A few days ago I shared with you guys the news that the fifth film in the PHANTASM series, PHANTASM RAVAGER may not be the final film. Even if The Tall Man himself Angus Scrimm is no longer with us. RIP.
Well, turns the guys over at BD took at look at the news and went straight to the source, Mr. Don Coscarelli himself, and asked him just what the plan, if there was a plan, for a sixth PHANTASM film was:
“I remember being at the premiere last year of ‘Phantasm Ravager’ at Fantastic Fest. I was sitting by director David Hartman and as ‘Ravager’ ended, the audience burst into applause. For both of us it was a huge relief, we had finally finished one of the most ambitious micro-budget movies ever made and our core fan base responded the way we hoped. It was a very long path, full of difficulty and hardship and we had suffered some losses. Our ‘Phantasm’ icon and good friend Angus Scrimm had passed just as post-production ended. But we had successfully finished what we considered to be the final chapter of this iteration of ‘Phantasm’… And then Dave and I went up onstage with the cast and did a Q+A with Tim League and I think the first question was, ‘When’s part 6 coming out?’ We heard this question again and again at subsequent screenings.
“God love ’em, but ‘Phantasm’ fans are insatiable. Obviously, the loss of Angus makes the prospect of another sequel challenging. So I guess the short answer is that we aren’t currently planning another sequel at this time. That being said, we always do listen closely to what our long time fans say.”
“In any case, next week, like a lot of people, I’m going to break open a copy of the new ‘Phantasm’ collection box set and watch all the movies in a row. Really looking forward to that!”
While I could totally take another PHANTASM flick (or another 6 PHANTASM flicks), I totally get letting the series pass on after the loss of Angus Scrimm.
But from as far as I can tell PHANTASM RAVAGER was a total surprise to the horror community, so if we get a PHANTASM VI, don't be surprised if we don't hear anything for years and then boom here's the trailer.
I wish Paula Irvine was in more PHANTASM sequels.