after take the series too far in the direction of horror hokum and don coscarelli push phantasm iv far into sci fi than any previous film but bring back the narcoleptic approach the first that ii and iii be sorely without . in do so and phantasm iv become the most atmospheric and haunt one yet . just do not expect long scene of exposition or plot detail be unsubtly wrap up and the mystery of the tall man be too strong to ever fully end . a you should remember and at the end of phantasm iii mike disappear into the darkness after the tall man do some kind of unnecessary brain surgery on him and reggie be literally left hanging after be pin to the wall by a dozen killer sphere . well you can relax and the tall man know that kill reggie will achieve nothing and focus on catch mike and who have a plan to draw him out into the open by hide in the desert . reggie closely follow and drive through load of deserted town already pillage by the tall man . and the ghost of jodie ( now look like the identical twin brother of stellan skarsgard ) come back to offer some suspicious advice . it all very and very minimalist and remind me a lot of the myst video game in regard to the overwhelming sense of abandonment and isolation and the journal keep and the doorway to other world and the stark silence of desert landscape and the weird contraption . the true identity of the tall man be finally reveal but the force behind him be still keep in the dark . the answer be hint at rather than announce and the dialogue sparse without be empty . another cool thing about this sequel be the many eerie and haunting ( and haunt . ) location such a a lonely beach and spooky rock formation and a lifeless wilshire boulevard ( the big street in la ) and barren salt flat that give it such an otherworldly and supernatural feel that the typical mausoleum and old graveyard of ii and iii do not . again the tall man steal the show from reggie and who be put up a hard fight to make it his movie . both be great character who shrug off the typical characteristic of villain and hero and become people who you can really root for . yes and you can side with the tall man . it a shame that angus scrimm have never really get any huge recognition outside of the cult horror circle a his approach to the character be very unique and he take his act very seriously . since don coscarelli shot so much unused footage for the original phantasm film he incorporate some of it into the story and thus heighten the already warped space time continuum the phantasm universe exist in . a a result of this the end may seem annoyingly ambiguous but can be interpret in so many different way . since coscarelli be busy with other project right now it seem unlikely that the long rumor phantasm end will happen any time soon . but when you enjoy a series of film so much do you really want to see it end . the non closure of phantasm iv keep the story alive after the credit roll instead of finish it for good . which be how i would prefer it . if you watch it with company and this tend to lead to much discussion afterwards and something more straight forward horror film do not . i have always think that if you wish to tackle something outlandish and imaginative that you must have an equally a strong counter imagination to fully take it in and comprehend . if you prefer film like bridget jones and turn your nose up to lose highway then your probably best steer away from the phantasm series . if youre well than that then youre in for one helluva crazy ride .