Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead

i remember being pumped up about seeing the original cast of mike and jody returning to the phantasm series but being just as dissapointed with this 3rd installment.for one you have too many villains to deal with.it's not just the TALL MAN but these hoodlums which eventually turn into zombies working for the tall man.the TALL MAN doesn't need any more people helping him other than those dwarfs and it just takes away from his character.the spheres are back and just as impressive but this film is just a liitle too campy and does not satisfy your loyal phanatics like myself.the little boy character was a nice addition so he could tag along with reggie and help our hero, but the rocky character should have been left out.it is somewhat humorous watching reggie trying to snag her throughout the flick.good special effects for a low-budget movie and somewhat entertaining but not containing any real suspense and that weirdness factor if you will that the first one had and the second one had as well.definately the weakest in the series but does get you ready for the fourth one {OBLIVION}which is considerably better. by the way from the second to the third film i notice that reggie has been forking out some major cash without having any kind of job, i guess a retired ice cream vendor could have some kind of stash hidden away for retirement.

Mike and Reggie continue to hunt the mysterious Tall Man...

According to Reggie Bannister, Universal Studios refused to theatrically distribute the film due to a conflict with Coscarelli. The film was released direct-to-video in 1994. In 1996, the Los Angeles Times reported that "Phantasm III" was one of the top 100 highest selling direct-to-video titles.

Some say this is the weakest in the series. As I have not seen part four yet, I cannot comment with authority, but I will say it is not as great as the original or the sequel. I still enjoyed it, and it has some fun moments and good special effects, but little seems to happen overall. But I suppose any time you see Reggie with a flame thrower, that is a good thing.

The first two were enjoyable due to how dark they were and playing on fears. I prefered LeGros Mike in the second film to Baldwin's Mike. Baldwin is back in this installment of the series. I wasn't a fan of how they tried to make this one humourous, and have those 3 dead assistants keep having to be re killed. The two new companions for this film were good, the sentinel spheres were getting a bit too silly, with all the new add ones. Overall this one just didn't measure up to the first 2. Also the dispatching of the tall man was a bit lame. 2/5

I grew up loving The Phantasm series and in my book the first and second film are untouchable. Phantasm 2 was a studio film with a decent budget. The third film brings Don Coscarelli back to his low budget roots. That is not necessarily a bad thing, the 1st film was made with almost no money, but came out great. James Legross is out as Michael. The original Michael (Michael Baldwin) is back. Of course Reggie Bannister is back to hit the road and try to take out The Tall Man. Angus Scrim also returns to the iconic role of villain. The Phantasm series gets weirder and more sci Fi as it goes. This is no exception. The storyline however is less believable and is riddled with plot holes and supporting characters that come across a little ridiculous. Reggie Bannister is the heart of the movie and should have been an action hero with a billion dollar paycheck. Speaking of action, Phantasm 3 is action packed. However, it was not done as well as it was in the second film. I'm guessing the problems that the film has could have been fleshed out provided there was more time and money to shoot this. I still found Phantasm 3 pretty enjoyable as a whole. I liked it much better when I intially rented it on its video release. The next film from what I remember was really strange and for a Phantasm film, that's saying a lot.

Why did it take me so long to get into the "Phantasm" films, as just in the last two months I got around to seeing the first two films and now the third entry. So far I've enjoyed every one. While I found the quality of this entry not match the previous two, still it's an entertainingly non-stop ride in the quest to stop the Tall Man. It pretty much follows on from the previous edition, capping off that had just transpired. The road trip continues through small rural towns, where an almost apocalyptic feel is crafted. Nonetheless the adventurous tone is there, but it's leaning more for comic humour and flat-out action (in a way similar to the second entry), over the tripped-out atmospheric spookiness.

It's Reggie Banister's show and there's nothing wrong about that because he makes for a likable heroine that's easy to root for. A. Michael Baldwin isn't in it as much (which the chemistry between Mike and Reggie isn't as prominent) and Bill Thornbury reprises his role in rather an innovative manner. Two new ragtag characters find there way in to help out Reggie; played by Gloria Lynne Henry and Kevin Connors. These two bring biting persona's. Angus Scrimm in Tall Man mode is as menacing as ever - in appearance and the voice --- "It's time now BOY".

Director / writer Don Coscarelli keeps the unique vision alive, where his handling seems more focused (especially the writing) and complete, but competently staged with enough flair and panache in numerous sequences. After the last film was produced by a film studio, this entry would go back the low-budget independent roots. The unconventional story isn't as complicated, but this clip show is always on the move and is tension grabbing in its varied ideas. The lively special effects and make-up FX were effectively executed, where it becomes more and more a centre piece with the lethal flying spheres, dimension portals and the legion of dead serving under the Tall Man.