Movie Title: Phantasm IV: Oblivion
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Starring: A. Michael Baldwin, Reggie Bannister, Bill Thornbury, Heidi Marnhout, Bob Ivy, Angus Scrimm
Review: Immediately following the cliffhanger ending of Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead (1994) Mike (A. Michael Baldwin) travels through time and different dimensions to discover the origins of the terrifying Tall Man.
Phantasm IV: Oblivion is sequel that's the closest in tone to the original. It's surreal storytelling style and editing keeps viewers invested in this chapter of the saga. The most interesting aspect of the movie was writer-director Don Coscarelli incorporating unused scenes from the first Phantasm to uniquely bridge the gap between the characters and themes that have been running throughout the series.
Part 4 delves into the origins of the Tall Man and how he became the merciless mortician that has horrified our leads and audiences since the late '70s. Plus, you have Reggie (Reggie Bannister) on the road trying to save Mike and finally put an end to those sinister silver spheres and the Tall Man's reign of terror.
The low budget is rather noticeable this time around and it looks as if this horror franchise is running on fumes, but with another cliffhanger ending, and the final chapter to the series, Phantasm Ravager, finally becoming a reality in 2016 we might just get the closure we need from this frightful franchise.
Phantasm IV: Oblivion is truly for the die hard fans of the series. Casual horror viewers might be bored by its odd, surreal story and slow pace, but it's interesting and clever enough to keep this Phantasm-fanatic happy!
Fun Fact: The movie's working title was "Phantasm IV: Infinity", but it was changed for "Phantasm IV: Oblivion" during post-production.