- Franchise Revival: The fourth Phantasm movie was envisioned by Roger Avary after the success of Pulp Fiction.
- Ambitious Script: Avary’s script was larger and stranger than previous installments, featuring new characters and plotlines.
- Budget Constraints: The project faced significant budget issues, leading to a scaled-back production for Oblivion.
- Creative Solutions: The filmmakers used unused footage from the original film to connect the story and characters.
What happens when a franchise that has been relegated to the straight-to-video dumpster gets a lifeline from one of the hottest writers in Hollywood? In 1994, just one week after Quentin Tarantino walked away from the Oscars with an Academy Award for Pulp Fiction, his longtime friend and Pulp Fiction co-writer Roger Avary revealed that his next dream project was the fourth Phantasm movie.
It was an ambitious plan to resurrect Don Coscarelli’s bizarre horror franchise. Avary had a wild script, Coscarelli was on board to direct, and the proposed movie was unlike anything the series had attempted before.
It never happened. Instead, Coscarelli had to start over with a fraction of the proposed budget, a mountain of salvaged props, footage left over from the original Phantasm, and one of the strangest investor pitches imaginable: a model wearing a bra made from the franchise’s signature silver spheres.
The funeral for Phantasm was beginning. Or was it? This is the story of what happened to Phantasm IV: Oblivion.
The Roger Avary Phantasm That Never Happened
After Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead arrived in 1994, the future of the franchise was uncertain once again. Universal had relegated the third movie to home video, making it increasingly difficult to imagine Phantasm returning to theaters. Then Roger Avary came calling.
Fresh off the success of Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs, Avary could have pursued virtually any project he wanted. Instead, he contacted Coscarelli about making another Phantasm movie. Avary was a longtime fan of the series and had known Coscarelli since the late 1980s, when the two spent time together during the production of Survival Quest. At some point, Coscarelli mentioned an idea involving Reggie traveling through a horrific wasteland.
Avary never forgot it. When he approached Coscarelli in 1994, even the director tried to convince him that making another Phantasm was a bad idea. The franchise was already struggling to escape the direct-to-video market. Avary didn’t care. He wanted to make the ultimate Phantasm sequel, and Coscarelli intended to direct.
Over the following months, the pair developed a screenplay originally titled Phantasm 1999 A.D.. As the years passed without the project getting made, the title changed to Phantasm 2013 and eventually Phantasm’s End.
The story was considerably larger and stranger than anything the franchise had attempted before. The Tall Man had devastated the United States, leaving destruction and death behind him. Reggie drove through the wasteland in his beloved Cuda, determined to save Mike and finally kill the Tall Man, accompanied at one point by a squirrel monkey named Titi. There was also a military suicide squad called the Commandos, led by Sgt. Heckelman, whose mission was to stop the Tall Man.
And then there was Bruce Campbell. Coscarelli announced at Phantasmania that Campbell would play the lead Commando. It would have been an incredible pairing, although it never came to pass. Campbell and Coscarelli would eventually work together on Bubba Ho-Tep in 2002.
The proposed Phantasm sequel, however, continued to grow increasingly ambitious. And increasingly expensive.
Too Weird Even for Phantasm
The proposed budget climbed to at least $8 million, a huge figure compared with the movies the franchise had been making. The script also pushed the mythology into some truly bizarre territory. In various drafts, Mike and the Tall Man disappeared for long stretches. One version reportedly brought Mike back only as a corpse, while Jody suffered a similar fate.
The screenplay also attempted to explain the Tall Man’s origins. At one point, the character was controlled by a gigantic entity called the Tall Mankind, essentially a massive Tall Man head that sounded like something from The Wizard of Oz. The idea would have offered an explanation for how the Tall Man could seemingly replace himself every time he was killed. For a franchise built around dream logic, mystery, and unanswered questions, that may have been a step too far.
The bigger problem was money. Studios weren’t interested in spending millions of dollars on such an unconventional sequel, even with Roger Avary’s name attached. Coscarelli and his collaborators tried cutting the proposed budget roughly in half, but it still wasn’t enough. Eventually, Avary moved on to make The Rules of Attraction. Coscarelli went back to the drawing board.
That is where Oblivion began.
From Phantasm 4EVER to Oblivion
Coscarelli didn’t initially write Oblivion as a replacement for Avary’s movie. Quite the opposite. The intention was to create a much cheaper Phantasm that could actually get made while keeping the door open for Avary’s much larger sequel. The budget was approximately $650,000. For comparison, the previous Phantasm sequels had reportedly cost between $2.5 million and $3 million.
With that kind of money, Coscarelli had no choice but to get creative. Frequent franchise collaborator Kirsten Deem encouraged him to scale the story back and return to the spirit of the original movie. The result was one of the most inventive decisions in the entire production: Coscarelli went back to Phantasm. Literally.
