Phantasm (film)/Tear Jerker

While the movie series itself is a horror series with elements of action and comedy. Among most things, the subject matter mostly revolving around how we handle life and death, there have been moments that could bring a tear to your eyes.

Phantasm

• In the end of the movie, Mike wakes up and talks to Reggie about his experiences. Whereas Reggie mentions that the events were all a dream. That rather than the Tall Man killing Jody, Jody died of a car accident. We even get e brief shot of Mike visiting Jody's grave. When Mike tries to reconcile what he's feeling he finds himself crying on Reggie's shoulder. Reggie himself can barely hold back tears when he vows to take care of Mike. The whole thing coming across as two friends grieving over a lost loved one.

Reggie: Mike, you had a bad dream. Now I know you're scared, but you're not alone. I'll take care of you. I know I can't ever take Jody's place, but I'm sure as hell gonna try.

Phantasm II

• The death of Reggie's family. Much like the first movie, the events were dismissed as dreams and delusions by Reggie. After Reggie talks down Mike even when he sees clear evidence that Mike is telling the truth, he takes him home. Reggie prattles on and on about how his wife and daughter can't wait to meet Mike. The latter of which referring to him as her uncle despite not meeting him yet. Things seem all good, but then Mike gets a vision. The Tall man turning the gas on in Reggie's oven while taunting him. Mike tries to warn Reggie, but it's too late. The house goes up in flames killing his wife and daughter. To add more salt to the wound, Reggie tries to run into the burning building, but Mike holds him back. The look of sorrow on Reggie being heartwrenching.

Phantasm III: Lord of The Dead

• The Death of Liz. Mike and Reggie spend the entire second movie trying to find and save her, only for her in this movie to be killed and eaten by lurkers while her brain is put into a sphere. Making all the efforts in that movie for nothing.
• Mike when he finds out what Tall Man did to him. He was at his mercy, while Tall Man was about to drill his head. However he gets saved and it seems like the Tall man missed. Unfortunately he didn't. Mike notices his head is bleeding yellow liquid. Specifically the same yellow liquid the Tall Man, The Lukers and the undead mooks bleed. The same liquid that Tall Man uses to reanimate dead bodies. Meaning Mike, for all intents and purposes not only died, but is undead. As if that isn't bad enough, he opens the wound in his head wider to show he has a Gold Sphere in his head. Around the same time, Reggie, Timmy and Rocky defeated the Tall Man by placing him in the morgue freezer. However as an escape, The Tall Man releases a Gold Sphere from his own head while his body dies. Meaning that whatever happened to Mike, he isn't just undead, but turning into a creature similar to Tall Man himself. The result horrifies Mike and he tearfully tells Reggie to stay away from him while he tries to figure out what happened to him.

Phantasm: OblIVion

• The Tall Man's origin. He started out as a kindly undertaker named Jebediah Morniningside. A man so kind that it scares Mike upon meeting him for the first time. Mainly because he's so used to the Tall Man tormenting him, that it seems out of character. All Jebediah wanted more than anything in the world, was to understand the transition between life and death. After much studying he finds the answer through sound manipulation. Which creates the first Dimensional Fork. A portal comprised of two metal posts, which causes a vibration between them similar to that of a tuning fork. Said vibration opens a portal to other dimensions. Upon testing it for the first time, which was right around the same time Mike planned on killing him to erase Tall Man; Mike realizes too late that he couldn't interfere because he couldn't interact with Morningside like he did in their first meeting. Jebediah steps in and moments after Tall Man steps out. No longer the kindly man he once was, if it is in fact still him. A cold, emotionless shell of what he once was and while Mike should be invisible to this world, The Tall Man sees him. Which retroactively begins their archrivalry.

Mike: When's he coming back?
Jody: Jebediah Morningside never comes back.

• In one last ditch effort to destroy The Tall Man, Mike masters his new abilities. Even creating a sphere of his own from engine parts of the Hearse. Which he rigs to the rest of the engine. He sets the trap and blows up Tall Man. Unfortunately another Tall man comes out of the Dimensional Fork to finish what the previous one was up to. In this case, ripping the Gold Sphere out of Mike's head and leaving him for dead. As Mike lays dying, the last memory of his is a night drive with Reggie as a kid. Back when Reggie was nothing more than a mild mannered Ice Cream Man.

Phantasm RaVager

• Reggie's entire situation throughout the movie. Picking up where OblIVion leaves off, he's wandering the desert after years of dimension hopping, trying to track down Tall Man and Mike. Upon retrieving his Cuda and additional stash of weaponry, he finds himself flip flopping back and forth between two different worlds. The second world, where he's much older and in a retirement home. Mike is alive and well and visiting him frequently. The Tall Man stories in this world were dismissed as tall tales and Reggie has been diagnosed with dementia. As if things can't be more of a mind screw, Reggie has no control over when it happens. He could be in a crucial moment where he's fighting Tall Man's minions, then end up in the hallway fighting doctors and nurses trying to restrain him. To make matters more messed up, initially Mike in that world didn't believe him, but after having a dream himself of the events, he not only believes him but also tries to get him out of the Nursing Home. Eventually while Reggie seems to have returned to the other world reunited with Mike and Jody, to regroup and fight another day; the Reggie in the Nursing Home world passes away, with Mike and Jody bearing witness. Even though Jody was supposed to be dead in that world. Props especially go to Reggie Bannister who was able to put on such an acting performance that no one could tell if Reggie himself was suffering from Dementia or if everything happened.
• This was Angus Scrimm's last performance as The Tall Man. From many accounts both from his co-workers and fans, Angus was much more like Jebediah than he was like the boogeyman we see him as. Needless to say there are many that would miss him after his unfortunate demise. It makes some scenes more Harsher in Hindsight as well. The big one being Reggie's dream. He meets Jebediah Morningside as both are laying as neighbors in hospital beds. Much like Mike before him, Reggie is freaked out by his uncharacteristic kindness. He mentions that he lost many friends along the way, which was what probably motivated him to use the Dimensional Forks. The scene turns into a nightmare later on when he turns into a fusion of the Tall Man and Lady in Lavender, but one can imagine this would be exactly like how Angus would be on his deathbed.

Jebediah: What brings you to this Godforsaken place Reggie?
Reggie: I'm searching for my friend and his brother.
Jebediah: Oh I have lost so many friends and I'm afraid this body of mine is almost finished. You know Reggie, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings, but I believe they bring us here to die.

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