After taking the series too far in the direction of horror-hokum, Don Coscarelli pushes Phantasm IV further into sci-fi than any previous film but brings back the narcoleptic approach the first that II and III were sorely without. In doing so, Phantasm IV becomes the most atmospheric and haunting one yet. Just don't expect long scenes of exposition or plot-details being unsubtly wrapped up, the mystery of the Tall Man is too strong to ever fully end.<br /><br />As you should remember, at the end of Phantasm III Mike disappeared into the darkness after the Tall Man did some kind of unnecessary brain surgery on him and Reggie was literally left hanging after being pinned to the wall by a dozen killer spheres. Well you can relax, the Tall Man knows that killing Reggie will achieve nothing and focuses on catching Mike, who has a plan to draw him out into the open by hiding in the desert. Reggie closely follows, driving through loads of deserted towns already pillaged by the Tall Man. And the ghost of Jodie (now looking like the identical twin brother of Stellan Skarsgard) comes back to offer some suspicious advice.<br /><br />It's all very, very minimalist and reminds me a lot of the Myst video games in regards to the overwhelming sense of abandonment and isolation, the journal-keeping, the doorways to other worlds, the stark silence of desert landscapes and the weird contraptions. The true identity of the Tall Man is finally revealed but the forces behind him are still kept in the dark. The answers are hinted at rather than announced and the dialogue sparse without being empty.<br /><br />Another cool thing about this sequel are the many eerie and haunting (and haunted?) locations such as a lonely beach, spooky rock formations, a lifeless Wilshire Boulevard (the biggest street in LA) and barren salt flats that give it such an otherworldly and supernatural feel that the typical mausoleums and old graveyards of II and III didn't.<br /><br />Again the Tall Man steals the show from Reggie, who is putting up a harder fight to make it his movie. Both are great characters who shrug off the typical characteristics of villain and hero and become people who you can REALLY root for. Yes, you can side with the Tall Man! It's a shame that Angus Scrimm has never really gotten any huge recognition outside of the cult-horror circles as his approach to the character is very unique and he takes his acting very seriously. <br /><br />Since Don Coscarelli shot so much unused footage for the original Phantasm film he incorporates some of it into the story, thus heightening the already warped space-time continuum the Phantasm universe exists in. As a result of this the ending may seem annoyingly ambiguous but can be interpreted in so many different ways. Since Coscarelli is busy with other projects right now it seems unlikely that the long-rumored Phantasm's End will happen any time soon. But when you enjoy a series of films so much do you really want to see it end? The non-closure of Phantasm IV keeps the story alive after the credits roll instead of finishing it for good. Which is how I would prefer it. If you watch it with company, this tends to lead to much discussion afterwards, something more straight-forward horror films don't. I've always thought that if you wish to tackle something outlandish and imaginative that you must have an equally as strong counter-imagination to fully take it in and comprehend. If you prefer films like Bridget Jones and turn your nose up to Lost Highway then your probably best steering away from the Phantasm series. If you're better than that then you're in for one helluva crazy ride.