45 years ago, writer/director Don Coscarelli delivered one of the best horror films ever made: Phantasm, and film which spawned three sequels that Coscarelli wrote and directed himself, then a fourth that he wrote with director David Hartman. Now, to celebrate the original film’s 45th anniversary, Coscarelli is expanding the franchise – not with another movie, but with a book called Phiction: Tales from the World of Phantasm. Our friends at Bloody Disgusting report that Molotov Press will be publishing this “new limited collector print edition of original stories written by Don Coscarelli, the creator of the Phantasm films.” “The book will be released on the 45th Anniversary of the 1979 film with a celebration event and signing at Dark Delicacies in Burbank, CA on Saturday, March 23rd at 2PM.”
Coscarelli and franchise star Reggie Bannister will be at the Dark Delicacies event. Plus, “the Phantasm 2 ‘Cuda muscle car will be on-site at Dark Delicacies and fans can take a photo riding shotgun with Reggie! Additionally, the original “Spacegate Poles” from Coscarelli’s personal prop collection will also be available for photos with fans.”
Featuring artwork by Aaron Lea and an introduction by Bubba Ho-Tep author Joe R. Lansdale, Phiction contains the following six stories:
· In Life and Death in the ‘Nam, we explore the origin story of our favorite ice cream vendor hero Reggie and his first encounter with the supernatural forces of evil in the jungles of the Vietnam war. It’s a two-fisted tale of a young man enduring the horrors of war and at the same time facing down the horrors of the unknown.
· In Behind the Mortuary Door, we learn the secrets of the embalming trade from one of the most memorable characters from the original film.
· In He Was Home Alone, we revisit the young boy Tim, prior to the events from Phantasm III, and how, using only his wits and guile, he survives against unspeakable horrors.
· In Tobe, we follow the trail of one of Phantasm’s forgotten characters as he witnesses the key events of that film from an entirely different perspective.
· In The Rocky Road, we track the events of one of the Phantasm saga’s fan-favorite characters, the nunchuck-wielding Rocky as she’s mustered out of the armed services and travels the backroads of the rural South in the early 90’s. In a desperate search to find her family she encounters love, vengeance and horror, frequently reacting in the only way she knows how, with her fists and her feet.
· And finally in Escape From New York, we join another Phantasm fan-favorite character, the diminutive Chunk from Phantasm Ravager as he attempts to flee his home in the big city from the horror of an oncoming apocalypse. Along the way he bonds with some unexpected allies on a thrilling quest for survival.
For more information on Phiction, click over to Bloody Disgusting.
I’m a big fan of the Phantasm franchise, so I’m excited to know that Coscarelli has written a batch of stories set in the world of the films. Are you a Phantasm phan, and will you be picking up a copy of Phiction? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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