How a Fire Inspector's Fandom Gave Us Phantasm II's Most Iconic Shot

Classic Don Coscarelli True Indie moment on the set of Phantasm 2!

Every horror franchise has its war stories, but leave it to Don Coscarelli (the original True Indie) to have one this good.

During a Reddit AMA, Don shared the behind-the-scenes saga of the Phantasm II exploding house sequence. The crew had purchased a real house from the State of California for just $500… it was sitting in the construction path of the 105 freeway and needed to go. They built an entire second story on top to match the look of the house from the original film, and rigged it with primer cord, mortars, black powder bombs, and plenty of gasoline.

This was a one-take situation. Six cameras were positioned around the house. Angus Scrimm, Reggie Bannister, and a body double were choreographed to walk and run from the fireball on film … all in a single shot. Everything had to work the first time.

Reggie running away from his home in Phantasm 2 before it exploded!

Then the fire inspector arrived, realized they were shooting too close to an airport, and moved to shut the whole thing down.

But a few minutes later, the inspector spotted Angus on set …. and everything changed. "Is this a Phantasm movie?" he asked. The crew said yes. He radioed in and cleared them a twenty-minute window to blow the house. As Don put it: "it went PERFECTLY!"

The incredible exploding house scene in Phantasm 2….

The sequence ended up serving double duty in the finished film: as the opening recreation of the original Phantasm's fiery climax and later as the destruction of Reggie's home by the Tall Man, the moment that finally sends Reggie and Mike back on the road. Reggie Bannister, ever the trooper, performed all his own stunt work throughout the production (the only exception being a scene where he had to leap over a chainsaw, which the crew wouldn't allow)

Angus Scrimm walking away from the burning home in Phantasm 2…

If that's not a True Indie moment, nothing is! Make sure to check out Don’s book True Indie for other great stories.