Phantasm films and Bubba Ho-Tep returning to theatres this October

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead Reggie Bannister Don Coscarelli

The American Genre Film Archive has a very exciting event planned for this Halloween season, as they have announced that they're teaming with writer/director Don Coscarelli for theatrical re-releases of his films PHANTASM, PHANTASM III: LORD OF THE DEAD, PHANTASM: OBLIVION, and BUBBA HO-TEP.

Restorations of the films will be distributed to theatres beginning on October 1st.

AGFA's theatrical sales manager Bret Berg had this to say about the event: 

AGFA is super-proud to be the new theatrical home for Don’s most epic works. We grew up idolizing these unique horror visions full of surrealistic sci-fi, gothic horror and killer music; to breathe new life into the films is a dark dream fulfilled. Hats off to one of the most fiercely independent genre creators we know, one who’s influenced generations of filmmakers including more yet to come.”

American Genre Film Archive is the largest non-profit genre film archive in the world, dedicated to preserving the legacy of genre movies through collection, conservation, and distribution. "Housing over 6000 film prints, a 4K film scanner, and theatrical and home video distribution arms, AFGA will never rest until genre movies rule the world."

The PHANTASM films and BUBBA HO-TEP rank highly among my favorite movies, so it's cool to see they're coming back to the big screen. I have attended theatrical screenings of BUBBA and the first PHANTASM before, but I'd say very few people have ever seen PHANTASM III or OBLIVION in a theatre. 

To get AFGA's DCP presentations of these films booked at your theatre, you can contact them through their website.

Source: American Genre Film Archive

About the Author

Cody is a news editor and film critic, focused on the horror arm of JoBlo.com, and writes scripts for videos that are released through the JoBlo Originals and JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channels. In his spare time, he's a globe-trotting digital nomad, runs a personal blog called Life Between Frames, and writes novels and screenplays.