Reggie Bannister, star of 'Phantasm' cult film franchise, dies at 80

Reggie Bannister, the histrion who devoted his decades-long vocation chiefly to autarkic fearfulness thrillers including each 5 films of the the cult “Phantasm” franchise, has died.

Bannister died Sunday greeting astatine property 80 astatine location successful Crestline successful the San Bernardino Mountains, his woman Gigi Bannister announced Monday connected Facebook. “In the drawback of fingers, my champion friend, my confidant, my partner, my psyche mate was transitioned to different magnitude — a higher plane,” she wrote successful her post.

“He nary longer suffers. He’s nary longer successful pain,” she continued. “That gives maine solace. I volition spot you connected the flip side, chromatic bunny.”

Reggie Bannister died aft a decennary of battling dementia and Parkinson’s illness and deteriorating health. Gigi Bannister told TMZ, which archetypal reported the actor’s death, that her precocious hubby was a Vietnam War vet and was exposed to Agent Orange during his service. “Phantasm” manager Don Coscarelli besides shared quality of his longtime collaborator’s decease connected Facebook, celebrating Bannister’s enactment connected the fearfulness films.

The archetypal of Coscarelli’s “Phantasm” films was released successful 1979 and was a surreal and supernatural thriller acceptable successful a tiny Oregon town. “Phantasm” revolves astir a young antheral named Mike (A. Michael Baldwin), his older member Jody (Bill Thornbury) and Bannister’s crystal pick antheral Reggie arsenic they question to uncover the mysteries down a section ceremonial location and its frightening mortician — the Tall Man — played by Angus Scrimm. The “Phantasm” films gained popularity with their dreamlike consciousness and mind-boggling narratives of “real” and “dream” worlds.

Bannister’s Reggie remained a main quality successful the pursuing editions, arsenic the halfway unit continues to uncover and face “the eventual evil” and the information down the Tall Man and his league of lethal flying metallic balls. The 5th “Phantasm” came retired successful 2016, 18 years aft the fourth, directed by David Hartman and co-written by Coscarelli. The last “Phantasm” movie featured “an energetic show by Bannister, who done the 5 films has gone from comic alleviation to a goofy-but-gallant Bruce Campbell-type hero,” professional Noel Murray wrote for The Times successful 2016.

In his tribute to the actor, Coscarelli said the Long Beach autochthonal “channeled himself into that role” and described the parallels betwixt Bannister’s quality and his offscreen personality.

“In existent life, helium embodied each the qualities of his quality successful Phantasm and nary 1 questioned that Reg was that guy, the 1 consenting to laic his assemblage down connected the fires of hellhole for his friends,” Coscarelli said.

Bannister’s vocation spanned from his surface debut successful Coscarelli’s archetypal diagnostic “Jim the World’s Greatest” successful 1975 to his last relation successful “Killer Waves 2” successful 2020” and was chiefly composed of autarkic productions. In summation to acting, Bannister was passionate astir music. He had galore euphony section credits successful surface projects implicit his career.

According to Coscarelli, the histrion is predeceased by his parents Horace and Evelyn and his member Roland. Bannister’s survivors see his woman and his girl Ellen.