Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead (1994) Review

"It's never over."
-The Tall Man



Picking off right where the previous movie left off, the Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) manages to kill Liz (Paula Irvine) and captures Mike (A. Michael Baldwin).  Reggie (Reggie Bannister) is forced to go on another road trip in order to rescue him.  Along the way, he recruits some new allies, and is rejoined by an old one in the form of Mike's brother, Jody (Bill Thornbury), who is somehow mysteriously resurrected.


What Works:

The Phantasm series continues to deliver.  The practical effects are, once again, amazing, with some excellent kills, and a really cool car crash.  It's impressive the amount of work the filmmakers put into this movie to make it feel real.

An interesting note is that Reggie is the protagonist of this movie instead of Mike.  Reggie is a really likable guy (for the most part), and it's fun letting him carry the movie this time.

Probably my favorite aspect of this movie is a new character, a little boy named Tim (Kevin Connors).  Tim's whole family was murdered by the Tall Man, and he has been forced to live on his own ever since.  He has one of the best character introductions I have ever seen, where he terrorizes and murders a group of looters.  It's completely unexpected and contains one of my favorite kills of the movie.  Usually, I don't like kids in movies, but Tim is awesome.  He can take care of himself and shows nothing but courage in the face of the Tall Man.  His father-son bond with Reggie also gives this movie some emotion and continues this series' theme of keeping on in the face of mourning and grief.

Finally, the end of this movie takes a really interesting turn and ends on a bit of a cliffhanger.  It's sequel-bait, but it's good sequel-bait, and it makes me really excited for the 4th film.


What Sucks:

The narrative in this film isn't great, as for a good chunk of the film I'm not entirely sure what Reggie's motivation is.  Phantasm III does not do a good job of telling us exactly where Reggie is going and why.  

My other problem is the relationship between Reggie and his ally, Rocky (Gloria Lynne Henry), a badass chick, who is very proficient with nunchucks.  Reggie has always been a bit of a perv, but at least his love interest in the previous movie was super into it.  Rocky is having none of it, however.  At first, Reggie's attempts to seduce her are funny, but they get kinda creepy later on.  There is one really funny moment where Rocky handcuffs Reggie to a bed and leaves him there, but come on Reggie, no means no.  You're better than that.


Verdict:

Though not as good as the second movie, Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead is another solid sequel and ensures this series goes on strong.  It does have some issues with its narrative and a creepy, but not in the fun way, scene between two of the leads, but the kills and the practical effects are amazing, it has one of the best child performances I've ever seen, and has an interesting ending that makes me really excited for the next film.  All in all, Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead has got it going on.

 8/10: Really Good 




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