels has hit the U.S presidency. More importantly, Troll 2 has finally come to UK Netflix and is the cherry on the cake made entirely of a series of kind of wonderful, kind of… not films on DVD and Bluray.

So, 1990’s Troll 2, you may or may not be aware of, is generally regarded as one of the very greatest 'so bad it’s good' movies. There are many worse (The Rollerblade Seven or Gary Oldman little person rom-com Tiptoes come to mind), though it’s difficult to think of many other truly awful movies...

Author: Competitions

To mark the release of Phantasm 1-5 on 24th April, we’ve been given a limited edition collection boxset to give away to one winner.

Beginning with the 1979 original through to 2016’s Phantasm: Ravager, the five films which make up the Phantasm series follow the young Mike Baldwin (A. Michael Baldwin) as he battles against the enigmatic “Tall Man” – an extraterrestrial being intent on harvesting the human race as slaves for his home planet. Aided by friend Reggie (Reggie Bannister) and his trusty four-barrelled shotgun, Mike resolves to vanquish the Tall Man before he wipes out humanity altogether.

Brought together for the first time on Blu-ray – including a stunning new 4K restoration of the original Phantasm overseen by J.J. Abrams (Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Trek Into Darkness) – the Phantasm series is back with added balls!

Please note: This competition is open to UK residents only...

I hope you guys are ready, because April 11th looks to be an incredible day of home entertainment releases for genre fans, especially if you’ve been patiently waiting for the stunning new Phantasm Blu-ray set from Well Go USA, which features every film from the franchise together in one nifty package. Arrow Video has also assembled the first two House movies for a limited edition Blu-ray set that arrives this week, and Severin Films has resurrected the cult classic Cathy’s Curse in HD for the first time ever.

Severin Films is also keeping busy with a pair of other releases—Dark Water and The Other Hell—and Scream Factory is giving both The Vampire and Demented the Blu-ray treatment as well.

Other notable horror and sci-fi home entertainment offerings for April 11th include The Bye Bye Man (Unrated), The Violent Shit Collection, Chupacabra Territory, Naciye, Takashi Miike’s Dead or Alive trilogy,...

Beginning April 11th, you can invite The Tall Man into your home with The Phantasm Collection, and Well Go USA has provided us with one of their six-disc Blu-ray box sets to give away to one very lucky Daily Dead reader.

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Prize Details: (1) Winner will receive (1) Blu-ray box set of The Phantasm Collection.

How to Enter: We're giving Daily Dead readers multiple chances to enter and win:

1. Instagram: Following us on Instagram during the contest period will give you an automatic contest entry. Make sure to follow us at:

https://www.instagram.com/dailydead/

2. Twitter: Follow us on Twitter and look for opportunities to "Retweet to Win" over the next two weeks:

https://twitter.com/dailydeadnews

3. Email: For a chance to win via email, send an email to contest@dailydead.com with the subject “Phantasm Collection Contest”. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.

Entry Details: The contest...