DEAD BY DAYLIGHT x PHANTASM Rumors Heat Up
The horror gaming community got a major jolt this week thanks to a wild chain of events on Twitter, sparking speculation that the Phantasm franchise—and its iconic villain, the Tall Man—might one day stalk survivors in Dead by Daylight. What started as a simple power rework reveal snowballed into a full-on horror crossover wishfest, and the internet is still buzzing.
It all began when Behavior Interactive (BHVR) posted a sneak peek of the upcoming power rework for the Skull Merchant, a killer in Dead by Daylight often criticized for her underwhelming mechanics. In the preview, her drones now appear capable of attacking and dealing damage—a drastic and welcomed change that instantly got fans thinking.
One fan, Polyester (@PolysterGhost), connected the dots between the drone behavior and the weaponized flying spheres used by the Tall Man in the Phantasm series. Polyester tweeted:
“If this Skull Merchant rework goes through, can we get a Tall Man Legendary Skin from Phantasm for the Skull Merchant and Sentinel Spheres for the drones?”
That one tweet opened the floodgates.
Soon after, none other than Don Coscarelli, the creator of Phantasm and the rights holder of the franchise, quote-tweeted Polyester with a very intriguing message:
“My DMs are open, @DeadByBHVR.”
Fans immediately recognized the significance. This was not just a fan theory anymore—the actual license holder was publicly signaling their interest in collaborating with BHVR to bring the Tall Man into the game.
Flashback to 2022: An Open Invitation
What makes this even more fascinating is that Don Coscarelli had already tweeted something similar back in March 2022:
“The most common question I get about Phantasm is, ‘When will there be a video game?’ What better time than now? To all my friends in the video game industry—DMs are open.”
That callout seemed to go unanswered at the time, but now, two years later, the interest is alive and well—and much more specific.
A YouTuber Breaks It Down
YouTuber Schmuckles summarized the drama perfectly in a recent video:
“This is Don Cascarelli, the person that Behavior would have to actually contact to get the Tall Man from Phantasm into Dead by Daylight. So it’s really interesting to see the license holders publicly speak this way about their license and say they want it in Dead by Daylight.”
He continued:
“Let me know if you'd want to see the Tall Man in DBD as a playable character. Do you think he'd work better as a Legendary skin for Skull Merchant or as a standalone killer? Either way, this is the clearest confirmation we’ve had that Phantasm content isn’t currently in the works—or Don wouldn’t be tweeting publicly about it.”
What Fans Are Saying
Reactions from the community have ranged from hopeful to heartbroken. Some fans argue that the Tall Man deserves his own killer, complete with custom voice lines and power mechanics. Others are open to a more accessible Legendary skin, even if it’s just for the reworked Skull Merchant.
Given how similar the new drone behavior is to the flying Sentinel Spheres in Phantasm, the potential synergy is undeniable.
What’s Next?
So, is the Tall Man coming to Dead by Daylight? As of now, no official confirmation exists from BHVR. But the public enthusiasm from both fans and the license holder is a rare alignment in the horror gaming world. If BHVR is paying attention—and they almost certainly are—they’d be wise to act on this interest.
The Tall Man’s arrival in Dead by Daylight may not be confirmed, but one thing is: the conversation is alive, and Phantasm fans are louder than ever.
