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Ranking high on the list of the all-time greatest heroes in the horror genre is the badass ice cream man Reggie, who took on The Tall Man and the forces of evil in all five of the Phantasm films. Reggie was named after the actor who played him, Reggie Bannister – and some sad news about our hero has made its way online this morning. Bannister associate Russell GreWolf Mauck, who recently worked with Reggie and his wife Gigi Fast Elk Bannister on their fan fiction script-turned-novel Phantasm SurVIval (which is available for purchase on Amazon), has taken to social media to reveal that Reggie’s health has taken a turn for the worse and he will now be in home hospice care.

Mauck wrote, “My beloved Phantasm Phamily and Phriends. Most of you know, beloved Reggie Bannister was diagnosed with Dementia and Parkinson’s in June 2016. They were able to...

The Halloweenies celebrate the 45th anniversary of an all-timer: Don Coscarelli‘s Phantasm.

Join co-hosts Michael Roffman, Dan Caffrey, McKenzie Gerber, and special guest Adam Carston of Windy City Ballyhoo/Make My Day: A Clint Eastwood Podcast as they revisit the 1979 DIY masterpiece. Together, they dig deep into its roots, try to make sense of the plot, marvel at the music, and chart how Coscarelli’s first two films — 1976’s Jim the World’s Greatest and Kenny & Co. — feel like precursors, making all three a perfect aesthetic trilogy of the ’70s. Both films are available to stream on YouTube, and we highly advise you watch them.

Note: This episode was recorded in February 2024 and is being unlocked for the holidays.

Subscribe to the Halloweenies via Apple Podcasts , Stitcher , Spotify , and RSS . New to the Halloweenies? Catch up with the gang by revisiting their essential episodes on past franchises such...

In honor of Phantasm‘s 45th anniversary, the film’s original motion picture soundtrack is available on vinyl for $60 via Waxwork Records.

Drawing inspiration from Goblin‘s work in Suspiria and Mike Oldfield‘s “Tubular Bells” from The Exorcist, the synthesizer score is composed by Fred Myrow (Soylent Green) and Malcolm Seagrave.

The deluxe 3xLP album includes the expanded and complete score sourced from the original 1979 master tapes, never-before-released score cues from the Phantasm recording sessions, and the newly remastered original 1979 score album.

The records are pressed on “Silver Sphere” metallic silver colored vinyl and housed in a heavyweight triple gatefold jacket featuring artwork by Graham Humphreys and an 11×11 insert with liner notes by writer-director Don Coscarelli.

“I recently received notice that our long-term film storage vault in the basement of the historic Howard Hughes Headquarters building on the corner of Romaine and Sycamore in Hollywood was being permanently closed.

Bill Cone only had one acting credit to his name, and that single screen appearance didn’t last very long, but it’s worth taking note of because it happens at the beginning of one of the best horror movies ever made, writer/director Don Coscarelli’s 1979 classic Phantasm (watch it Here). Cone plays a character named Tommy in that film, and it’s his death that gets the story rolling. Sadly, today we have to report that Bill Cone has passed away.

The news of Cone’s death was first shared on the official Phantasm Facebook page, where it was also revealed that he had contributed to the soundtracks of both Phantasm and Coscarelli’s earlier film Kenny & Company. Here’s the text from their post: “We are saddened to learn of the passing of one of the core Phantasm cast members, Bill Cone (aka Tommy from the...

Known to horror fans for his brief but memorable appearance as Tommy in Don Coscarelli’s original horror classic Phantasm (1979), actor and musician Bill Cone has passed away.

Bill Cone also worked behind the scenes on the horror classic, providing key contributions to its iconic soundtrack. Story goes that Cone was a fan of horror movies and expressed an interest in dying onscreen in one, which led to Coscarelli casting him as the ill-fated Tommy, whose death kickstarts the events of the film. And into the hallowed halls of horror history he went.

