I never was a big fan of the "Phantasm" series but could certainly appreciate the high level of morbidity and cuckoo of the first two movies. The third was so trashy that I forgot about the series for the following 20 years, though. This fourth installment has the big advantage that it nicely summarizes everything that happened in the first three movies but, on itself, it's a weak and unremarkable sequel (albeit, apparently, very popular among the diehard fans of the franchise)
"Oblivion" - quite an apt title - has two storylines running in parallel, each of which follow the two protagonists. Mike (A. Michael Baldwin) is chasing after the Tall Man, through various time portals and dimensions, while Reggie (Bannister) is looking for Mike. Mike's adventure is boring and overly psychedelic, and that's exactly what creator/director Don Coscarelli wanted. Back to the low-budget, mysterious and macabre roots of "Phantasm". Admirable, but it isn't nearly as compelling or hypnotic as it used to be. Reggie's trip is more enjoyable, especially his encounter with a demonic traffic cop (although the scene looks stolen from "Maniac Cop 2") or his affair with an unearthly beautiful girl (Heidi Marnhout) with peculiar breasts. For fans and completists of the franchise only.
"Oblivion" - quite an apt title - has two storylines running in parallel, each of which follow the two protagonists. Mike (A. Michael Baldwin) is chasing after the Tall Man, through various time portals and dimensions, while Reggie (Bannister) is looking for Mike. Mike's adventure is boring and overly psychedelic, and that's exactly what creator/director Don Coscarelli wanted. Back to the low-budget, mysterious and macabre roots of "Phantasm". Admirable, but it isn't nearly as compelling or hypnotic as it used to be. Reggie's trip is more enjoyable, especially his encounter with a demonic traffic cop (although the scene looks stolen from "Maniac Cop 2") or his affair with an unearthly beautiful girl (Heidi Marnhout) with peculiar breasts. For fans and completists of the franchise only.