Don Coscarelli Movies
The director of one of the most-watched movies ever to air on cable television, the creator of one of the most prolific horror mythologies in film history, and a little-known force behind some very well-known films, Don Coscarelli remained a humble soul despite an enormous cult following. Born in North Africa and raised in Southern California, he gravitated toward the movie industry as a result of his fascination with cameras and the filmmaking process. Making a series of short films with friends in Long Beach, their efforts won numerous awards after being aired on local television. Graduating to features with Jim the World's Greatest (1976), Coscarelli became the youngest director ever to have a film distributed by a major studio (Universal). A tender tale of a boy growing up in the midst of alcoholism and abuse, the project was shot for a mere 250,000 dollars (and partially funded by Coscarelli's parents). In addition to giving the burgeoning director his initial feature credit, it also served as his first collaboration with longtime partner Lawrence Roy Guy, who would later be better known as Angus Scrimm.Although Coscarelli would score another hit that same year with the thoughtful and nostalgic comedy drama Kenny and Co., it was his next film that would find him entering the annals of cinema history. Plagued by nightmares in which he was pursued down unending marble hallways by a series of chrome spheres intent on penetrating his skull, Coscarelli began the process of transferring his own personal horrors to celluloid for all to see. Casting old friend Scrimm as the malevolent keeper of the fearsome spheres, the result was Phantasm (1979), a surreal, melancholy, and dark psychological horror film that took audiences by surprise and exhibited remarkable creativity despite its meager budget. Scrimm's gaunt, imposing Tall Man played a major role in the film's success. Unlike many over-the-top screen villains who can't help but make wisecracks as they carry out their horrific deeds, his character's chilling, low-key, all-business attitude proved to be a refreshingly serious change of pace that thoroughly frightened moviegoers who couldn't get enough of him. Tall Man's lack of humor was balanced by the antics of unlikely hero Reggie (Reggie Bannister), an ideal nemesis for the dimension-hopping baddie. And though Coscarelli had never intended the film to spark a sequel -- not to mention a modern cinematic mythology -- the door had been opened to a new world of horror in which anything was possible.
The director next stepped behind the camera for a fantasy adventure film about a hero with an ability to communicate with animals, and The Beastmaster proved a remarkably entertaining entry into the sword and sandal genre. Following a successful run at the box office, the movie found an even wider exposure on cable TV. As with Phantasm, The Beastmaster spawned a series of sequels and a loyal following of fantasy enthusiasts. It would even be adapted into a popular TV series in the late '90s (although Coscarelli was not involved). Following the Deliverance-throwback Survival Quest in 1989, the filmmaker spent the '90s expanding on the Phantasm myth with the sequels Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead (1994) and Phantasm IV: Oblivion (1998). Pulp Fiction producer Roger Avery even wrote an epic fan-boy dream script to introduce Evil Dead star Bruce Campbell into the series as a new recruit in the battle against Tall Man. But while fans waited for that film to be made, Coscarelli had yet another unexpected success. Based upon a short story by cult author Joe R. Landsdale, the director's next movie found him teaming with Campbell not in efforts to take down Tall Man, but in a heated battle to destroy an ancient Egyptian evil that chose a senior citizen rest home as its new hunting grounds. A truly offbeat horror comedy film, Bubba Ho-Tep made a successful run at film festivals to audiences who giddily responded to its infectious originality. Endowed with a new spark of energy, Coscarelli, soon began production on 2003's Phantasm's End. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2005
- Add Masters of Horror: Incident on and off a Mountain Road to QueueAdd Masters of Horror: Incident on and off a Mountain Road to top of Queue
The Showtime series Masters of Horror opens with Phantasm director Don Coscarelli's Incident on and off a Mountain Road, based on a short story by Joe R. Lansdale, who also wrote the story on which Coscarelli's Bubba Ho-Tep was based. As the tale opens, Ellen is driving on the eponymous twisty and remote road in the middle of the night, when she takes her eyes off the road for a moment and plows into another car. Waking up a short time later, she goes to check the other car, and finds a trail of blood leading to the side of the road. She calls out to see if anyone needs help. It's soon apparent that someone does, and that someone is Ellen. There's a gruesome giant of a man (John De Santis) dragging another girl up toward the road, and Ellen quickly realizes that her life's in danger. She flashes back to the training she received from her boyfriend, Bruce (Ethan Embry), a survivalist who brought her to live with him in his cabin in the woods, and bullied her into learning how to defend herself. She runs into the woods, and sets a trap for the madman, injuring him, but this only seems to spur him on. Eventually, he catches up with Ellen and brings her back to his lair. There, she meets a demented elderly man in a wheelchair named Buddy (Angus Scrimm, the Tall Man from the director's Phantasm films), who explains that the madman must like something about her to let her live so long. Looking about the creepy abode, filled with the eyeless corpses of previous victims, Ellen can see for herself that her chances of surviving are not good. But she's determined to use everything Bruce taught her and get through this terrifying night. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Heather Feeney
