Exclusive: Michael Baldwin and Kathy Lester Talk Phantasm: Ravager
Michael Baldwin and Kathy Lester Interview – Exclusive on Phantasm and Phantasm Ravager
By Staci Layne Wilson
We got the change to sit down with two of the stars of the original Phantasm, to talk to them about their return in Phantasm: Ravager, the new sequel out now.
Dread Central: Kathy, did you ever think you’d still be wearing that sexy lavender dress almost 40 years later in another Phantasm movie?
Kathy Lester: No I really didn’t, but luckily I always loved the color lavender. When I first read for Don I was in jeans and a tee shirt then he called me and asked me to do a screen test and he goes, ‘why don’t you show up in a dress this time, preferably form fitting, nice color’ and I came in with that dress and the rest is history.
DC: And Michael… that car! It’s really become a part of your life and memories, hasn’t it?
Michael Baldwin: I learned how to drive in that car. It’s very hard to drive, actually. So yeah, I learned to drive in that ‘Cuda… Don Coscarelli and Bill Thornberg both took turns teaching me how to drive it and that’s fun. When I tell people that they’re like what, that’s the coolest thing ever.
DC: The director of Phantasm: Ravager told us the movie was shot in bits and pieces over a long period of time. What was that like for you as actors?
MB: Well you know, I think what they did was they started shooting little vignettes with Reggie five years ago or something like that so there wasn’t even a feature plan back then so there wasn’t a script at the point but eventually they had enough footage to where they said let’s make a feature, they developed a screenplay and here we are now.
KL: I’ve never seen the script. This was supposed to be something like a webisode and when they called me in to do a couple of shoots I must say, my part has always been a mystery to me, full of surprises as well. The one time I came in to shoot, it was in a mausoleum, oh my, I came dressed in my lavender dress and Dave said it was going to be relatively short, I’d planned to go to dinner later that evening which wasn’t a good idea. We shot a few scenes where I get hit in the head with a shotgun, fall back and Dave says go and get your makeup fixed up a bit and come back and while I was sitting there I saw Gigi, mixing these huge buckets of movie blood and I said wow, who is that for and she said, you really don’t know, I said no. Well it was poured, I had to get down on the floor and she poured this blood all around me and it was seeping in underneath my dress and everything, in my hair and I said do you have a robe, something I could change into, no, no, no so it was a disaster for me. It’s funny now but not so funny on the day.
DC: Tell us how the fan base has evolved over the years.
MB: Well it really has evolved, of course like everything. So our world premiere at Fantastic Fest was super fun and had a full crowd of Phantasm fans, it’s a very warm crowd to premier in front of, not your regular movie crowd at all. People are there for Phantasm and not for any other reason so it’s going to be hard to disappoint them, to tell you the truth. But our fans love our franchise a lot and I think they are going to be fairly forgiving with budgetary constraints and things like that so it was a fun time, we had a good time. There was a very, how do you say, interesting review in Variety that came out yesterday, not a particularly flattering review. Obviously they’re just a regular movie lover, they don’t know anything about Phantasm so to them so I’m going to review this and compare it against every other movie I’ve ever seen you know, so it’s a rough review. The funny part is, the immediate onslaught of fan response to the review, one after another, saying he doesn’t know what he’s talking about, screw him, and on and on, so that’s part of how social media has changed things, for sure.
KL: They’re so loyal, they’re just so loyal, the fans. I remember the first time I did a convention I was sitting next to Linda Blair and I said to her well, you’re going to have a huge line, I don’t know what’s going to happen to me but I’m going to enjoy watching you, and she turned to me and said, “you have no idea, just wait, I know who you are.” I said it’s because of you that I was afraid to go in my own bedroom for so long. I have one of those pull down staircase things right in front of my bed in my bedroom and my bed was a four poster bed. It was amazing though because soon enough, a line started to form and I thought wow, this was a relatively low budget movie and the conventions have been quite a blessing.
MB: Have you ever seen The Exorcist since then? You never saw it again, did you?
KL: I’ll see it come on and I can’t watch it.
MB: I watched The Exorcist when I was a kid, way too young and I couldn’t believe my seat. After the movie was over I couldn’t get up. I was totally and completely traumatized, I was completely horrified. Then I never wanted to see the movie again and I didn’t see it for forty years and I just watched the movie for the second time about a year ago. It’s a pretty good movie, it’s pretty good.
KL: Well it’s based on a true story so that’s what gets you.
The 4k restoration of Don Coscarelli’s Phantasm premiered at this year’s SXSW in Austin. All five films, including Remastered and Ravager will be available on digital HD on On Demand October 4th, but Remastered and Ravager will be in theaters October 7th!
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