Reggie Bannister, Star of Cult Phantasm Franchise, Dies at 80
Reggie Bannister, a character actor best known for his role in the Phantasm movie franchise, has passed away. TMZ brings word that Bannister’s wife, Gigi, confirmed the news that Bannister died on Sunday morning in Crestline, California, adding that he “was happy to be home during his final moments and died peacefully.” Bannister was 80 years old.
The Phantasm franchise has been a cult staple for horror fans since the 1970s, defined in part by its bizarre mythology and the creative team that has been a part of every film, including Bannister. Writer/director Don Coscarelli created the character based on Bannister, and then cast him in the role for the original Phantasm, though the sequels would go on to become quite different from Bannister’s own personality but evolve into something wholly unique in the horror genre.
In the first film, Reggie is a happy-go-lucky ice cream salesman with a hilarious ponytail that sits at the end of a receding hairline. Best friends with Jody Pearson, he works with his friend and his younger brother Mike to investigate the mysterious Tall Man. Across the sequels, though, Reggie becomes a revenge-obsessed, gun-totting badass, though one still sporting that wild hair. By the time the fifth film in the series rolled around, Reggie became the main character, with the entire structure of the movie centered around him and his performance.
Bannister appeared in all five movies in the Phantasm series, a rarity in horror in itself but especially one that lasted from 1979 to 2016. The series with Coscarelli weren’t his only credits, though, as he also appeared in other horror films like the Silent Night, Deadly Night and Wishmaster franchises. He would continue to collaborate with Coscarelli as well, appearing in his non-Phantasm films as well, like Survival Quest and Bubba Ho-Tep.
No cause of death was revealed at press time, but Bannister has been public over the years about his health struggles. A GoFundMe for his care was created in February of this year, hoping to raise funds for the cost of his medical care after being diagnosed with Lewy Body dementia and Parkinson’s disease. To date, it has raised over $87,000.
“When we first did Phantasm, it was done with the full intent of making a scary movie. That is what we all wanted to do,” Bannister said of the series in a 2019 interview. “I don’t think anybody realized that this would still be going on all these years later. Towards the end of Phantasm, I had a gut feeling, that we had done something pretty special.”
Our thoughts go out to Bannister’s family and friends.
