Believe it or not, 1994 was a significant year in continuing the legacy of some of modern Horror’s most recognized franchises. You had Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings, Night of the Demons 2, Leprechaun 2, Ghoulies IV, but also Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead. What could be dubbed the year of the sequel, Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead came six years after 1988’s Phantasm II (which some may recall was playing simultaneously side by side in theaters with Who Framed Roger Rabbit) and fifteen years since the saga began back in 1979 with Phantasm.
What would be the third installment that turned into a five-film series (rounding out in 2016 with Phantasm: Ravager, coming nearly twenty years after 1998’s Phantasm: OblIVion), thirty years later some would say, Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead is one of the best sequels of them all. Rewinding to 1988, Phantasm II was regarded as a belated sequel to Phantasm which arrived nine years earlier. Because of this, for too many it felt like it was a bit oddly timed, but nonetheless reconnected with the core audience on many levels. With this in mind, while more time passed between II and III, it was still not as long of a wait this go around and you could see the imagery of the infamous Tall Man was still fresh in viewers’ psychic.
Going with this assumption, unfortunately, Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead did not have the same theatrical support from a major studio as did the prior entries, resulting in limited exposure to larger audiences. Adding insult to injury, if you look at the limited theatrical release it did have in May of 1994, for two weeks in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and St. Louis, Missouri, it was the highest-grossing film in those cities during that period. Something that leaves you to wonder… what may have been had Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead had proper backing.
A question that will never have an answer, direct-to-video in October 1994 in video stores around the USA. Striking interest, in a Los Angeles Times article published in April of 1996 it was reported that Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead was one of the top 100 highest-selling direct-to-video titles around! Leaving you pondering in the what-if universe once more, the truth is the third Phantasm film delivered a lot of what fans were looking for.
To start, original Phantasm Creator Don Coscarelli returned once more as the writer/director. Making sure there was continuity in the uneven, nightmare world, Angus Scrimm was back as the daunting Tall Man from another dimension, Reggie Bannister continued the role of unlikely series hero, and A. Michael Baldwin reprised his role as Mike Pearson. Perfectly fitting to have Baldwin re-emerge, his character was pivotal in the original film which was the direct antithesis to The Tall Man and his evil plan. Oddly this character was not included in Phantasm II, so it seems writing him back into the storyline was well overdue.
With these three cast members back in place, there was also the addition of a kick-ass, no-nonsense lady named Rocky (portrayed by Gloria Lynne Henry). A flawless complement to Reggie, there was also the fearless young orphan named Tim (played by Kevin Connors) determined to join up in a quest to end the terror of the Tall Man.
This put into place, other key factors that took Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead to another level are the superb special effects; including those that brought the sphere ball of death to a new level of terror. This time more deadly than ever, new wrinkles are added to the overall plot that keeps you interested and yearning for more. Although, the real question is – are Reggie, Tim, and Rocky successful in defeating the Tall Man? Well, if you are a spectator in the Phantasm world, you know it is never truly over.
Overall, Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead was a fantastic sequel that you could only speculate would have done quite well at the box office. Three decades later you find it on DVD (Anchor Bay’s 2007 release), as part of an outstandingly designed limited edition Phantasm 40th Anniversary sphere Blu-ray set (put out in 2021 by Well Go USA Entertainment), or as a stand Blu-ray (also put out by Well Go USA Entertainment in 2018). All these most recently released editions include deleted scenes not a part of the original cut, and it is recommended to look into one of the Blu-ray options because the transfer is quite solid.
So, remember the true terror in the Phantasm dimension, and Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead, is the seemingly futile battle against the Tall Man. Also, know nothing is ever as it seems… even thirty years later.
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