Phantoms . Tucson Weekly . 02-02-98

Phantoms

DIRECTED BY: Joe Chappelle

REVIEWED: 02-02-98

For a relatively low-budget horror movie with no ideas of its own, Phantoms is mildly entertaining for a while. Director Joe Chappelle fills as much of the film as he can with basic scenes wherein characters hear strange sounds and go looking to see what caused them. When this spookiness wears thin, he brings in Peter O'Toole as a wizened archaeologist-turned-tabloid writer. But much more than charisma is needed, so the film gruesomely kills off deputy Liev Schreiber just to bring him back as an evil, mutilated being who sings "I Fall To Pieces" at every opportunity. When that gets old, the Dean Koontz story veers from Satanic to scientific and a bogus last-minute plot emerges, leading to several cheesy special-effects scenes reminiscent of The Thing and The Blob mixed together in a blender with some sludge. The boring Ben Affleck, Joanna Going and Rose McGowan (Scream's doggie-door girl) also star. Unfortunately, they survive.

--Woodruff

Full Length Reviews
Phantoms
Phantoms
Phantoms

Film Vault Suggested Links
The Haunting
Dead of Night
Stigmata

Rate this Film
If you don't want to vote on a film yet, and would like to know how others voted, leave the rating selection as "Vote Here" and then click the Cast Vote button.