Phantasm Oblivion can be a relatively challenging film if one isn't properly acquainted with the series. I don;t mean to talk down to casual Phantasm fans or those looking for a cheap scare, if you don't know the first three films rather well, part IV here will certainly confuse you.To those who have come to love these characters, Oblvion takes them all through quite the ride. Mike is struggling with his newfound 'power', the Tall Man wishes to seduce Mike into becoming like him while Reggie is still hot on his trail. There is a considerable amount of emotion evident here, director Coscarelli knows that at this point we know and care about our heros, the stakes are raised in this flick and hidden truths are finally revealed. The fascinating thing here is while some older questions are wrapped up, Oblivion opens many new questions up to the fans. There is enough happening in this film alone to keep them debating for years to come. It's all fasciating and Angus Scrimm as the Tall Man is still a very intimidating screen presence. The budget on this film was quite low (under 1 million), so you tell me, after watching this film, can you even begin to be impressed with what Coscarelli has done with his limited budget. If you know anything about filmmaking you must appreciate it, but of course, working miracles with no money still does not make a great film.Phantasm Oblivion is a success in every other way also, from the use of unused footage from the original, to the showcasing of Tall Man's origins, to the spectacularly sad ending, Oblivion may not be as scary as the orignal, but when you get this far into the series, being engrossed is much more important than being scared. Coscarelli engrossed me 10 times over and I'm hungry for more, the mark of a truly great film.

The movie starts off very slow. There isn't alot of tension or edge of your seat moments. There is not alot of gore or violence. Summer is looking for her father and ends up meeting a boy who she hooks up with and ends up spending the night with him. Things appear normal until his mother is outside his door listening to him fornicate with Summer. The "creepiness" the boy possesses is his love for gardening; however, it never really explains why he must have garden angels. It explains his reasoning for his garden but not the angels. The mother and son seem to have a "thing" going on between them (yes, they kissed). The father is more sadistic than the son and simply kills women for amusement. The twist was predictable since the film didn't focus on other characters. I did find the end rather amusing and ended up giggling since it had a somewhat happy ending.