The Ball Lives

I had a moment to breathe recently, so I took the opportunity to finally watch Phantasm: Ravager. Frankly, I had a great time with it. It definitely would have benefited from a larger budget, but in general, I think people have been too hard on it. I was particularly impressed with some of the creative choices and with how well the story stuck to the logic established in the previous films. It was as ambitious in its handling of the material as I could have hoped, though perhaps occasionally to its detriment (again mostly due to the budget). Still, I was impressed with the final result, and it's evident that those working on it were invested in the series. There are some ideas and visuals that I really love and couldn't have predicted, while feeling like an organic evolution of what came before. As to be expected, Reggie Bannister and Angus Scrimm, as 'Reggie' and the 'The Tall Man' respectively. steal the show. Also, longtime fans will be tickled by the brief return of another familiar face.

I'm left even more impressed after viewing the making-of documentary. They accomplished so much with so little, it's the type of filmmaking that is hopefully being taught in classrooms. If I were an aspiring filmmaker, I would study the Phantasm and Evil Dead series above all else for how to make a great film with few resources.

With the passing of Scrimm, Ravager is likely to be the final Phantasm, at least in the original series. And it was a satisfying note to end on. I will forever be fascinated by the Phantasm movies and will no doubt revisit them often, given the time. For me, they're dream horror at it its best.