Phantasm II Review

Phantasm II
Mike (LeGros) convinces the powers that be that he is ready to be released from the asylum. On doing so, he headhunts the mysterious 'Tall Man,' a ghoulish gravedigging sort who inhabits his victims dreams whilst trying to tug them into another dimension.

by William Thomas |
Published on
Release Date:

01 Jan 1988

Running Time:

97 minutes

Certificate:

18

Original Title:

Phantasm II

The nine years between the original and this film only serve to bolster the idea that it is more of a desperate remake than a sequel. There are more effects here (and they’re more impressive, though a lot happens in the world of special effects in the best part of a decade) but there is a distinct lack of new ideas. The Tall Man is still at his ill-defined dastardly work and is still not up to the defensive strategies of clueless teenagers. The director has not forgotten how to shock an audience, but there are too many quality slashers out there for a filmmaker to think that shocking is enough.

Treading the fine line between horror and hokum, this slips on it's unsure footing and falls headlong into the latter.
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