Why Was PHANTASM Called THE NEVER DEAD in Australia?
The Never Dead was the title of PHANTASM when it was released in Australia in 1979…
If you've been a Phantasm fan for any length of time, you've probably come across a strange piece of trivia. When Don Coscarelli's 1979 masterpiece made its way to Australia, it arrived under a completely different name: The Never Dead.
New artwork was commissioned. A new tagline was written. "If this one doesn't scare you… You're Already Dead!" was splashed across a brand new one sheet that looked nothing like the American release. For all intents and purposes, Australian audiences were sold an entirely different movie.
So what happened?
The Problem Down Under
Village Roadshow brought many horror films to Australia including PHANTASM!
When Australian distributor Village Roadshow acquired the rights to release Phantasm theatrically, they ran into an unexpected issue. There was already a very well known film making the rounds in Australia with a nearly identical sounding title. Same pronunciation, slightly different spelling.
The catch? It was an adult film.
The 1976 Australian production Fantasm (note the spelling) was a softcore picture that had already built significant name recognition across the country. Village Roadshow took one look at the situation and made the call. There was no way they were releasing a legitimate horror film into a market where audiences might confuse it with something playing at a completely different kind of theater.
The confusing other film in Australia!
The solution was simple: rename it.
The Birth of The Never Dead
This is the lobby card for the Australian release of PHANTASM aka The Never Dead
Village Roadshow didn't just slap a new title on the poster and call it a day. They commissioned entirely original one sheet artwork featuring Mike, The Tall Man, and the nightmarish imagery of the film. The result was a poster that has since become one of the most sought after alternate releases in horror collecting circles.
Most Phantasm fans have never seen it. For decades, The Never Dead artwork existed only as a piece of obscure Australian distribution history, traded among collectors and referenced in deep cut horror forums.
One of the rarer pieces of PHANTASM merchandise! A home video copy…
It's one of those details that makes the Phantasm story even richer than it already is. A film that was already unlike anything else in horror somehow ended up with two identities, separated by an ocean and an unfortunate naming coincidence.
47 Years Later
For the first time there is an official release of The Never Dead artwork on a PHANTASM t-shirt!
This week marks the 47th anniversary of Phantasm's original theatrical release on March 28, 1979. To mark the occasion, the official Phactory store has produced something special: the first ever officially licensed tee featuring The Never Dead Australian one sheet artwork, reproduced faithfully with a vintage distressed finish.
It's a deep cut piece of Phantasm lore on a shirt, and it's available now at phactory.co.
