Phantasm is a 1979 American supernatural horror film directed, written, photographed, and edited by Don Coscarelli, and stars A. Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornbury, Reggie Bannister, Kathy Lester, and Angus Scrimm. The first installment of the Phantasm franchise, the film follows Mike, a teenager in a small Oregon town who, along with his older brother Jody and family friend Reggie, investigates strange goings-on at the local funeral home, which is operated by a mysterious mortician known as "the Tall Man". Coscarelli based Phantasm on a nightmare he had as a teenager, which he developed into a rough screenplay. The film was a fully independent production, financed by Coscarelli, his father, and local investors, and with a cast and crew made up mostly of amateurs and aspiring professionals.