In much the same way that director George A. Romero creative output has been primarily centered around the highly successful "Dead" series of zombie films, then fellow fantasy director Don Coscarelli has for over two decades seen his universe swirling around the lesser successful, but equally cult, and much loved "Phantasm" series of horror movies. ...
[on making a fifth Phantasm movie]: It's something we've talked about through the years but the timing hasn't worked out or getting the finances exactly right. I've been cooking up a couple of incarnations of things that I can't talk about now, but hopefully in the near future we could get something in the "Phantasm" world happening.
2
[About a possible remake of "Phantasm"]: I get a phone call every week, it seems, from somebody who wants to do it. It's something I've been resisting for a while. I do think that, given the proper context, it would really be exciting to see what a younger filmmaker could bring to that story. It's something I'm open to but I guess I'm seeking the right circumstances. Takashi Miike doing "Phantasm," how would that be? Anything that would ever be done would have to be done with sensitivity to the appreciation that the fans have for it. They just worship Angus as the Tall Man and Reggie as the loyal trusted friend.
3
Perhaps if I had focused my energies more on breaking into the system in a conventional way, and not spent as much time on the Phantasm series, I could have made more, varied, and certainly bigger budgeted films. But I have to admit -- making movies with balls, dwarves, hearses and four-barrel shotguns is a hoot!
4
(On sequels to horror movies): Sequels have been with us from the beginning in horror, from Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy and The Wolfman. Some of those sequels were better than the original films. I think that, at its best, the concept of horror sequels allows us the luxury of immersing ourselves in the nightmarish world of horror, and experiencing these strange characters and bizarre situations over a substantial time period.
5
(On Angus Scrimm as The Tall Man): Audiences have a fascination with his character, and seem to actually enjoy watching him doing his nasty deeds. I think this stems in large part from the subtle talents Angus uses in portraying this wicked and complex character.
6
At the beginning there was no master plan. The original Phantasm was intended to be a stand-alone film. However, after seeing how Phantasm II worked (starting the sequel the moment after the original ended), and the power of the fan response to the sequel and their speculations, the pattern of the storyline evolved easily.
7
(On Phantasm's "Phans"): What I love the most about them is their intelligent and interesting analysis of the films. Some of the speculation can be very deep, and sometimes fans find amazing connections, which neither I nor the actors have made.
8
I guess if I had any regret regarding the Phantasm series, it would be that A. Michael Baldwin did not star in Phantasm II. I sometimes think I should have called Universal's bluff, and given them a take it-or leave it ultimatum. However, they very well might have chosen not to make the film, and there might not have been any Phantasm sequels.
9
I had no plans, when I made the first Phantasm, to create a myth. I was only trying to make an effective low-budget movie, which might propel an audience member or two out of their seats on occasion. If anything, it was the fans who elevated our little tale into myth.
10
I guess I'm luckier than most to even have a label attached to me. There is no question though that this particular label makes it very difficult to gain respect from the people who finance movies. However, since my first exposure to the power of cinema was from genre films, I am proud to wear the label.
11
Getting movies made is difficult for everybody, independent or mainstream.
Just bought the rights to David Wong's Novel "John Dies at The End" to make a big screen adaptation. [March 2008]
4
At the age of nineteen, became the youngest director to ever have a feature film distributed by a major studio when he sold his independently produced and critically acclaimed drama, Jim, the World's Greatest (1976), to Universal Pictures, who released the movie in 1976.
5
In early 1992, New Line Cinema offered him to fund and distribute a third and fourth Phantasm movies to be shot back to back. At that time, Coscarelli didn't feel he had enough material written to make two films at once, so he turned the offer down.
6
In 2005, New Line Cinema entered into serious talks with Coscarelli to remake the Phantasm series as a new trilogy and offered him the chance to be the executive producer of the project. Coscarelli and Stephen Romano wrote a script which was a hybrid sequel/remake, having Mike, Reggie and the Tall Man pass the torch onto a new generation of characters. However, New Line didn't like the sequel aspect and wanted a more straight remake of the material. After serious consideration, Coscarelli rejected in favor of a fifth Phantasm movie with Anchor Bay (now Starz Home Entertainment) on board to produce. In the end, Coscarelli's wish to remain independent and have total creative control, together with the difficulties to come up with the budget needed for a fifth installment, caused the project to be halted indefinitely.
7
He likes backpacking and has always been fascinated with survival in the wilderness and the cult of survivalism in some parts of the United States. Coscarelli claims that his interest on those three things became the basis of Survival Quest (1988).
He enjoys science fiction films from the fifties and cites Invaders from Mars (1953) as a strong influence in Phantasm (1979).
10
As a boy, he was a fan of Steve Reeves, Ray Harryhausen and sword and sandal films in general. He also loved Godzilla movies.
11
Worked for a long time on the preproduction stage of Silver Bullet (1985) and was about to direct it. Eventually, he left the project due to creative differences with producer Dino De Laurentiis.
He considers the Italian giallo movies, specially Suspiria (1977) as a great influence on the Phantasm films.
17
He's a lover of science fiction, fantasy and horror books. His favorite authors are Philip K. Dick and Edgar Allan Poe.
18
Due to creative interferences with the producers of The Beastmaster (1982), he was forcibly removed from the editing room and his version was entirely re-cut. Although he doesn't disown the movie, he is quite unhappy with the final result.
19
The main idea of Phantasm (1979) came to him in a dream. One night, he dreamed of fleeing down endlessly long marble corridors, pursued by a chrome sphere intent on penetrating his skull with a wicked needle. There was also a quite futuristic "sphere dispenser" out of which the orbs would emerge and begin chase.
20
Admits that classic Universal monsters got him into the horror genre. In addition to that, he wanted to make a horror film because he enjoyed the audience reaction when he had a thrill in Kenny & Company (1976). That horror film became Phantasm (1979).
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