I first heard about Phantasm 2 through my love of Fangoria and Gorezone magazines, which I devoured religiously in the 80’s and 90’s. The stills from the film were so otherworldly, gory and darkly innovative that I couldn’t wait to see the movie. When it was finally released in the UK, the first film wasn’t readily available, so I was watching the sequel for a film I had never seen and hadn’t even heard of before. I enjoyed the film nonetheless, even though I didn’t know what was going on.

I then got to see the original and thought it was a masterpiece, as I still do.

On watching the sequel, I have mixed feelings towards it. It concerns Mike from the original being released from a mental facility and going on the road to track down and kill The Tall Man.

As this was made for Universal Studios, some sacrifices had to be made. The studio insisted on a jobbing actor to play Mike, and so Micheal Baldwin from the first film was out as he had given up acting. This is a major setback for the film. James Le Gros, who plays Mike in this sequel, just isn’t as good.

Whilst there are aspects of this film that I love (the introduction of The Tall Man speaking telepathically to people, the evolution of the spheres, some of the humourous sequences), there’s much that dilutes the film’s impact. The fact that the film seems to be more action-orientated, the attempts by director Coscarelli to make Reggie’s character into a cult movie hero a la Ash from the Evil Dead sequels, the lack of Tall Man action (the first hour of the film is largely Tall Man-free and is a slow burn in that very little happens) and the fact that the silver spheres only really make an appearance until the film’s final act all affect what could have been a great and worthy sequel to a classic horror anomaly.

This is still fun to watch, but I kept on thinking that I would rather be watching the original (which is not the response that was sought by cast and crew).

3 out of 5 stars