"Phantasm IV: Oblivion" is the fourth installment in the "Phantasm" series, and this film continues from where "Part III" left off. Mike (Michael Baldwin) and Reggie (Reggie Bannister) continue their relentless fight against the evil Tall Man (Angus Scrimm), a ghastly grave-robber from another dimension who is slowly taking over the dead one town at a time. Mike, after the events in "Part III", finds himself in a strange limbo of dimensions in the Tall Man's world, trying to save his own life and stop the evil villain.<br /><br />Being a big fan of the "Phantasm" series, I really, really tried to like this movie as best as I could, but I had a little trouble with it at times. Like each film in this series tends to do, it's style and overall tone is a whole lot different than that of it's three predecessors. "Part III" threw in a lot of black comedy and humor for some comic relief, which did draw away some of the tension. "Oblivion" sheds all of the punch-lines and humor, and gets things back to the gritty, scary world of The Tall Man, and for that I have some respect for this movie. It maintains this feel of inescapable terror throughout, and the utter bizarreness and the dreamlike atmosphere is strong as ever. The entire film is like one big nightmare that you can't wake up from, and this nightmarish feeling succeeds in making you feel uneasy.<br /><br />However, I do have to complain that at times the storyline becomes a little lost in the vast dreamlike landscape and bizarre imagery. It's hard to distinguish what is exactly happening at times, and this film challenges you to put some pieces together yourself, and I'll admit it is a bit tough in certain areas. It takes a little thinking and it's not a movie you can really understand immediately, so I will advise a second viewing if needed, it may make you appreciate the movie more. There are a few minor inconsistencies concerning the dimension-travel and a couple of plot holes that are never explained (one of them being, whatever happened to young Timmy from "Part III"? We are led to believe he died, but nothing is ever really explained, his character is just kind of sloppily thrown out of the picture. I suppose it isn't too terrible though because his character wasn't of much relevance to the overall story, but still).<br /><br />Beside the storyline becoming a little lost at times, I can't complain about much else. There are some truly frightening scenes here, and I have to praise this movie for it's atmosphere, cinematography, and the truly eerie feeling that it emanates. Michael Baldwin is featured much more in this sequel, and holds up well, as does Reggie Bannister as his long-time friend and co-fighter against The Tall Man. Angus Scrimm is just as scary here as he was in the original "Phantasm". His presence is really something of screen legend, especially within the horror genre. The conclusion to the movie is open-ended for a sequel (as are all the endings in these films), but we're still awaiting another installment to try and help answer a few questions and possibly bring a close to this utterly bizarre gem of a movie series.<br /><br />Overall, "Phantasm IV: Oblivion" is an installment that most "phans" won't be too disappointed with. Personally, I enjoyed it. It has some script problems and it does become hard to follow at times, but the surreal atmosphere and the downright ambiguity and eeriness brought through the imagery and the cinematography is really wonderful. It's a weird sequel, but I liked it a lot, all things considered. I'd strictly recommend it to "phans" of the series though, because all others will likely despise it. 8/10.