Now Available from Shout! Factory. The Novel is Also Available.
Believe it or not, in 1998 Ben Affleck wasn’t the biggest star in the world. He was still coming down from being pigeonholed as the “villain” actor, and was working to transition from supporting actor to leading man status. With “Phantoms” he is basically paying his dues for what is a pretty standard horror thriller. Affleck is very good in the role as a local sheriff whose ill fitted cowboy hat is almost a character in and of itself. Like the hat, “Phantoms” is a silly vehicle for a collective of pretty great up and comers including Nicky Katt, Liev Schreiber and Rose McGowan to name a few. There’s also the wildcard veteran a la Peter O’Toole for good measure.
What if the blob was a sentient being with a massive ego? That’s basically the summation of “Phantoms,” a film that alternates from tedious, to goofy, to downright silly quite often. The tonal shifting often affects “Phantoms” turning it from a mediocre horror film to just a downright idiotic horror film with no semblance of common sense. Why does every single monster or being with a consciousness suddenly turn in to a comedian when they have the upper hand? Freddy Krueger turned from a specter in to a clown, Pinhead began spewing puns suddenly, and during the finale of “Phantoms,” the being begins spouting one-liners like it’s going out of style. In the midst of possessing Liev Schreiber’s character, the monster screeches with a half body “How low can you go?!” as it chases our heroines through a house slithering along the ground.