The official Phantasm page on Facebook writes, “We are saddened to learn of the passing of one of the core Phantasm cast members, Bill Cone (aka Tommy from the original Phantasm). In addition to acting, Bill was a superlative musician. He was a key collaborator on the original Phantasm soundtrack, providing skilled guitar work.

“Previous to that,...

As Benjamin Franklin famously wrote, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”

The horror genre offers a controlled environment in which viewers can reflect on their own morality, whether it be via catharsis or escapism, but a personal loss can complicate one’s relationship with horror. Even the most hardened of fans may struggle to find comfort in the genre after experiencing the death of a loved one.

45 years ago today, Phantasm helped viewers confront death head-on while subtly exploring the grief that accompanies it. In the film, 13-year-old Mike (A. Michael Baldwin) convinces his older brother-turned-guardian Jody (Bill Thornbury) and their affable neighborhood ice cream man, Reggie (Reggie Bannister), to investigate a mysterious mortician dubbed The Tall Man (Angus Scrimm).

Phantasm was the third feature from writer-director Don Coscarelli. The seed was planted upon witnessing the audience react to a small jump...

Stars: E.R. Ruiz, Cindy Nicholsen, David Roche, Dawn Shaw, Robin L’Houmeau, Debbie Lynch-White, Dean Perseo, Noémie Kocher | Written by Joelle Bourjolly, Alexandre Franchi | Directed by Alexandre Franchi

Happy Face is a very different kind of film. Beginning as a personal concept and going on to an Indiegogo campaign, using crowdfunding as a way to make it happen, Alexandre Franchi (The Wild Hunt) went out of his way, with passion and a desire, to create a film that promotes diversity and shows real people with real disabilities and facial differences on screen in a way that isn’t presented as farcical, nor overly saccharine, nor merely tragic. The courage of these individuals is something Franchi explores, showing them, as he mentioned in his campaign, as people not just with disfigurements, but people with their own personal desires, relationships and insecurities. What a beautiful idea, what a novel approach.

The story itself...

Kenneth Jones, a character actor best remembered for his role as the “Caretaker” in Phantasm, has died. The film’s director, Don Coscarelli, reported the death via Twitter. No age or cause of death was given.

Coscarelli said Jones was in “the most impactful scene” in Phantasm. In the 1979 film, Jones’s character was drilled through the head by the Tall Man’s silver sphere. A river of blood was the result. (trigger warning on video: it’s gory).

“Everyone who came in contact with Ken loved him. He was warm, talented, and a devoted family man. The fans loved meeting him in recent years at the conventions with his loving daughter Jennifer and grandson Ej by his side. Rest in peace, my friend.”

Prior to Phantasm, Jones appeared in Coscarelli’s 1976 comedy Kenny & Company, and he later appeared in the 1993 film Hidden Fears, starring Meg Foster and Frederic Forrest.

I wasn't supposed to see the movie Phantasm. It was a Friday in the early 1980s. I was at a video store with a friend and my mom. All I wanted was something to watch for the weekend. My friend picked up this horror movie called Phantasm and told that I should rent it. He said that it was really good and that I would enjoy it. So I had my mom rent it. I watched Phantasm once. It was weird but I didn't think it was scary. Then I watched it again. And again. I didn't really like the film but it stayed with me. Later, my friend told me that he didn't actually think I'd like Phantasm. He had told me to rent it as a joke. As time went on, I could never describe it to people except to say that a tall, bald guy tries to...

With a filmmaking career that began in the late 1970s, Don Coscarelli puts it all down on paper in the treasure trove that is his new 341 page book, "True Indie". I must admit, before I go any further with this review, that I was pretty much pre-disposed to love this tomb. I have been following Coscarelli's career since I was a young boy. Along the way having crisscrossed through his films, I've marveled at the ease with which this auteur moved seamlessly from genre to genre. Thankfully, all of this has been put down by the director himself to create a "tell all" that is insightful, illuminating, and worthy of being discussed with other great works like "The Kid Stays In The Picture", "You'll Never Eat Lunch In This Town Again" and "Rebel Without a Crew".

"True Indie" is only predictable in that it follows the career arc of an artist.