An ancient evil finds resistance in the most unlikely of places in this oddball comedy horror effort from Phantasm director Don Coscarelli. Resting in the confines of a Mud Creek, TX, nursing home after fading into obscurity following his departure from the limelight, an aging and embittered Elvis (Bruce Campbell) befriends a delusional patient named Jack (Ossie Davis) who claims to be John F. Kennedy. It seems that at the height of his popularity Elvis had switched identities with a convincing double, and, upon the death of the substitute, missed his chance to reclaim his former fame. Despite his anger at never having made a comeback, Elvis finds a new reason to live when Jack tips him off to an evil mummy that is feasting on the souls of hapless nursing home inhabitants. Before long the geriatric duo must muster the strength to fend off the malevolent soul sucker lest they ultimately fall prey to the fearsome Bubba Ho-Tep (Bob Ivy). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Campbell, Ossie Davis, (more)
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, All Movie Guide
- 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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Baldwin, Reggie Bannister, (more)
In this taut outdoor actioner, a pair of teens head into the Rockies as part of a course in survival and end up having to use all of their skills to survive when they find themselves hunted by a pack of crazed mercenaries. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lance Henriksen, Mark Rolston, (more)
The "Tall Man" and his strange little Killer Sphere return for a second round in this sequel to the 1979 cult favorite. Mike Pearson (James LeGros) is still plagued by memories of the Tall Man (Angus Scrimm), an evil mortician who has risen from the grave and bleeds embalming fluid -- and tried to kill him as a boy. Mike has been a patient in a mental institution for the last decade, insisting that the Tall Man is real; he still appears in his dreams ten years after their first encounter. When Mike changes his tune and says that the undead undertaker was merely a hallucination, he is finally released. However, Mike and his best friend, Reggie (Reggie Bannister), are actually out to find the Tall Man and put an end to his habits of grave-robbing and draining people's bodies with his flying brain-juicer. As they search for the Tall Man, Mike encounters Liz (Paula Irvine), a woman who has also appeared in his dreams, and she claims that she too has been pursued by the Tall Man. Phantasm II was followed by a third installment in 1994, and a fourth in 1998. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James LeGros, Reggie Bannister, (more)
This low-budget entry into the sword-and-sorcery cycle of the early '80s wasn't successful during its initial release, but has steadily built a strong cult following over the years. The Beastmaster tells the story of Dar (Marc Singer), the son of a king who was stolen from his mother's womb by a witch under the command of vicious sorcerer Maax (Rip Torn). A poor villager saves Dar from being sacrificed and raises him as his own son, teaching Dar how to fight and witnessing the boy's ability to telepathically communicate with animals. Their happiness is destroyed when their village is attacked by the evil Jun horde, a race of beast-like warriors controlled by Maax. Dar vows revenge and journeys to his father's former kingdom to destroy Maax. Along the way, he falls in love with gorgeous slave girl Kiri (Tanya Roberts) and teams up with former royal guard Seth (John Amos). Dar also uses his powers to enlist the aid of an eagle, a panther and two adorable ferrets named Kodo and Podo. Together, Dar and his unlikely but brave team square off with Maax in an impressive two-part finale that involves a swordfight on the side of a pyramid and a showdown with the Jun horde near a flaming moat. The resulting film was full of action and eccentric surprises, but failed to make an impression at a box office already glutted with fantasy films. However, The Beastmaster eventually became a serious cult favorite thanks to home video and extensive exposure on cable (it is the second most aired movie on TBS after Gone With the Wind). This enduring popularity led to two sequels and a syndicated television series chronicling the further adventures of Dar. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marc Singer, Tanya Roberts, (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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornbury, (more)
- 1976
- PG
A teenage boy struggles to cope with his alcoholic father and physically abused little brother in this drama that was written, photographed, and directed by two 17-year olds. Their parents produced the film for $250,000. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gregory Harrison
Cinematographer/director Don Coscarelli gleefully indulged in calisthenics with the camera in his low-budget Kenny and Company. The story is a simple one, centered on the anguished but not atypical childhood of young Dan McCann. Coscarelli has a marvelous knack of breathing nuance into the most commonplace fears and desires of children. The end result makes one wish we'd seen a lot more of both Dan McCann and Don Coscarelli after the limited release of Kenny and Co. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dan McCann, Mike Baldwin, (more)
