Phantasm – 1979 Coscarelli

Defining a cult classic is a pretty futile undertaking—like some films with deciding which genre they land in- but one that comes up on many lists is Coscarelli’s Phantasm (he apparently made it with a borrowed camera he rented over a series of weekends).Regardless of genre, cult status or how much it cost to make- Phantasm has some powerful imagery and use of surrealism
A stunning frame at 3 minutes that would be repeated often—the funeral home as a backdrop (but in a David Lynch nightmare sort of world)—great frame within a frame of the doorway

Musical score is a strong theme
Hard not to think of Romero, Hooper and others working on a low budget in the genre – especially Romero’s opening with the cemetery playing an important role in the film
The narrative works well with both brothers as dueling protagonists
The rules of the dream/nightmare seem to bother some but that strikes me as missing the point (and I never hear the same criticism with Lynch)—I’ve mentioned Lynch twice already but this is before most of Lynch’s work (Eraserhead a few years prior)—Bunuel’s Un Chien Andalou feels like an obvious influence, Jodorowsky— and then this is years before other genre films that use surrealism like Craven’s Nightmare on Elm Street and Hellraiser
A dedication to images (as the title suggests) impresses me. Another nice shot set-up at 34 minutes from inside the casket with a row of caskets flanking symmetrically on both sides with a haunting figure walking towards us
The creepiness of a funeral home, antique store, cemetery