Bill Thornbury Movies
The concluding installment of the popular horror series brings back the principal heroes Reggie, Mike, and Jody (Reggie Bannister, Michael Baldwin, and Bill Thornbury) for their final battle against the evil Tall Man (Angus Scrimm). Mike is trying to escape the Tall Man's designs on turning him into a servant of the interdimensional body thieves, while Reggie is trying not to get involved, despite Jody's pleas for help. When a demonic cop with a skinned man in his trunk pulls Reggie over along a dark highway, and spits Reggie's mouth full of yellow slime when shot, it becomes clear that he will have to play too. After crashing his hearse in Death Valley, Mike dreams about the days of the Civil War, where he meets Jebediah Morningside (Scrimm), the Tall Man's pleasant former self. By the time he returns to the earthly plane, the dimensional forks introduced in previous installments have multiplied into over a dozen. While Reggie is occupied by a pretty undead blonde who ends up having two of the Tall Man's silver Death Balls for breasts, Jody turns out to not be quite dead either, being able to change his own body into the Death Balls at will. As the forks continue to multiply, Mike constructs his own Death Ball and skips through various dimensions with Jody looking for the Tall Man. Eventually, the brothers slip into the past to the night when Morningside turned evil in an attempt to stop the horror before it could begin. Needless to say, everything comes back to the cemetery for the chilling final battle, but it doesn't stay there for long. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
- Starring:
- Reggie Bannister, Michael Baldwin, (more)
This third entry in the Phantasm series is the poorest of all. This time, Mike (Michael Baldwin) and Reggie (Reggie Bannister) meet some new friends and join up with Jody (Bill Thornbury) from beyond the dead in their quest to stop the "Tall Man" (Angus Scrimm). The film has good special effects -- and Scrimm is at his best here -- but it answers all the wrong questions and not enough of the right ones. ~ Sean D. MacLaggan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Baldwin, Reggie Bannister, (more)
A cross between a skin flick and a futuristic fantasy, this unfunny parody is set on a remote Pacific Island where the insidious Dr. Sin Do (Angus Scrimm) whose life began long ago under the name of Li Chuk, has made a pact with Satan that gives him power over the weather. Now he is tracking down the lost "Eye of the Avatar," created by the extinct race of Lemurians before their civilization disappeared -- that jewel, when combined with Sin Do's own special jewel, will endow him with indomitable power. Sent to combat the evil "doctor" are some comely female warriors (Melanie Vincz, Raven de la Croix and others) whose bodies get more screen time than the dialogue itself -- an indication of where the main interest lies. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Melanie Vincz, Raven de la Croix, (more)
Phantasm is a surprisingly artful and imaginative horror film, an impressive film for 23-year-old director Don Coscarelli who worked with a miniscule budget to create a small masterpiece. When Mike (Michael Baldwin) spies some sinister Jawa-like creatures stealing corpses from the local cemetery, he and his older brother Jody (Bill Thornbury) explore the mausoleum, where they find that the mortician (Angus Scrimm), a towering, emaciated figure with superhuman strength, has somehow bridged the gap between Earth and the afterworld and needs fresh corpses. Among the tools of his trade is a flying Swiss army pinball that bores into the skulls of its hapless victims then extracts their brains. Their allies die off one by one, until only the brothers are left to defend humankind against the nefarious "Tall Man" and his army of shrouded dwarves. While the film does contain a fair amount of graphic violence, the gore is never gratuitous and, relative to other movies of its day, is used rather sparingly. The effects are fantastic as is the highly stylized direction; the result is a memorable chiller with more than its share of genuine shocks. ~ Jeremy Beday, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornbury, (more)
Jim heads to Rosemont College to investigate the disappearance of student Paul Douglas, the son of an old friend. At the same time, two middle-eastern types draw a bead on Jim and begin questioning him about the whereabouts of an Iranian prince. The key to the mystery lies somewhere within the confines of the Chi Rho Zeta frat house, which is for reasons unknown being zealously guarded by flinty-eyed campus security chief Max Gilmore (Kenneth Tobey). Also playing a major role in the intrigue is journalism teacher Leslie Callahan (Frances Lee McCain), who pays the price for loving neither wisely nor well. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Barbara Peeters's Summer School Teachers concerns three gals from Idaho going to teach at Regency High in Southern California, where they have three interwoven adventures: gym teacher Conklin T. (Candice Rialson) battles hyper-macho coach Sam Johns (Dick Miller) to start a girls' football team; chemistry teacher Denise Carter (Rhonda Leigh Hopkins) seeks to clear the name of a misunderstood juvie; and photography teacher Sally Hansen (Pat Anderson) gets involved with a pornographer. All three girls end up suspended from teaching after a series of bizarre events: there's a big conspiracy involving payola, a porno scandal, and a kidnapping at an abandoned warehouse. It all comes to a head -- as such films must -- at the big football game, which becomes an all-out brawl as various protest groups and do-gooders clash for liberation. The closing theme is a rallying cry for activism. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi








