Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the cemetery, The Tall Man and Don Coscarelli 's weird-ass horror franchise return to drive balls through your skulls. Sounds kinda perverse when put that way, doesn't it? Mike, now released from a psychiatric hospital , continues his journey to stop the evil Tall Man and his grim work.

Given the pending release of Phantasm : Ravager, and having only caught the second instalment in Don Coscarelli 's cult franchise, I thought it best to go back and watch the entire series from the beginning. So how does the classic first flick stack up? Stick with me! A young boy and his friends face off against a mysterious grave robber known only as the Tall Man , who keep an arsenal of terrible weapons with him.

News broke just days ago that a fifth Phantasm movie was headed our way, and we were able to share the official poster with you fine Basementites. Now the teaser trailer has hit the Interwebs, and it looks . . . like a Phantasm movie!

Although not the biggest fan of Don Coscarelli 's Phantasm series -- I admit I've only seen the first two film -- I do have a lot of love for the man's work in general.  Bubba-Ho-Tep and John Dies at the End are just brilliant. The Beastmaster ? It owned when I was 10, but can't vouch for how it's held up.

It's no secret that Shawn and I dug the shit out of Don Coscarelli 's John Dies at the End . You can read our thoughts, along with our review of Branded, right here . So it's very good news indeed that Canadian genre distributor Raven Banner has come to a deal with Magnet Releasing down in the good 'ole U.S. of A. to pick up the flick and release it in the True North Strong and Free . Magnet retains worldwide rights to the film. No word yet on when John Dies at the End will hit theatres here, but we'll keep you posted. If you haven't seen it, at least you know this groovy little flick is on its way, eh! For the unwashed and unshaven, John Dies at the End is about a new street drug that sends its users across time and dimensions has one drawback: some people return as no longer human. Can two college dropouts save humankind from this silent, otherworldly invasion? Paul Giamatti (pictured) stars as an investigative reporter on the case. Source: Th...

Branded Shawn :  I don't know if my time was wasted here or not! I dislike movies that COULD be explained away through mental disorders or drug induced paranoia at the end. Not because they may not have been good, but because I don't want to watch a movie that was a waste of my fucking time after enjoying it. Ha ha. I don't know where I stand on this. It was a real ride, but strange indeed. It did look great, I got the message, but don't really understand the purpose of the film. It definitely isn't Ugly, but I also struggle to find the Good. So I'm going to leave it at a Bad, because I won't watch it again. Not even to attempt to sort it out. Jason: Shawn and I have complained at length about the lack of original material coming out of Hollywood these days. Then along come Branded and John Dies at the End to prove us wrong. Wait, neither was made by a Hollywood studio? Never mind then. I didn't really care much for t...

After years of complaining that nothing original is made in Hollywood , along comes two movies that prove Jason and Shawn wrong. Wait, both are independent movies made outside of the studio system? Never mind then . .  . The Basement Dwellers begin with the Russian/American co-production Branded, a sci-fi/social commentary about marketing and greed. Heady stuff made visually appealing by the talented and sexy Leelee Sobieski (yup, still alive) and some special effects. But is Branded too out there for it's own good? Jason and Shawn will be the judge of that. Then it's time to enter the mind of cult writer/director Don Coscarelli . That's right, the guy who created the Phantasm films and Bubba Ho-Tep. Coscarelli has made something truly unique with John Dies at the End , a movie with a title that's the biggest spoiler alert of all time. It's an original sci-fi/horror/comedy about alternate dimensions and a drug called Soy Sauce . Again, the question must b...

Oh my God does Don Coscarelli's John Dies at the End ever look awesome! On VOD Dec. 27 you say? Sign us up! And nothing sells a cult movie from the maker of Phantasm and Bubba Ho-Tep like a Red Band trailer. Movies like this need to be sold on their merits -- gore, boobs and fucked up shit -- and that's what the Red Band trailer below does. Thank Jebus for that! And check out the plot, mofos! A new street drug that sends its users across time and dimensions has one drawback: some people return as no longer human. Can two college dropouts save humankind from this silent, otherworldly invasion? I certainly want to find out! But enough said; give this bad boy a look. You know Shawn and I are watching this shit ASAP! Thanks to IGN for the trailer.

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way! For this installment, Bellamy further explores the delusions of a disordered mind. The Tall Man is back! I think it's safe to say that he belongs in the same company as other horror icons such as Freddy, Jason, or Michael Myers--there is just something inherently creepy about him ! This sequel picks up several years after the original, the main character from that film has since been institutionalized because, well I mean come on, after the stuff he dealt with before how could he NOT be messed up? He begins having increasingly disturbing and vivid dreams though of a young woman in peril from horrors that he is all too familiar with; are they true psychic visions or is he simply growing more insane? He decides to go with his ...

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way! For his latest column Bellamy shows us why it's important to fear The Ball! I said ball, not balls. Grow up . . . boooyyyy! This film defies proper description in just about every way, easily one of the more bizarre horror franchises ever made but at the same time also one of the more striking and disturbing ones. The Tall Man is a horror villain who I don't think gets the same kind of deserved recognition as his brothers in arms such as Freddy, Jason, Michael Meyers, or Leatherface. He is creepy incarnate and I can understand why kids became terrified of him when the movie originally came out over 30 years ago now, and let's not forget that weird, deadly sphere he controls, messed right up!

For the record, director Don Coscarelli makes some very odd movies. Odd but cool, I might add. I mean he's the brainchild behind the Phantasm series and Bubba Ho-Tep for crying out loud! And now he's at it again with a big screen adaptation of David Wong's novel John Dies at the End. Judging from the trailer, this looks like some weird shat taken to the next level -- an interesting mix of early John Carpenter and David Cronenberg. Kinda. You'll have to watch and see for yourself. The film stars Paul Giamatti, Clancy Brown, Angus Scrimm, Chase Williamson, Rob Mayes, Doug Jones, Glynn Turman and Daniel Roebuck. The plot, in a prolonged nutshell, is as follows: " It's a drug that promises an out-of-body experience with each hit. On the street they call it Soy Sauce, and users drift across time and dimensions. But some who come back are no longer human. Suddenly a silent otherworldly invasion is underway, and mankind needs a hero. What it gets instead is ...