Arrow Video has announced that they will be giving the 1989 horror film Phantom of the Mall: Eric’s Revenge a limited edition Blu-ray release in the US and Canada on November 23rd, with UK copies shipping out one day earlier. Showing the film more respect than it has ever gotten before, Arrow Video has included three different cuts of Phantom of the Mall on the release’s two discs. If you’re interested in picking up a copy, you can pre-order the North American edition of the Blu-ray at THIS LINK and the UK edition HERE.
Directed by Richard Friedman and written by Frederick R. Ulrich, Scott J. Schneid, Tony Michelman, and Robert King, Phantom of the Mall: Eric’s Revenge has the following synopsis:
With numerous interpretations of Gaston Leroux’s classic novel The Phantom of the Opera having been turned out over the years, it was only a matter of time before the slasher genre decided to take a stab at the tale – step forward 1989’s Phantom of the Mall: Eric’s Revenge!
High school sweethearts Eric Matthews and Melody Austin are so in love, but their youthful romance is cut tragically short when Eric apparently dies in a fire that engulfs his family home. One year later and Melody is trying to move on with her life, taking up a job at the newly built Midwood Mall along with her friends. But the mall, which stands on the very site of Eric’s former home, has an uninvited guest – a shadowy, scarred figure which haunts its airducts and subterranean passageways, hellbent on exacting vengeance on the mall’s crooked developers.
Here are the Blu-ray details:
Three versions of the feature: Original Theatrical Cut, TV Cut and bonus Integral Fan Cut!
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
Original uncompressed mono audio on all cuts
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing on all cuts
60-page fully-illustrated perfect-bound book featuring new writing by Daniel Budnik and Amanda Reyes
Large fold-out double-sided poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Justin Osbourn
Six postcard-sized lobby card reproductions
Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Justin Osbourn
DISC ONE – THE THEATRICAL CUT (BLU-RAY)
Brand new 2K restoration of the Original Theatrical Cut from original film elements (90 mins)
Brand new audio commentary with director Richard Friedman, moderated by filmmaker Michael Felsher
Brand new audio commentary with disc producer Ewan Cant and film historian/author Amanda Reyes
Shop ‘Til You Drop!: The Making of Phantom of the Mall – brand new making-of documentary featuring interviews with director Richard Friedman, screenwriters Scott Schneid and Tony Michelman, actors Derek Rydall and Gregory Scott Cummins, filmmaker Tony Kayden and special make-up effects creator Matthew Mungle
The Vandals Go to the Mall – an interview with Joe Escalante of The Vandals on the creation of the Phantom of the Mall theme song
Alternate and Deleted Scenes from the TV Cut
Domestic and International Trailers
Image Gallery
Scott J. Schneid and Tony Michelman’s original script and associated special effects storyboards by Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff, Jr. [BD-ROM Content]
DISC TWO – THE TV & INTEGRAL FAN CUTS (BLU-RAY)
Brand new 2K restoration of the TV Cut with Standard Definition inserts for the footage unique to this version (89 mins)
Integral Fan Cut combining footage from both the Original Theatrical and TV Cuts for the ultimate Phantom of the Mall experience! (96 mins)
I first heard about Phantom of the Mall: Eric’s Revenge in the early ’90s, when an issue of Fangoria magazine mentioned it as a “skeleton in the closet” of comedian Pauly Shore, who has a supporting role in the movie as a character called Buzz. This was during the brief window of time when Shore was having so much success you could imagine he might be embarrassed by something like Phantom of the Mall. Since none of the video stores in my town had a copy, I didn’t end up watching the movie until 2020, and I actually enjoyed it. Some viewers talk about it like it’s one of the worst slashers of the ’80s, but it was a decent watch – and I was surprised to find that Shore’s performance is one of the best things about it.
Pauly Shore is joined in the cast by Kari Whitman, Derek Rydall, Jonathan Goldsmith, Tom Fridley, Morgan Fairchild, Kimber Sissons, Rob Estes, and Ken Foree.