Imprint Well Go USA Entertainment announced its acquisition of North American rights for Don Coscarelli’s legendary Phantasm horror film series, including an all-new 4K restoration of the original 1979 cult classic Phantasm: Remastered, never-before-seen HD restorations of 1994’s Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead and 1998’s Phantasm IV: Oblivion, and the long-anticipated debut of the fifth and final film in the series, 2016’s Phantasm: Ravager. 1988’s Phantasm II is owned by Universal and will not be part of the deal.
All of this ball-tossing goodness will be available in remastered, high-definition versions across all cable and digital platforms on October 7, 2016.
A Blu-ray and DVD Collector’s Edition Set of the Phantasm series will follow later this year, along with individual Blu-rays and DVDs of Phantasm: Remastered and Phantasm: Ravager, all of which will be packed with special bonus features.
Phantasm: Remastered and Phantasm: Ravager will hit theaters as well. Phantasm: Remastered will screen across the county as part of the inaugural Art House Theater Day on September 24, 2016, and Phantasm: Ravager will be released in select theaters on October 7, day and date with its digital HD release.
Phantasm: Remastered came into being when filmmaker J.J. Abrams, a fan of the original, wanted to screen the film for his team at Bad Robot Productions – only to find the available prints in terrible shape. Working on the premises of Bad Robot with their expert staff, director Don Coscarelli was invited by J.J. to supervise a meticulous 4K digital remaster using their state-of-the-art tools. This included a brand-new 5.1 audio mix using the original stems, ensuring Phantasm will forever be available to scare the hell out of generations to come with perfect picture and sound.
“The Phantasm films are iconic, and Well Go is ecstatic to have them. We get to bring a classic to a whole new audience with Phantasm: Remastered, and with Phantasm: Ravager we get to bring the die-hard fans – of which I am one – the closure they’ve been waiting for,” said Dylan Marchetti, SVP of Well Go USA Entertainment. “This is the kind of deal that every distributor dreams of doing, and when you get to do it with a true independent like Don, well, that’s just the extra cherry on the sundae.”
“I’m thrilled to be working with Well Go USA and their talented and dedicated team,” said Phantasm creator Coscarelli. “I am excited by their innovative new ideas and intense drive to bring the Phantasm franchise to a new generation of fans.”
