The Writer of Pulp Fiction Played a Corpse in Phantasm AND Wrote A Sequel?!
This is one of our favorite PHANTASM easter eggs!
Recently Don Coscarelli’s Instagram page posted a Story celebrating Academy Award winning writer and director Roger Avary’s birthday on August 23rd!
Photo of Roger Avary taken by daughter Gala Avary
Not familiar with Mr. Avary??? Here is quick rundown:
Roger Avary is a multifaceted filmmaker who gained significant attention in the 1990s for his work as both a writer and a director. His early association with Quentin Tarantino paved the way for them to jointly win an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for "Pulp Fiction" (1994), a film that became a cultural touchstone and redefined narrative structures in cinema. Avary's ability to craft edgy, non-linear narratives demonstrated his unique voice, blending gritty realism with dark humor.
As a director, Avary showcased his distinctive style with movies like "Killing Zoe" (1994) and "The Rules of Attraction" (2002). "Killing Zoe" is a heist film with a raw, unfiltered portrayal of crime, while "The Rules of Attraction," an adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis's novel, is a darkly comedic exploration of college life and youthful hedonism. Over the years, Avary has proven his adeptness at navigating various genres and settings, while always maintaining a touch of subversive edge.
So what is the PHANTASM connection???
Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary winning the Oscar before Roger said… “I’m Writing A PHANTASM sequel!”
As the story goes in the 1990s Phantasm creator Don Coscarelli’s friends Quentin Tarantino & Roger Avary win the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for Pulp Fiction. (You can read the full story in Don’s excellent autobiography TRUE INDIE)
The next week Avary announces he is beginning work on the ultimate PHANTASM sequel!
Roger Avary writes the script to Phantasm 1999 A.D. which is considered the most epic PHANTASM script ever conceived. Talks with studios stall and the project is unfortunately shelved.
In the late 1990s, Roger Avary penned a script for a continuation of the "Phantasm" series, the cult horror franchise directed by Don Coscarelli that began in 1979. This ambitious script was intended to serve as the series' final entry and aimed to provide a conclusive end to the mysterious and nightmarish world of the Tall Man, the series' main antagonist. Avary, a fan of the original films, envisioned an epic narrative, full of the surreal dreamlike quality that the series was known for, but with a more expansive scope and larger scale, offering a fresh, updated take on the saga's lingering questions.
However, Avary's "Phantasm 1999" script, despite its promise and potential, never saw the light of day as a feature film. Various factors, including budgetary concerns given the grand nature of the script, as well as other logistical and rights-related issues, led to the project's shelving. While many fans of the series were curious and eager to see Avary's take on the world of "Phantasm," they would have to wait until 2016's "Phantasm: Ravager" for the next, and possibly final, installment of the series.
See a gallery of Phantasm 1999 concept art below by deceased and beloved Coscarelli collaborator Justin Zaharczuk:
After Phantasm: 1999 was lost in studio hell … Phantasm creator Don Coscarelli went ahead and wrote and directed Phantasm: Oblivion (Phantasm 4) in 1998. In the sequel he threw a special “Easter Egg” to Mr. Roger Avary by having him play a corpse in the Jebediah Morningside “Civil War” flashback scene!
We absolutely love this Easter Egg in Phantasm: Oblivion of Academy Award winning writer Roger Avary playing a Civil War solider!
Roger has recently started a video podcast called Video Archives with long time friend and collaborator Quentin Tarantino.
Long time Coscarelli friends Roger Avary and Quentin Tarantino now host a podcast called Video Archives
Another fun PHANTASM connection! Producer of the podcast Gala Avary (who happens to be Roger’s daughter) recently completed the PHANTASM PUZZLE from our friends Messed Up Puzzles.
Video Archives podcasta Gala Avary completed the PHANTASM puzzle by Messed Up Puzzles!
So what say you PHANTASM phans!? Do you wish Phantasm: 1999 would have happened??? Did you catch the Roger Avary cameo in OBLVIION? And most importantly have you tried the PHANTASM jigsaw puzzle?? Let us know on our official Instagram page.
