Long before Jason sprang from a watery burial, long before Freddy rose from a fiery cremation, there was The Tall Man. Inimitably brought to life by the late, great Angus Scrimm and put on the big screen by cult auteur Don Coscarelli, this iconic boogeyman was unleashed in 1979’s Phantasm to lurk in the shadowy depths behind many an impressionable mind’s bedframe.
The first in a phranchise that would fester in the psychologies of horror phans everywhere, Phantasm became a death-defyingly low-budget hit that kickstarted an increasingly bizarre universe replete with maniacal alien dwarves and skull-embedding metallic balls discharging blood and brain matter…at least you’ll never have to wonder what goes on behind the closed doors of small-town American mortuaries again.
Now resurrected in a 4K restoration overseen by J.J. Abrams with balls to the wall bonus material, from a cast and crew audio commentary to exclusive pheaturettes, the legacy of Angus Scrimm and his spinecurdling eyebrow raising abilities will live on to terrify boys and girls for generations to come.
“And know that as you watch, The Tall Man will be watching with you, just behind you there, in the shadows…”
– Angus Scrimm (1926-2016)
