In 1979 a phenomenon occurred, it was the "Summer of Horrors." Muscle cars were still popular and I was racing a black 1970 Dodge Challenger with a 440 cubic inch Mopar and a high-rise Holley 4-barrel. (That's car talk for "It went very, very fast." Arr- Arr- ARRR.) We called it "Platex," because it would "lift and separate" from the crowd. There was a major gas shortage and, lucky for me, my hubby-at-the-time managed a huge Exxon in Kingwood, Texas. It was also a time of empowerment for women. It was the sexual revolution and to go bra-less meant you were "liberated" ...sporting a pair of 38's, I was extremely liberated.
It was the year of the rediscovery
of the horror film and the birth of Phantasm was met with open arms
by audiences everywhere. It had all the right stuff... A black 1970
`Cuda... that went very, very fast. Sexy, bra-less ladies. A hunk, a hero,
a kid, weird creatures, a really tall-really evil guy, some scary flying
sphere things, a cemetery, and did I mention sexy bra-less ladies? It was
scary as all heck! Who could have known that, twenty years later, the fourth
instalment would be completed and we'd be gathering the cast (and those
really sexy ladies) together for reunions? Nor could I have known,
as I sat in a darkened theatre almost 20 years ago, that I'd be living
in California, own a production company with the Regman (including a wonderful
personal relationship), that I'd work on the production of Phantasm IV:
Infinity (Working title. Finished title is actually "Phantasm IV: Oblivion."),
and that I'd be able to call Don Coscarelli and the cast and crew "friends."
Not in my wildest of Phantasms could I have foreseen any of my involvement
in this production "family!" Fans
will be delighted to know, we have just completed a major photo layout
of the Women In Phantasm for Femme Fatales magazine.
There's just some things that
never really change, though. Women are still exploited in the movies
and press. Women who play sexy or traditional roles are still ridiculed
by their peers. Women of authority or power are still looked upon as "feminists"
or worse. (For the record, I don't consider myself a feminist. I love
men... a lot!) Magazines still think "exposure" means, "Take
your clothes off, honey." A woman has to fight tooth and manicured nail
to get her deserved credit. The Women of Phantasm are tough, though, both
in front of, and behind, the camera.
Reggie
Bannister has always been a strong supporter of women and never
hesitates to demand respect for them. Mind you, he's no perfect angel,
but he's sure better by a mile than most at recognizing the needs and struggles
of a woman. I can count on one hand the number of men I know like that
and Reggie and Don Coscarelli is among them.
Reg is also notorious as being a one-man promotional machine... that's
why we hooked up. Together, we are a formidable force to be reckoned
with. Quite often, in our daily business dealings, we have to play the
"good cop-bad cop" routine according to the situation. Being (as
Reg calls me) an "Amazon," I'm usually the tough guy, and, I'm not exactly
known for my political correctness or subtlety of phrase. That usually
means, I have to be willing to take any heat that comes my way when defending
a position or decision. I can tell you, at times, it gets pretty darned
hot! But, we definitely get the job done.
The
Women of Phantasm photo session was no exception. While driving to the
shoot, Reggie and I accurately ascertained several things. One of them
being, that there would probably be some pressure for "exposure..." (I.e.
nudity.). Which wasn't gonna fly. Also, that I'd have to be the "bad
cop," or as they called me on the P4 set, "Mom." (I've got a lot of names,
have you noticed?) We were right... enter "Mom." If you can imagine a showdown
between Xena the Warrior Princess and Andrew "Diceman" Clay... you got
the picture. (Xena won, of course.) To his credit, Jan Deen made an attitude
adjustment, shook my hand, and the rest of the day was pure magic!
We all laugh about it now!
The
ladies went wild, and the photo opps abound, when Angus
Scrimm joined Reggie on the set. We
had a graveyard with the trademark "space gates" (courtesy of Kristen
Deem and Hilber Graf) , the four-barrel
shotgun, a token dwarf (portrayed by my good friend, Kaitlin
Bergfeld ), a trochar (embalming tool), and a wicked looking knife.
We did shots on the interior set that were, as Reg would say, "Hot as love."
Since we knew you couldn't wait to see them, we got some behind-the-scenes
shots for ya here. 
To date, there have been six female
leads in the Phantasm franchise. The first, was the wonderful "Lady
In Lavender," Kathy (Kat) Lester (Phantasm).
Just as memorable are Samantha (Sam) Phillips
and Paula Irvine (Phantasm II), Cindy
Ambuehl and Gloria Lynn Henry (Phantasm
III: Lord of the Dead) and - the latest - Heidi Leigh
(Phantasm IV: Infinity). 
Having worked in many capacities in the entertainment industry since I was 14 years old, I can tell you, I've met some real prima donnas. The Phantasm ladies, however, could never fit in that category. It was a bonding of the likes you rarely see in "Hollyweird" these days. But, that's the nature of the women in the horror genre. There's this unwritten code that says, "We look out for each other." In meeting four of the six during the photo session (Cindy was unavailable and Gloria lives in New York), it was such a delight to find that these women were a class act from the start. Fun and exciting, sexy and warm... they were real troopers. They were there to get the job done, to reunite with Reggie, to support Don Coscarelli, and to promote Phantasm.
