SummaryReleased after seven years in a mental hospital, Mike convinces his old pal Reggie to join forces with him to hunt down and destroy The Tall Man once and for all. Mike's visions lead the two to a quiet little town where a horde of flying killer balls aim to slice and dice their gruesome way through everyone.
Directed By:Don Coscarelli
Written By:Don Coscarelli
Phantasm II
Metascore
Mixed or Average
42
User score
Generally Favorable
7.3
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
42
11% Positive
1 Review
1 Review
33% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
56% Negative
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
75
Coscarelli has captured the texture of a disjointed, half-remembered nightmare, full of figures and events that seem to have some symbolic value, but which have lost their precise meaning in the process of floating up from the subconscious.
60
The difference between the "Phantasms" is the difference between "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "2010." Coscarelli's sequel is a fast, entertaining fright show, but it's not inspired in the way the original was.
User score
Generally Favorable
7.3
76% Positive
16 Ratings
16 Ratings
19% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
5% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
Jun 28, 2019
10
Don Coscarelli, réalisateur de son premier long-métrage culte sorti fin des années 70, poursuit sa lancée dont la réalisation lui a couté 3 millions de dollars et rapporté 7 millions au box-office. Phantasm 2 comporte beaucoup plus d'effets-spéciaux, des sphères et de nains mort-vivants qui sont les esclaves du Grand Homme. En effet, on retrouve le mythique, le grand et le terrifiant Tall Man.
Cette fois-ci on laisse tomber l'ambiance sombre, et on se met plus dans l'action et dans le gore. On passe du fantastique à de la science-fiction, je m'accroche plus dans le deux notamment pour sa violence plus furieuse, mais aussi pour la scène de la maison qui reprend la fin du 1 qui est très divertissante et qui comporta pas mal de suspens. On verra aussi certaines scènes très gore, il y'a aussi la scène de la sphère qui ressemble beaucoup à la scène de la sphère dans le 1, car cette scène reprend le même plans caméra. Phantasm 2 surfe un peu sur la vague d'Evil Dead 2 notamment pour son côté funky, mais aussi pour la scène de la tronçonneuse entre Reggie et l'autre malade. On aura aussi un remplacement d'acteurs, l'excellent Michael Baldwin se fait remplacer par le nullissime JamesLeGros. Heureusement que Michael Baldwin reviens dans le 3. Dernièrement, la musique originale composé par Fred Myrow fait tenir l'oeuvre.
May 23, 2025
7
It is a shame that they recast Mike, not that James Le Gros didn’t play Mike well, it’s just a shame that they didn’t have the same actor in all the films. Anyway, this is a fun film with lots going on so it is very enjoyable. It follows on well from the first film and I really appreciate that it is a direct sequel. The gore and horror is improved. The story is expanded a little, maybe not enough. The romance wasn’t needed but I also didn’t hate it. The ending truly is really great. So much happens in this film, way more than the first one but it is more mainstream and I don’t mind that.
40
The original Phantasm was an inventive fever-dream, but the sequel, unfortunately, lacks that delirious youthful imagination. There are some memorable moments along the way--fleeting images scattered throughout the film that have a cumulative effect--but when the shocks do come, they are mostly retreads of highlights from the first movie.
38
Individual scenes are OK for bogus suspense and special effects. The acting is as good as it has to be. But on the whole, the film feels like a 90-minute version of something that was many hours longer. [13 July 1988, p.D4]
38
Nowhere in Phantasm II is there the wit of Phantasm the first. [8 July 1988]
25
In the end, Phantasm II is a bland mixture of the horror movies its predecessor spawned. [8 July 1988, p.C5]
25
The target audience for Phantasm II obviously is teenagers, especially those with abbreviated attention spans, who require a thrill a minute. No character development, logic or subtlety is necessary, just a sensation every now and again to provide the impression that something is happening on the screen.
May 4, 2020
7
Definitely the best of the sequels and arguably the best of the franchise. Phantasm II is to Phantasm what the Evil Dead II is to the Evil Dead. It is a bigger budget, more fun, more special effects, and campier version of the first that still maintains the same spirit and overall quality of the original. And basically the same storyline and setting as well.
Sep 3, 2019
6
After a great independent horror classic came your typical major Hollywood sequel. Not a bad movie but really far from the original one. The film is still enjoyable even if we totally miss the original eerie atmosphere to the favor of a kind of weird road movie with some goofy gore sequences. The franchise will unfortunately stay on this way for the next installments and become worst and worst at each new entries.
Jun 29, 2021
2
Happening nearly 10 years after the original film was made, Phantasm 2 attempts to capture the magic that made the first one so good and for the most part, it doesn't really deliver. The story does nothing to expand upon what was already introduced in the first film and the lack of gore (which is saved until pretty much the very end) left a lot more to be desired. The cast tries but they can only do so much.
Production Company:
- Spacegate Productions
- Starway International Inc.
- Universal Pictures
Release Date:Jul 8, 1988
Duration:1 h 37 m
Rating:R
Tagline:Now, the horrifying truth is about to be revealed...and all it took was a little digging.
Awards
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
• 1 Nomination
Young Artist Awards
• 1 Nomination
Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival
• 1 Nomination
