For high school sweethearts Eric and Melody, love’s young dream turns into a nightmare when Eric apparently dies in a fire which engulfs his family home. One year later and Melody is trying to move on with her life, taking up a job at the new Midwood Mall along with her friends. But the mall, which stands on the very site of Eric’s former home, has an uninvited guest – a shadowy, scarred figure who haunts its airducts and subterranean passageways, hellbent on exacting vengeance on the mall’s crooked developers. Directed by Richard Friedman (Scared Stiff, Doom Asylum), and featuring star turns from Pauly Shore and Morgan Fairchild, Phantom of the Mall: Eric’s Revenge swoops onto Blu-ray in an extras-packed edition which proves that Arrow Video’s love for ’80s slasher fare never dies!
For thoughts on Phantom Of The Mall: Eric’s Revenge, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
Phantom Of The Mall: Eric’s Revenge comes to Blu-Ray courtesy of Arrow Video in its original 1.85:1 sourced from an excellent 2K restoration of an original 35mm interpositive. For a film that has been so widely requested by enthusiastic fans, it is really great to see this presentation looking so great with various domestic and public locations that dazzle in high definition with natural grain intact and nicely resolved. There are moments when this grain can get a bit chunky, especially in certain lighting conditions, but most audiences should be pleased with the results.
The contrast is well defined, and there is virtually no print damage to be found outside a few stray moments. Black levels are mostly deep but a few shadowy scenes admittedly struggle with crush and detail. There is a strong amount of detail present with nice textures on the clothing and the production design of the mall. The new transfer shows off a great amount of depth and enhanced detail that allows you to read background text more clearly than ever. As mentioned, there are certain moments during the presentation that take a bit of downturn in quality in terms of clarity, most likely due to the state of the original film elements. These moments are fleeting, though, and Arrow Video has once again salvaged a cult favorite that has not been given the love it deserves over the years.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with an LPCM 2.0 track in the original English (with optional English SDH subtitles). The film is largely a dialogue-driven affair with only sporadic scenes of violence where the track springs to life. Dialogue always sounds perfectly clear without sound effects or the music trouncing on important information. The film employs some distinct sound effects in the form of breaking glass, industrial machinery and heavy breathing that are given the appropriate weight within the mix. The soundtrack comes through nicely in relation to the competing sounds. This presentation presents everything accurately with pleasing fidelity and without damage or other unwanted issues. Arrow Video should be proud of this one.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary #1: Director Richard Friedman provides a commentary track moderated by Michael Felsher from Red Shirt Pictures in which he discusses his path to becoming a filmmaker, the amusing way he went into production with this film, getting the cast for the feature, his career at large, memories of the shooting locations, the scenes that stick with him the most, unintentional creative choices that were lauded in the reviews and more.
- Audio Commentary #2: Disc producer Ewan Cant and film historian/author Amanda Reyes provide a very entertaining and informative commentary track in which they discuss the film from a historical and fan perspective including the major compromises made to appease the producers and budget, the tone of the film, the background of the performers big and small, the different cuts of the film, how the film handles sexuality and romance and more.
- Audio Commentary/Interview #3: Composer Stacy Widelitz and Associate Producer Robert J. Koster both talk to Michael Felsher from Red Shirt Pictures about their experiences in filmmaking and Phantom of the Mall specifically. This is not a scene-specific commentary track like the other two are, but more so just two audio interviews provided back to back over the film.
- Shop Til’ You Drop! – The Making Of Phantom Of The Mall: A thorough 42-minute documentary featuring interviews with director Richard Friedman, screenwriters Scott Schneid and Tony Michelman, actors Derek Rydall and Gregory Scott Cummins and more. In this piece, you get a reflection on the good, the bad and the weird of making this film with open and honest answers from many of the key creatives where you can begin to understand where certain things went wrong and why you should give certain aspects a bit of a pass considering the limitations in place. Definitely check this one out even if you don’t love the film.
- The Vandals Go To The Mall: A 13-minute interview with Joe Escalante of The Vandals on the creation of the Phantom of the Mall theme song along with some background history on the band and how it was received when they sent it over.
- Alternate and Deleted Scenes: Five unused or alternate scenes from the TV cut totaling seven minutes are provided here including a strange gymnastics opening, more scenes in the air duct and an alternate ending.
- Trailers: This disc provides the Domestic Trailer (1:41) and the International Trailer (1:59).
- Image Galleries: This disc provides galleries for promotional and behind-the-scenes materials.
Final Thoughts
Phantom Of The Mall: Eric’s Revenge is a pretty fun slasher that does not rank among the best of the genre but will serve up a good time. Admittedly, the premise is better than what we ultimately get on screen, but there are some kills that will stick in your mind for a bit. There are some character actors in this one that really enhance the experience, including a Pauly Shore appearance that actually benefits the film. The story itself is pretty dumb, but it is the type of dumb that you can forgive in a slasher film as it offers up a cheesy, deadly journey. Arrow Video has released a Blu-Ray featuring a very pleasing A/V presentation and an array of special features that you will not want to miss. This will likely appeal to those who are devotees to the slasher genre. Recommended
Phantom Of The Mall: Eric’s Revenge is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Arrow Video has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.