Phantasm is a 1979 American science fantasy horror film that was directed, written, photographed, and edited by Don Coscarelli.

The first film in the Phantasm franchise, it introduces the Tall Man (Angus Scrimm), a supernatural and malevolent undertaker who turns the dead of Earth into dwarf zombies to be sent to his planet and used as slaves.

Though initial reviews were mixed in regard to the dreamlike, surreal narrative and imagery, later reception was more positive and the film became a cult classic.

While having sex in Morningside Cemetery, a young man named Tommy is stabbed by the woman, who is revealed to be the local mortician, in supernatural disguise as "The Lady in Lavender".

Jody's 13-year-old brother Mike secretly observes the funeral and sees the mortician - dubbed "The Tall Man" - placing Tommy's heavy casket, with seemingly little effort, back into the hearse instead of completing the burial.

Running the hearse off the road, they discover that it was driven by one of the hooded figures, a re-animated and shrunken Tommy, whom they hide in Reggie's ice cream truck.

Mike and Jody are reunited with Reggie, and together they enter a brightly lit room, which is filled with canisters containing more dwarves.

The Tall Man attacks Mike at home and chases him outside, where he eventually falls into the mine shaft and is buried under an avalanche of rocks triggered by Jody.

Marc Savlov of the Austin Chronicle compares Phantasm to the works of Alejandro Jodorowsky and Luis Buñuel in terms of strangeness.

[7] Muir writes that Phantasm "purposely inhabits the half-understood sphere of dreams" and takes place in the imagination of a disturbed boy.

[13] Most of the ideas for Phantasm were developed by Coscarelli from a nightmare he had as a teenager, in which he was chased down a long corridor by a flying chrome sphere which he feared would drill his brain out.

[18] When writing the film's conclusion, Coscarelli intentionally wanted to shock audiences and "send people out of the theater with a bang.

[7] An ice cream shop on main street was filmed on the outskirts of San Diego County in Julian, California.

[7] The first test screening was poorly received due to the film's length; Coscarelli says that he erred in adding too much character development, which needed to be edited out.

[19] The financial success of the film Halloween released the prior year convinced vice-president of marketing at AVCO Embassy Pictures, Robert Rehme, to purchase Phantasm for distribution.

[24] It was released in Australia under the alternative title The Never Dead, to avoid confusion with the similarly-named 1976 Australian softcore porn film Fantasm.

[32] Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times deemed the film "a smooth and terrifically impressive technical achievement, a sort of jeu de spook with all manner of eerie and shocking special effects.

"[33] In a mostly negative review, critic Roger Ebert described the film as "a labor of love, if not a terrifically skillful one" but admitted Phantasm had a good visual style and sense of pacing.

[34] Trevor Johnston of Time Out called the film "a surprisingly shambolic affair whose moments of genuine invention stand out amid the prevailing incompetence.

[36] Vincent Canby of The New York Times compared it to a ghost story told by a bright, imaginative 8-year-old; he concluded that it is "thoroughly silly and endearing".

The consensus reads: "Phantasm: Remastered adds visual clarity to the first installment in one of horror's most enduring -- and endearingly idiosyncratic -- franchises.

"[40] Kim Newman of Empire called it "an incoherent but effective horror picture" that "deliberately makes no sense" and rates it four out of five stars.

[41] Scott Weinberg of Fearnet stated the acting is "indie-style raw" and special effects are sometimes poor, but the originality and boldness make up for it.

[43] Bloody Disgusting's John Squires rated it four out of five stars, calling it "truly original" and writing that it "imbues in its viewers a profound sense of dread".

[15] In 2007, USA Today praised the film for "the touching portrayal of two brothers in danger, an iconic villain in The Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) and a floating metallic sphere that's a death-dealing weapon.

Director Abrams said, "Phasma I named [sic] because of the amazing chrome design that came from Michael Kaplan's wardrobe team.

"[49] In 2014, USA Today quoted Jovanka Vuckovic, editor-in-chief of Rue Morgue, as stating that Supernatural, A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), and One Dark Night (1983) were all influenced by Phantasm.

The song "Left Hand Path" by Swedish death metal band Entombed on their 1990 album of the same name features an interpolation of the Phantasm theme.

[citation needed] Angus Scrimm was introduced into the Fangoria Hall of fame in 1993 for his iconic portrayal of The Tall Man.