Phantasm is one of the weirdest horror franchises of all time, and sports one of the genre’s best villains in the supernaturally powerful Tall Man. In 1979, writer/director Don Coscarelli introduced Phantasm to the world, a surreal, nightmare-like terror tale that didn’t necessarily make much logical sense, but never failed to captivate the viewer. A big part of this was the mysterious Tall Man (Angus Scrimm), a towering bad guy wearing a black suit that gave him of an air of being all business.
Unfortunately, that business wasn’t anything good. While it wasn’t until the sequels that more was revealed about The Tall Man’s goals, and how he accomplished them, it was clear from the start that this man, if he even was one, had very malevolent intentions. That became apparent enough when he was seen picking up an occupied coffin with ease, displaying strength that would earn a nod of approval from Thor or The Incredible Hulk. It became even more so the first time The Tall Man displayed the ability to shape-shift.
As the Phantasm franchise went on, more and more was unveiled about The Tall Man’s origins, and what exactly he was capable of. While that never succeeded in making him less frightening, it did make him a bit less of a blank slate.
Phantasm’s The Tall Man Origin & Powers Explained
As first explored in depth in 1998 sequel Phantasm 4: Oblivion, The Tall Man was once human, or at the very least had his appearance stolen by something inhuman. The face we know as The Tall Man’s once belonged to a normal 19th century man named Jebediah Morningside. Well, normal outside of being a mortician. Years of working with the dead led Morningside to become fascinated with death, and conduct experiments to try and find a way to the other side. Morningside ultimately created a machine capable of traveling through time and space, but upon stepping through it for the first time, he failed to come back, at least as he was. Instead, The Tall Man returned.
The Tall Man definitely isn’t human, despite his outward facade giving that initial impression. As mentioned above, The Tall Man possesses superhuman strength, and is also able to shape-shift, most notably into a seductive woman dressed in lavender. The Tall Man is also extremely hard to damage, and it would appear is impossible to kill for good. Parts cut off The Tall Man can come to life on their own, and transform into their own creature, and he can also regenerate a new one of those same lost parts. The Tall Man also commands an array of diminutive henchmen called Lurkers, which are made from the shrunken, lobotomized corpses he takes in as a mortician. Of course, The Tall Man’s signature weapon is a flying sphere - also commonly called a ball - that flies through the air and attacks with various sharp implements. Phantasm’s The Tall Man is truly one of the fiercest foes in all of horror.
More: 20 Underrated Horror Movies Every Horror Fan Needs To See