In talking with them we found that Kat has a new music CD out. Paula is married (with kids), has a new boat, and is attending college majoring in communications. Sam (as spontaneous as ever) has a her own TV sitcom premiering on Showtime in June 1998. Cindy is working on a project at Paramount. Gloria is hot and heavy with her band (Chatter) in New York, and Heidi is working her buns off being available to promote Phantasm IV. It was so great to get to meet them and share some time getting to know each other.
I mentioned earlier that Kristen
Deem played a role in getting this shoot together. Kristen is one
of the Women of Phantasm who work behind the scenes - their names flying
by in the end credits- and, basically, who never get the public attention
they deserve for all that they mean to the production family. So, here's
a little tribute to them. 
Kristen has been a Phantasm Phan
for decades. She's a bit of an aficionado and best of friends with Angus
Scrimm (Tallman). Kristen worked for years in mortuaries and, therefore,
was a consultant to the production on all
the mortuary scenes. She had the official title of "Script
Supervisor" on Phantasm IV, but she was also wardrobe
mistress, prop master, shoulder
rubber, and much more. Phans owe the very existence of Phantasm
IV to Kristen for her creative input and ongoing story notes in the early
development of the script. She's just completed
edit work on a documentary special about
Forrest J. Ackerman and was our prop
master for the Women of Phantasm shoot.
Dawn Stewart
was the 2nd Assistant Director on Phantasm
IV. She's bright, witty, always has a smile on her face and is ready to
laugh at any joke no matter how bad it is. Dawn has the capability
of being in many places at once without even a whimper. We became the basic
problem solving team for the duration of Phantasm IV. 
Rosa Gonzalez
was the Unit Production Manager (UPM). A spicy
little Puerto Rican who can work a 13-hour day and still hang tough in
a pool game.
Precy
Betiong came in as a replacement near the end to fill the Assistant
Camera position for the studio shoots. At about 5 foot zip, Precy
can command a set without problem. She can sling a 35 mm camera around
like it was a paperweight.
SooJin Yoon
and Melanie Marangaki were the makeup
artists on Phantasm IV. SooJin was the M/U on location in
Lone Pine and Ventura, California. Melanie has worked makeup on Phantasm
II, III and returned to finish out on Phantasm IV when SooJin got another
gig. 
Not to be forgotten, there are the
wives: Shelley (Coscarelli)
(also wardrobe mistress) and Jennifer
(Baldwin) who pitched in on location to help with craft services.
Shirley (Kate) (Don Coscarelli's mother) who
was credited for penning the novelization of Phantasm.
Starr (Justin Zaharczuk's significant
other) helped out with craft services and
as Production Assistant.
Oh, yeah, and then there's
"Mom." My official screen credit will be "Special
Effects Makeup Co-ordinator." It started out, though, with
my just being "Assistant to Mr. Bannister."
It was quickly escalated to "Mom" status when, anytime someone needed something
or wanted to know what was going on, the answer came back, "I don't know.
Go ask Gigi." I became location wardrobe assistant
(Lesson: When in the middle of the desert, if you have a character who
wears white jeans in fight scenes, always remember to budget for more than
one pair. Mom won't always be around to save the day with baby powder!).
I did the continuity on several scenes and
worked with Kerry Pryor on the sphere
effects, so I was "ball girl."
I was, also, "goop girl" which is the icky,
gooey yellow... stuff that comes out
of the Phantasm demons. (Told ya I had a lot of names!) I did the blood
work and secondary makeup for some
scenes... well, you get the idea... and THEN I...
Located a Civil
War group, wrangled the extras, taught
them how to roll bandages (more continuity), was location
manager for the "star wagon" (RV), filled in as 1st
Assistant Director one night, worked with the prosthetics,
prepped the stuntman/coordinator, Bob
Ivy, with flame retardant - (Ooops! Wasn't supposed to tell ya that!)...
oh, yeah, and set nurse. When you work a Phantasm
shoot, you gotta be willing to do windows - or, at least, the floors of
the RV... or both. Which I also did.
There have been many, many other Phantasm women over the years in front of and behind the camera. Each have been active in the perpetuation of the franchise. With few exceptions, the men of Phantasm have consistently shown deep respect for their female counter parts. That's saying a lot for a horror series in an industry already notorious for the exploitation of women on camera, and for the glass ceilings and constant haranguing of production women off the camera. The Women of Phantasm are a unique and tough crowd. I'm truly honored to be counted among them and to work with men the likes of Reggie, Don Coscarelli and the others.
You can see the Women of Phantasm
photo layout in the September or October 1998 issue of Femme Fatales. We
know you'll want to be able to meet these marvelous ladies in person, so,
we'll be booking them for upcoming appearances. When we do, we'll post
the dates right here. Oh, when you see the layout and you're thinking "Wow!
The Women of Phantasm! What a great idea!" You can say, "Thank you, Mom."
If you 'd like more information
on the Women of Phantasm, or would like them (or other Phantasm cast or
crew) to appear for your event, you can contact us at:
*
Netscape.