The production discovered unused outtakes and deleted footage from the 1979 original and incorporated it into the new movie. Additional dialogue was recorded to make the old footage work with the new story. Because Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornbury, Reggie Bannister, and Angus Scrimm were all returning, Coscarelli could seamlessly connect footage of the younger characters to their adult counterparts. No expensive digital de-aging. No elaborate visual-effects trickery. Just old footage, new performances, and some clever editing. Necessity became the mother of invention.
The movie was originally going to be called Phantasm 4EVER. Publisher Richard Elkin, however, suggested the title Oblivion, taken from the Phantasm Fanzine. The title stuck. It also allowed Coscarelli to sneak the Roman numeral IV into the subtitle.
The Plot of Phantasm IV: Oblivion
As usual, Phantasm IV picks up after the previous movie. Reggie is released by the Tall Man while Mike takes off in a hearse searching for answers. Reggie follows him at Jody’s request.
<p Mike's journey quickly becomes a nightmare. The golden sphere inside his skull has left him unable to trust his own perception of reality. He experiences visions, memories, and flashbacks as the Tall Man manipulates his understanding of time and space. Some of those flashbacks incorporate unused footage from the original Phantasm.
<p One particularly memorable sequence reveals that the Tall Man was once trapped and hanging from a tree. Young Mike frees him after convincing him telepathically that he will leave him alone; he does not.
<p Mike's present-day journey becomes increasingly surreal as he encounters visions of danger while driving in his hearse; eventually taking him into desert landscapes where he attempts escape from torment by hanging himself—a plan that fails miserably as he travels through dimensional gateways encountering Angus Scrimm in another form: Jebediah Morningside—a mysterious old man living in nineteenth-century America.
<p Meanwhile Reggie gets his own nightmare journey turning into low-budget Mad Max complete with demon cops exploding cars deadly women silver spheres; one woman Jennifer even has breasts transforming into silver spheres—if that sounds ridiculous remember what franchise we’re discussing!
<p Mike discovers telekinetic abilities using them against enemies crushing scorpions dwarf-like creatures even constructing his own sphere from engine parts; ultimately leading up towards climactic confrontations attempting finally destroy Tall Man but failing as another emerges through gateways indicating there may be no escape!
<p In true Phantasm fashion ending works both as conclusion potential continuation presenting peaceful image before chaos ensues suggesting perhaps there’s no escaping this horror!
Making Phantasm IV for Almost Nothing
The production no longer dealt with Universal which meant more freedom but also very little money; securing financing involved creating makeshift trailers featuring classic Phantasm theme hiring models wearing bras constructed from silver spheres outside hotel suites pitching potential investors—guerrilla filmmaking at its finest!
<p Michael Baldwin initially hesitant about returning due difficulties productions changed mind opportunity become hands-on producer while Bill Thornbury returned after reading script hearing enthusiasm project; Angus Scrimm also returned turning down role in X-Files movie do so!
The Crew Had to Get Extremely Creative
<p Filming began October 1997 starting location work places including Death Valley Lone Pine other Southern California locations; conditions brutal remote locations sometimes hours lodging temperatures swinging dramatically between daytime heat freezing nights!
<p On first day craft services portable bathrooms failed arrive correct location cast RV dressing room ended up being used store equipment!
<p Budget problems didn’t stop there—for scene where Mike attempts hang himself production actually rented planted tree desert!
Two People Built Most of The Sets
<p When production moved warehouse crew only two complete sets two partial sets; Jebediah’s laboratory hotel room recreated mausoleum largely constructed from old sets salvaged props—art department consisted only two people somehow worked!
Changes from The Script
<p Not everything made it screenplay finished film—one significant change involved Mike’s final moments original script called Reggie give grenade necklace use when hope lost idea being Mike could detonate himself rather allow Tall Man do anything body!
The Roger Avary Connection Never Completely Disappeared
<p Even though Avary’s massive sequel never got made pieces ideas survived Oblivion infamous sphere-breast sequence originated Avary’s screenplay; he appears finished film as dead soldier coffin during battlefield flashback credited under name Yrava Regor—that’s Roger Avary spelled backward!
The Release Of Phantasm IV: Oblivion
<p Despite crew hopes Oblivion didn’t return Phantasm theaters Orion released movie directly video United States October 1998 received festival screenings some featured appearances cast crew—no reliable public box-office figure because wasn’t theatrically released although Coscarelli later said performed well financially!
Why Phantasm IV Still Matters
<p There is no pretending that Phantasm IV: Oblivion polished blockbuster—it’s confusing obviously cheap some performances effects show limitations budget but misses what makes interesting!
Making A Sequel To A Cult Classic
<p Ultimately despite years speculation Oblivion might be final Phantasm franchise returned Phantasm V: Ravager 2016 Roger Avary’s giant sequel remains one horror’s great movies-that-never-were fittingly so since Phantasm always about death resurrection alternate realities things refuse stay dead—Oblivion perfect example supposed finished instead dragged back grave with $650000 old footage warehouse full salvaged props handful dangerously committed filmmakers woman wearing silver-sphere bra outside hotel somehow worked! That is what happened Phantasm IV: Oblivion.
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