Don Coscarelli doesn’t need Phantasm anymore, and Phantasm sure as hell doesn't need him. In the nearly two decades between Part 3 (Oblivion) and Part 4 (Ravager), the writer/director brought other authors’ work to kooky, inventive, cinematic life with Bubba Ho-Tep and John Dies at the End. Returning to his own franchise, Coscarelli has outsourced directing to animation supervisor David Hartman, and all but abandoned the series' horror roots--further removing himself (and us) from the spirit with which he blossomed as an indie genre pioneer. The resulting no-budget fan film once again sees former ice cream man Reggie (Reggie Bannister) playing guitar, jumping dimensions, and fighting the evil Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) for our reality's very soul. Sadly, no amount of call-backs, cameos, and tricked-out CGI spheres can atone for Ravager’s utter lack of brains, heart, and, well… balls. Here’s to more adaptations and less recycling.
Listen to Kicking the Seat Podcast #160 for more thoughts on Ravager!