Phantoms (1998)

Let's start off December with a chilling tale of mountain horror, brought to you by Dean R. Koontz! His novel, Phantoms, pre-dated Stephen King's IT and there are so many similarities, it borders on suspicious. An ancient creature, that can shapeshift, hires lackeys to do its bidding, travels through the sewers, and systematically preys on a small town. There are more similarities between Pennywise and "The Ancient Enemy" of course, and we get into them! We also discuss the similarities between H.P. Lovecraft's Nyarlathotep and The Ancient Enemy. As for film references, there is also John Carpenter's The Thing and The Blob. Do we talk about them? Shit yeah! Joanna Going plays Dr. Jennifer Pailey, who is brining her kid sister, Lisa (Rose McGowan, Scream, Planet Terror) home with her. When they arrive, the find the housekeeper is dead, and even the good doctor cannot discern why or how. They go to the police department, finding another corpse in similar fashion. Along the way, they meet up with Sheriff Bryce Hammond (Ben Affleck, Argo, Justice League) and two deputies, Steve Shanning (Nicky Katt, Sin City, Boiler Room) and Stu Wargle (Liev Shreiber, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Ray Donovan). The shapeshifting evil begins picking off the gang until Dr. Timothy Flyte (Peter O'Toole, Lawrence of Arabia, Troy) is brought in as the resident expert in mass disappearances. The entity enlists Flyte to be his apostle, spreading its gospel, but in its hubris, gives the necessary insight as to overcome the Ancient Enemy. This week's "Hidden Track" is by DJ KWEST. You can find his music on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/djkwesty and his social media on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/i_am_kwestmusic/ horror, movie review, discussion, behind the scenes, history, movie production, special effects Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices