New Book Chronicles the Final Chapter in the ‘Phantasm’ Saga

In 1979, Phantasm debuted to horror audiences and immediately gained a passionate following, thanks to its bizarre and surreal narrative. The fan-following grew so passionate that David Hartman took it upon himself to film a fifth, unauthorized installment that impressed series creator Don Coscarelli so much that he helped Hartman adapt it into an official feature film, Phantasm: Ravager. To celebrate the accomplishment, author Dustin McNeill released the book Further Exhumed: The Strange Case of Phantasm Ravager to chronicle the film’s production.

Learn more about the book and its special features below.

“The fifth and final Phantasm took an incredible eight years to go from set to screen. The project began as an experimental short before becoming a thirteen-part web series and finally a feature-length sequel. Shot in secret on a microbudget, Ravager reunites Phantasm‘s core cast thirty-five years after the original cult classic. The new sequel filmed not in Hollywood soundstages but in the homes of cast and crew. Visual effects were handled mostly by the director. Decades-old props were taken out of storage and dusted off for reuse. They just don’t make movies like this anymore. In fact, they never really did to begin with. Such is the strange case of Phantasm: Ravager!

“Further Exhumed includes:

• A thorough chronicle of the journey from web series to feature film
• Analysis of unproduced scripts by Roger Avary and Stephen Romano
• Examination of Ravager‘s story, themes and conclusion
• Info on deleted scenes and alternate dialogue
• Why the film was delayed years after announcement
• Details on filming locations and special effects
• A breakdown of the Red Credit sequence
• Phantasmic Drink Recipes and Trivia Questions from the Hollywood Premiere
• More tips and tricks for better embalming (still kidding!)”

While fans are just as passionate about Phantasm as ever, the passing of series star Angus Scrimm is only one reason we shouldn’t anticipate a sixth film.

“God love ’em, but Phantasm fans are insatiable,” Coscarelli shared with Bloody Disgusting. “Obviously, the loss of Angus makes the prospect of another sequel challenging. So I guess the short answer is that we aren’t currently planning another sequel at this time. That being said, we always do listen closely to what our longtime fans say.”

Further Exhumed: The Strange Case of Phantasm Ravager is available now.

[H/T Bloody Disgusting]