Phantoms - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Some novels seem like the perfect inspiration for a damn good movie. That is of course if you have the right creative team behind it. Dean Koontz has had a long career as a Horror and Science Fiction novelist churning out some exciting gems for the genres. But the movie adaptations have been rather tepid or complete misfires. While Demon Seed was enjoyable and Watchers was fairly decent, the rest of what came to pass were forgettable TV films or had no resemblance to the original novel (looking at you Hideaway). 

Then you get Dimension Films’ adaptation of Phantoms. Directed by Joe Chappelle, the film was shot in 1996 but didn’t hit theaters until 1998. It’s partially very faithful to the novel generating some suspense and scares, but it also bares the hallmarks of a creative team at odds with itself and didn’t know what the hell it was doing with the material. A nicely layered and interesting novel with some genuinely creepy undertones becomes a messily edited uninspired “who’s who” of up-and-coming talent cast far too young with Peter O’Toole cashing in an easy paycheck. 

Our little opus opens like a maxed-out mystery version of 1988's The Blob with Dr. Jennifer Pailey (Joanna Going) returning to her adoptive hometown of Snowfield, Colorado with her kid sister Lisa (Rose McGowan) in tow. But when they get to the sleepy, quiet, mountain town it’s a little too sleepy. A little too quiet. When Sheriff Hammond (Ben Affleck) and his deputies Shanning (Nicky Katt) and Stu (Liev Schreiber) arrive, they quickly discover they’re the last five living souls in town. With help from a government response team and conspiracy author Dr. Flyte (Peter O’Toole), the survivors must find a way to stop this ancient evil from destroying the world! 

In the lead-up to Phantoms hitting theaters, I made the effort to hunt down a copy of the book and devour it. It’s been close to thirty years since I read it (I've wanted to revisit it for a while), but I remember being sucked into its world as an amorphous oily Blob-like creature killed everyone in the town leaving behind only piles of jewelry and undigested medical implants. Koontz delivered on a damned creepy concept that a lone creature could be the cause of all of history’s mysterious unexplained mass disappearances. I loved it. So when the movie got to theaters I dutifully plopped down in my seat with a bucket of popcorn.

It’s not hard to figure out when or where our film version of Phantoms goes off the rails, but it becomes an entertainingly comical mess. Elements at the front end of the book are captured perfectly, almost page for page, but something got lost in the translation for the last two-thirds. For starters, the pace is too rushed. The film desperately is working to build suspense, tension, and terror but the setups and payoffs for scares run far too fast to be effective. 

As a Dimension "everyone in their sexy twenties" film, our main cast tries their best but is largely miscast. Joanna Going is fine as Dr. Jennifer but goes to waste in the second half. Rose McGowan doesn’t do much but repeats her cocky character from Scream and look pretty offering very little impact to the story. For our police team, Nicky Katt does a fine job as future creature fodder with Liev Schreiber dialing up the sleaze for a perfectly realized officer Stu stealing most of the film's early scenes. But then we come to poor Ben Affleck.

He might be the bomb, but Affleck was barely in his mid-twenties when this was filmed and his baby-faced Sheriff just can’t sustain the believability of an exhausted world-weary Harvard graduate, former FBI agent turned small-town policeman. Affleck trying to take command of a situation dictating orders has all the weight of a small child comically telling the adults in the room who’s boss. He could play this role to a “T” today but was far out of his depth back then. Upstaging everyone in the film comes Peter O’Toole. He may have been slumming it for an easy paycheck and a free Colorado vacation, but he never falters as Dr. Flyte. His iconic voice and presence lend legitimacy to the film’s daffy lines and give the second half some sense of urgency and weight. Speaking of our cast, watch out for critically underused actors Bo Hopkins and Robert Knepper as FBI agents.

While I am dumping on this poor adaptation of a great book, I can’t deny I’m entertained by it. I don’t like the term “guilty pleasure” but I've got nothing else to offer as a valid descriptor. I dig it when it works, and I laugh when it doesn’t. "How low can you go?" always cracks me up. That first theatrical viewing was a disappointment, but I keep coming back to it over two decades later. I can’t fault Joe Chappelle for giving it his best. Between Phantoms and his time on Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, he had a knack for atmosphere and staging scares while dealing with a turbulent shoot. 

From the stories I heard about the production and some of the bits alluded to in the extra features, it sounds like Phantoms became another casualty of the Dimension Films genre movie machine at odds with the writing/directing teams. Between casting too young, and rushing the plot and story, the final product got poked and prodded by too many creative fingers and became a shell of its cinematic potential. Under the right creative conditions, this is ripe material for another crack on the big screen.

