Phantasm: Ravager Review (Film, 2016) #31DaysofHorror
content warning: gore, animal abuse, violence against women, mental wellness, gun violence, foul language
Phantasm: Ravager is the fifth and final entry in the horror/sci-fi/slasher/action series that started in 1979. The story jumps between two timelines. It starts with Reggie’s quest to find Mike and defeat the Tall Man after the events of Phantasm IV: Oblivion. Then it jumps to one of the saddest turns the series has ever taken. Reggie snaps into focus being pushed in a wheelchair by Mike. They’re both clearly older, though Reggie is the one living in the nursing home. He’s been diagnosed with early onset dementia and Mike is doing everything he can to help him. Mike asks Reggie to tell him the story of what happened, and it jumps back to Reggie’s quest.
The big thing to know about Phantasm: Ravager is the production took a long time to make. The film was shot in secret over a two year period. Everyone involved in the film denied it was officially happening. This was after years of speculation and rumors about a new sequel, a remake, or a spinoff series. Angus Scrimm passed away before its release, meaning any additional footage or reshoots they could have used after testing with audiences couldn’t realistically happen.
This is the only entry in the series that Don Coscarelli did not direct himself. David Hartman cowrote the screenplay and directed in his place. Coscarelli did work on the film, but he is not the director. That doesn’t have to be a negative attribute by default. The Phantasm series is a tricky property to deal with and it is surely an ambitious project to pick up for a first time feature film director.
Phantasm: Ravager is a shift because of its focus. This is finally Reggie’s story. He’s trying to find Mike and take down the Tall Man. Reggie Bannister is not a typical action hero, but he fits the style well after years of practice throughout the Phantasm series. He actually finds a lot of depth in the action scenes. His face has always been quite expressive onscreen. Now he doesn’t have to share a lot of these moments with other actors.
The biggest pitfall of Ravager is the sentinels. The floating silver orbs are done largely with CGI this time around and they just don’t have the same weight as the practical effects or even the animation in IV. They’re just a little too slick, a little too direct in their motions. Even when the actors are clearly engaged with the sentinels, the sentinels do not feel like they’re really interacting with the people. They’re too shiny, too quick, too easy to push around and fight back against.
Phantasm V: Ravager is far more episodic than the rest of the series. It really works for me, but it is a very different film. Don Coscarelli is also the writer/director of Bubba Ho-Tep and he explores some similar themes here. The Phantasm series has always dealt with time and the perception of reality. Now it’s tackling the effects of time and aging on the perception of reality.
The big mystery of the film is not Mike’s whereabouts or the plans of The Tall Man. The mystery is Reggie’s perception of reality. There are just enough moments of Reggie’s memory and conversation skills not being at the same quick level of the previous films to suggest he is suffering from dementia. There are also moments that suggest that all of this could be The Tall Man’s plan to get rid of Reggie so no one can stop him. It’s a great source of tension built right into the screenplay.
The visual language of Phantasm V: Ravager is different from the rest of the series. That comes down to direction. Coscarelli has a clearly defined voice that is all about the perspective of the camera and power dynamics. Hartman plays into a more traditional action/horror style, focusing on where the impacts are in a fight. He does go for some of those wonderfully odd angled at a distant shots that Coscarelli built the original Phantasm on, though this film is playing more with motion in a desolate world rather than perspective shaping a view of the world.
Ultimately, this is a beautiful and thoughtful full circle moment for one of the most unexpected horror franchises of all time. Phantasm owes as much to experimental filmmaking in that unpredictable French New Wave style as it does to the early slashers and the body snatching sci-fi epics of the 50s and 60s. Coscarelli always adjusts his approach to the series to acknowledge and accept the large passage of time between entries. Here, the passage of time is the story.
Phantasm: Ravager is streaming on Shudder.
