Film & Video

Phantoms (Film)

VHS

Release Date: 1998
Publisher: Dimension Home Video
SBN: #13555

Laserdisc

Release Date: 1998
Publisher: Dimension Home Video
SBN: #13555 AS

DVD

Release Date: 1998
Publisher: Dimension Home Video
SBN: #149893

VCD

Release Date: 1998
Copyright: "Program Content, Artwork, & Photography © 1997 Miramax Film Corp. All Rights Reserved
"Package Design & Summary © 1998 Warner Home Video. All Rights Reserved
"Distributed exclusively for Shaw Bros. through Warner Home Video"
Format: VCD
Publisher: Warner Home Video / Shaw Bros.
Length: 2 VCD / APPROX. 93 MIN.
SBN: #2045

Blu-ray

Release Date: April 17, 2012
Publisher: Echo Bridge Home Entertainment
The Blu-ray release is titled “6-Film Masters of Terror V.2” and includes the films Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, Hellraiser: Hellseeker, Venom, Cursed, Darkness, and Phantoms.

Original Motion Picture Score by David C. Williams

Release Date: December 16, 2018
Copyright: © all rights reserved
Format: Digital streaming & download
Publisher: David C. Williams
Length: 35 tracks
Original List Price: $8.99

VCD (Bootleg)

Release Date: Unknonwn
Length: 2 Video Compact Discs
This is most obviously a bootleg as the descript text on the back (shown below) is for the 1996 film The Phantom.

4K Ultra HD + Bluy-ray Collector's Edition

Release Date: July 6, 2024
Publisher: Shout! Factory
Original List Price: $39.98

Notes

Released January 23, 1998
Miramax Films
Starring: Peter O’Toole, Rose McGowan, Joanna Going, Leiv Schreiber and Ben Affleck
Director: Joe Chapelle
96 Minutes

The film’s poster came in two versions. The first has the film logo underground, beneath a street lined with buildings. The second version featured the faces of the four young stars, to capitalize on the popularity of a similar poster done for the film Scream.

Phantoms placed ninth its opening weekend grossing $3,065,951 in 1859 engagements.

Phantoms has subsequently been re-released on both DVD and Blu-ray in conjunction with other films as with the original Blu-ray release and in a stand-alone DVD release.

 

Articles & Reviews

  • Detroit News, “O’Toole tries a little horror”, Nov 1,  1996 sec E p5
  • Cinefantastique, “Eagerly Awaited”, v29, no2, August 1997 p4
  • Cinefantastique, “Phantoms”, v29 no 3, September 1997 p6
  • Cinefantastique, “Dean R. Koontz’ Phantoms”, Steven J. Lehti, Vol. 29, No. 4/5, October 1997, p16-17,19-20
  • Cinefantastique, ”Phantoms Effects”, Dale Kutzera, Vol. 29, No. 4/5, October 1997, p18-19
  • Cinefantastique, ”Phantoms: Peter O’Toole”, Steven J. Lehti, Vol. 29, No. 4/5, October 1997, p21
  • Fangoria,  “Phantoms: Shifting Shapes of Fear”,  #168, Nov 1997, p34(6), Anthony C. Ferrante
  • Boston Globe, “O’Toole rumpled but thrilling in Phantoms”, Jan 15 1998 sec E p2
  • The Orange County Register, “The Dean’s List”, January 20 1998, Show Tuesday, p1,4-5
  • Associated Press, “Horror author pleased with film”, Jan 21 1998 5:27am EST
  • Dallas Morning News, “The Dreams of Dean Koontz”, Jan 21 1998, Charles Ealy
  • Hollywood Online, “Koontz exorcises the Phantoms within”, Jan 22 1998, Nina Davidson
  • Reuters, “Phantoms spookily enjoyable”, Jan 23 1998 8:47am EST
  • Post Gazette, “Shot in the Dark: Dim Phantoms Fails to Thrill”, Jan 23, 1998 (online), Barry Paris
  • Variety, “Phantoms” review, Jan 23, 1998, Godfrey Cheshire
  • Hollywood Online, “Dean Koontz scares up Phantoms”, Jan 1998 – Original URL: http://www.hollywood.com/pressroom/interviews/dkoontz/dkoontz.html
  • New York Times Online, “Phantoms: A monster hungry for attention”, Jan 23 1998, Stephen Holden
  • Movie Mail, E-mail announcement of the opening sent on Jan 23 1998
  • TV Guide,  July 25-31 1999 p31 (ad for video)
  • Dread Central, “Yes, Ben Affleck Really Was The Bomb in ‘Phantoms’”, February 19, 2024

Books

  • Peter O’Toole The Definitive Biography by Robert Sellers, Sidgwick & Jackson Ltd, 2012

 

 

Related Items

Several DC comic books dated March and April 1997 included a full-page, color reproduction of the original film poster. These include but are not limited to Green Arrow #131 and Hitman  #24.

An advance screening was held in Syracuse, NY on January 21, 1998. An unknown number of invitation postcards were distributed as tickets.

Screening postcard (front)
Screening postcard (back)
Shout! Factory posted tube that came with their 4K Blu-ray release
Shout! Factory posted tube that came with their 4K Blu-ray release
2.5″x11″ Mylar movie poster (2 Euro coin for scale)

Artist Christopher Roy Bullock posted this image in the Books of Horror facebook group with the following description:
“Just come across this piece I did for a video company way back, meant to front the video box, it was for a film version of Koontz “Phantoms”, hope you like, was`nt [sic] a bad film, from in my opinion one of his best books.”

Further attempts to contact Mr. Bullock for details have been unsuccessful.

1989 film version

According to an advertisement in the February 22-28, 1989 (p163-4) issue of Variety, New World International had started pre-production on a film of Phantoms. This film was never produced.
Thanks to Reddit user u/PMC7009 for finding the specific issue!

Variety 1989
Variety 1989

Video CD

Phantoms bootleg VCD with incorrect descriptive text.
Turkish VCD

Last updated on July 6th, 2024