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray 
Scream Factory digs up Phantoms for its first 4K Collector’s Edition. A two-disc 4K UHD + Blu-ray release, the 4K is pressed on a BD-100 disc and a Region A BD-50 for the 1080p and bonus features. The discs are housed in a standard two-disc 4K black case with identical slipcover artwork. The discs load to animated main menus with standard navigation options.

NOTE: All images are sourced from the included 1080p Blu-ray. When possible, we'll circle back to add some 4K-sourced pics and/or video sample. 

Given the film was a flop in theaters, it hasn’t exactly been treated well on home video. DVDs weren't all that much to look at. Subsequent Echobridge multi-film Blu-ray editions barely qualified as “High Definition.” To that end, Phantoms on 4K and this new Blu-ray are something of a home video revelation for this fan favorite. Originally shot on 35mm, this transfer is sourced from a new 4K scan of the negative supervised by director Joe Chappelle and I have to say it’s quite impressive!

From the start, image detail and clarity are marked improvements. Since those Echobridge discs were basically coasters, I’ve been enjoying this flick with my old DVD and this disc and the difference is instantly obvious. Once the credits are done and we reach the Georgetown, CO shooting location, the 1.85:1 transfer looks great. Facial features, textures, and production design work all look clear and sharp. Film grain is retained without appearing too noisy or intrusive nor is there any sign of smoothing or edge enhancement. You can fully appreciate which cast members were so young they just learned to shave.

However, on a slight downside, the CGI effects at the end show their generation. Weta was still a relatively new effects house then and the big creature reveal probably looked pretty cool at one point. Unfortunately because of how the scene was cut, that effect combined with CGI snowflakes doesn't hold up under high-rez scrutiny. Conceptually it's cool, but it's also a true sign the production didn't know what the final beast was supposed to be and was treated as an afterthought. But then you get to the practical gore effects and the fun easter egg details for other films like the Santa Mira Police patches all look great letting fans enjoy the fun nods and winks peppered throughout the flick. 

The Dolby Vision HDR grading does wonders for the latter half of the film. With all of the night sequences and dark interiors, shadow separation is clean, no sign of crush, and the image depth registers. This is the case when the lights go out and our creature’s “phantoms” attack the cast or the black oily liquid oozes out of various dead bodies. Colors are generally strong throughout with nice primaries and healthy skin tones. The creepy crimson wallpaper of the hotel is a standout. But once the sun drops, color doesn’t factor much into the show. It’s not a stretch to say this, but this transfer is easily the best Phantoms has looked on home video.

On the audio side, we have two to choose from - a DTS-HD MA 5.1 track and a DTS-HD MA 2.0 track. The 2.0 is fine enough to get the job done, but it doesn’t hold against the 5.1. The scenes that work best in Phantoms are early on when our characters have no idea what’s going on and creepy sounds “guide” them with thumps, bumps, and the screech of a storm siren. All of these effects pepper the soundscape to create a damned unsettlingly immersive experience at the front half. The back half of the film becomes more frenetic and action-focused but remains a fully active surround experience. Dialog is clean and clear without issue. The mix maintains a strong Front/Center channel presence with smooth channel movement into the surrounds. Levels are spot on without any troubles or dropoffs. When the film lets you appreciate those mysterious bumps in the darkness, it’s a very creepy flick!

On the bonus features scale, there’s not a lot here, but then Phantoms hasn’t ever had much of any bonus features to speak of before. The two new interview segments with producer Joel Soissona and director of photography Richard Clabaugh are the nuts and bolts of this package but prove to be very illuminating. I’d heard a lot of stories about how this film came together (or fell apart) and it’s interesting to hear some of these details confirmed, right from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. Sadly we don’t get a director’s commentary or any kind of cast involvement which would have been real treats. 

• Terror From Below: Making Phantoms - Interview with Joel Soisson (HD 14:30)
• Chaos in the Flesh: Filming Phantoms - Interview with Richar Clabaugh (HD 24:10)
• Trailer
• TV Spot

I can’t bring myself to call Phantoms a great movie, because it's not. Frankly, it’s a rather lousy adaptation if you really get into the gritty creepiness of Dean Koontz’s original novel. Parts of the film work, but many parts don’t. The front end is solid, but the last half is far too rushed losing the suspense and terror with a bizarre finale. Topping off that issue is the cast. Some actors fit their roles like a glove, others are far too young and inexperienced to be believable - even if they are the bomb. It’s far from a favorite but an entertaining ride that I don't mind revisiting when the mood strikes. Phantoms finally sees a fitting high-def release on top of a 4K presentation thanks to Scream Factory. The new Dolby Vision transfer makes the best of the film’s visual pallet for a genuinely great transfer and the 5.1 audio is a slick accompaniment to the visuals. I wish there were more extras, but the new interviews are well worth watching if you’re a fan of the film and the novel. This one may appeal to only a few, but it’s a strong release for those who want to snag it for the shelf. Recommended.