It had been a while since last checking out the original Phantasm (1979). How would it hold up again after the many booze-soaked Midnight movie viewings from yesteryear and how valid were otherwise foggy remembrances of the movie’s craziness and outlandish action? Well…..It turns out that I have a great fondness for writer, director and producer Don Coscarelli‘s brain child. Expect bizarre brushes with the living dead and other dimensional creeps that are novel in their presentation and influenced a lot of filmmakers. But my tastes are different than yours and on a current viewing, I noticed that the film drags a bit in spots and can get repetitive especially when you start digging into the well of five movies created for the Phantasm cycle. I mean, how many times can the characters find, confront, get bettered and then lose The Tall Man (Angus Scrim) and his dwarf and zombie minions? How heroes appear and then are lost in different dimensions and time periods that are confusing to say the least. But I recommend that you immerse yourself in the lunatic vision of Coscarelli and see if you can figure out what The Tall Man is up to.