Blu Release – 4/5
Fantasm
Director – Richard Franklin (Patrick, The Lost World)
Starring – William Margold (Hackin’ Jack vs the Chainsaw Chick, Portraits of Andrea Palmer), John Holmes (Disco Sex Party, Dracula Sucks), and Rene Bond (Five Loose Women, Country Hooker)
Release Date – 1976
Rating – 3/5
Tagline – “See it with someone you love… and your relationship will never be the same again”
With October just a few days behind me I found myself a little burnt out with horror. I love the genre but sometimes I do over do it and this October I watched more horror titles than I typically do so it makes sense I needed to take a break from it. A month or two ago Vinegar Syndrome released the Fantasm double feature as part of their Peekarama label. Of course I had to snag this release and with October now over I decided that this sleazy softcore parody is the perfect film to charge my batteries.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a sex doctor who has studied the desires of women for years and introduces several segments of various women exploring their sexual fantasies ranging from rape, incestuous, exhibition, and lesbian. **Spoiler Alert**
Fantasm was pretty funny but the segments were not as fun as most fans made it out to be. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it and laughed a few times but it does deliver the same gimmick over and over again but with a different scenario. It was fun at first but it does run it’s course fairly quickly.
The acting in this one is fun. Margold is the highlight of the film and his introduction to each setting is delightful. Also, any movie that has Rene Bond in it has my money I don’t give a fuck how old she is now. With that being said, it’s a softcore flick so the cast is extremely flat and the characters are painfully generic. It’s not until their clothes come off that they show any sign of life.
The stories for this one are not as fun or as funny as one would expect. The wraparound segment following Margold as the host was fun and he does a fantastic job at keeping the entire film together. His segment made it as fun as it is. With that being said, the scenarios for each segment are extremely dry and dull until the dry humping and that’s not enough to actually save the film. I wish that these scenes featured some more comedy or at least a story that the viewer could grab on to. I mean, it is softcore so it’s not as sexy as a hardcore film.
Finally, don’t expect blood and gore in this one. However, if nudity is more your speed then this one is for you. Overall, Fantasm was fun and had it’s moments but this is not one I will be revisiting. It has some laughs but the scenes that could benefit from some humor was seriously lacking. It’s fun for a first time watch but that’s about it.
Fantasm Comes Again
Director – Colin Eggleston (The Wicked, Sky Pirates)
Starring – Rick Cassidy (Too Naughty to Say No, The Perfect Weekend), Con Covert (Repo Man, The Disco Dolls in Hot Skin), and Uschi Digard (Supervixens, Candy’s Big Black Master)
Release Date – 1977
Rating – 2.5/5
Tagline – “The adult couples movie!”
I’m still not in the mood to watch horror so I’m continuing my sleazy adventure through Vinegar Syndrome’s Peekarama release of Fantasm and Fantasm Comes Again. I heard some of the Vin Syn fans that I know talk about how funny the first film was and I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that it was the funniest softcore flick I had ever seen. However, a lot of the humor was missed and a good portion of the humor missed it’s mark. It was fun for a first time watch but I will never revisit it. After checking that out I decided to keep it going and watch Fantasm Comes Again.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a newspaper editor and secretary as they comb through letters sent to them from sexually adventurous women for their sex advice column. The stories range from library sex to gymnasts getting worked up while practicing. **Spoiler Alert**
The first Fantasm had some fun moments but that was about it. Sadly, Fantasm Comes Again just didn’t have the spark the first film did. I really enjoyed the way they did the anthology in the first film with Margold “telling stories.” It was an interesting premise here with the newspaper editor and secretary reading stories but they lacked the personality that Margold brought to the first one. The movie just fell short but it did have one or two laughs.
The acting in this one is basically the same as the first film. The cast kind of drags their feet until the dry humping part of the scene then they come to life. The cast tries to make their characters funny but they just come across as goofy and awkward instead of funny. The story for this one delivers more of the unusual sex-capades of various women. Some are interesting in theory while others were obviously used because they had previously filmed it for another project or they had the location and wanted to use it. It is a bit lackluster and not as “wild” as the first film.
Finally, no blood and gore in this one but there is some nudity if that is more your speed. Overall, Fantasm Comes Again is a worthy sequel to Fantasm but I just didn’t have as much fun after immediately watching the first one. It’s heart is in the right place but the film just doesn’t do anything for me. Skip it.
Special Features:
Region Free 2-disc Blu-ray Set
Newly scanned & restored in 2k from their 16mm original negatives and other vault elements
“Polish it Up” – brand new interview with editor Tony Paterson
“Blowing Up” – brand new interview with cinematographer Vincent Monton
Brand new audio interview with actress Serena, moderated by Casey Scott
Archival audio commentary for both films with producer and creator Antony Ginnane
“Fantasm Penetrated” – an archival featurette (23 min)
Interviews with cast and crew members from the documentary “Not Quite Hollywood”
Trailers for both films
Reversible cover artwork
English SDH subtitles
