It soon becomes clear in Phantasm IV: Oblivion that the Tall Man
wants Mike to become his successor--which doesn’t make much sense, considering
that the Tall Man is seemingly immortal and can’t be killed, so why would he
need somebody to take over his murderous business for him? Yet director Don
Cosarelli isn’t so much interested in making mundane facts add up as he is in
creating a visually interesting dreamscape for the fourth and final Phantasm
film. Using deleted footage from the original Phantasm, Cosarelli shows Mike
having dreams of his younger self encountering the Tall Man as they carry on their endless battle seemingly across time and space. And while he has these abstract confrontations with the Tall Man in the desert, Mike inadvertently discovers a way to destroy his nemesis once and for all.
Meanwhile, Reggie, who’s been separated from Mike at the end of Phantasm III, is busy working his way back to his friend--which is easier said than done, since the Tall Man keeps throwing countless roadblocks his way, including a memorable evening spent in an abandoned motel. But it’s really the main confrontation between Mike and the Tall Man that drives this film, which is more somber in tone and thankfully drops the over the top camp that pervaded Phantasm III. Cosarelli doesn’t even bother to explain what happened to the annoying kid in the cliffhanger of PIII, and it’s just as well. Because, after all, does anybody really care? In the superb commentary, Cosarelli explains that they didn’t have much money to make this last feature, and so the storyline was stripped down to accommodate some stark desert landscapes, and a leftover hearse from PIII.
The result is a sober film that feels more reflective, with a stronger element of science fiction tossed in this time. The goal seems to be to have more of a mind-bending experience, rather than the usual fun house scares that’s loaded with blood and guts (although the horror element isn’t completely ignored). There are gaping plot holes, some of which are explained by Cosarelli and his actors on the commentary, and the ending doesn’t really make much sense. But coming after the major disappointment of PIII, I have to say that I liked this last film much more. And although it doesn’t make much sense, the very final scene, originally shot for the first Phantasm movie, feels very poignant here. Young Mike’s final line, "It’s just the wind" seems like a perfect way to end the series.
--SF
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