strong>Don Coscarelli’s Phantasm series, one of the greatest and most enduring horror franchises of them all, has terrified millions of fans around the world and given them an iconic villain to forever haunt their nightmares in the form of the glowering Tall Man, played to perfection by the late Angus Scrimm. The original film, made on a scrappy budget of $300,000 and released to outstanding international box office in 1979, celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2014 with the surprising news that a fifth installment in the series was on its way.

You can watch a teaser trailer for the long-awaited fourth sequel to the original, entitled Phantasm: Ravager, here below.

Angus Scrimm, best known for his role as the “Tall Man” in the Phantasm horror films, died on Saturday, according to EW. He was 89.

The news of the veteran actor’s death was confirmed to EW by Don Coscarelli, who directed Scrimm in the Phantasm movies, beginning with the first film released in 1979.

2014 marks the 35th anniversary of the theatrical release of the original Phantasm, a nightmarish horror classic written and directed by Don Coscarelli that managed to carve out its own comfortable spot in the history of the genre despite being initially dismissed as an unfocused oddity. It was released at the tail end of a decade forever identified with the rise of gritty, grounded shockers such as The Exorcist, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, and Dawn of the Dead and stood out from the pack for its offbeat approach to conventional horror filmmaking and its iconic villain the Tall Man, a delightfully old school baddie played with menace and mirth by the great Angus Scrimm. Phantasm spawned three sequels, the first made for Universal Pictures with an increased budget and elaborate visual effects.

The last sequel, Phantasm IV: Oblivion, was released in 1998 and was a low-budget affair created using an extensive amount of scenes deleted from the first film. It also ended with a weird cliffhanger that has had fans of the series clamoring for another installment ever since. Throughout the years there have been multiple rumors floating around regarding a new Phantasm movie, and earlier this week “Phans” everywhere got a huge surprise when it was revealed that a fifth movie was not only in the works, it was already finished and awaiting a release. Phantasm: Ravager is very real, my fellow fiends, and it is on its way with a vengeance. The first poster was released two days ago, and since then information about this no-longer-secret project has been released piecemeal. Today the film’s minute-long teaser trailer has debuted, and you can check it out, as well as the poster, here below.

As one of the lucky few on this sad planet who rank among the undead, I consider myself thankful for so many great things this world of clueless meandering flesh-bags has to offer — Slow-moving victims who always seem to trip and fall at the most inopportune times, meat-lockers at the morgue with cheap locks, royalty checks from the continual demand for my appearance in the hottest video games (thanks Left 4 Dead, CoD:W@W), and HD motherfcukin TV, my people. Are ya with me?!

Well, today I intend to curl my undead ass up with a nice glass of blended brains and give thanks for all these great things and more, all while watching endless hours of grue and gore on Monsters HD. They’ve got a marathon of me and my peeps running rampant on the silver screen going on all goddamn day, and I couldn’t be happier. Check out the skinny on this succulently screamin’ screen schedule right here.

First of all this guy ate Ray Liotta‘s brain while the actor was still alive! I needn’t go on but I will. Hannibal the Cannibal is brilliant, sadistic, and a complete madman. Unlike most of the other brainless psycho killers, Hannibal is a genius. He doesn’t need to wield a chainsaw or a pickaxe. A deadly stare or the tone of his voice is enough to send shivers down your spine. He scared the hell out of the entire planet just standing behind a wall of glass talking to Jodie Foster

You can stay out of the water or away from the woods, but you can’t stop sleeping. That’s what makes dream demon Freddy Krueger one formidable killer. He was born the bastard son of a nun raped by 100 maniacs — enough to screw up any kid. Freddy plagues the dreams of Elm Street’s teenage inhabitants. But what happens in their dreams becomes reality as the clawed-glove Freddy uses their deepest fears to torture and kill his victims. This is one nightmare you’ll never awake from.

He might be a mentally retarded, slow-moving, disfigured, in-bred hick, but put a chainsaw in his hands and he’ll wipe out a van full of teenagers before the sun sets — and then the Sawyer clan can enjoy a human barbecue and chili feast. There’s no more frightening scene in horror than Leatherface’s first appearance, in which he slams his victim on the head with his mallet, drags him into his meat locker, and slams the metal door closed. Send chills down my spine just thinking about it!

Leader of the Cenobites, the Dark Prince of Pain, the Angel of Suffering — lovingly dubbed ‘Pinhead’ by his admirers…because he’s got pins…in his head…lots of them. Anyhoo, Pinhead is the guardian of the gateway to hell, which can only be opened when one solves the Lemarchand puzzle box, the lament configuration. He and his Cenobites are charged with awarding the “prize” to those “smart” or “lucky” enough to open the puzzle box — a prize that usually consists of being pierced by thousands of disembodied metal hooks and agonizingly being torn asunder over the course of infinite lifetimes. It doesn’t get any worse than that!

Jason did for camps what Jaws did for the beach. Fucking ruined it! Movie killers don’t get more iconic than Jason. In the course of 26 years and 11 movies, Jason has taken Manhattan, gone to hell and back, killed in space, and duked it out with Freddy Krueger. He’s the modern-day version of the Frankenstein monster and almost as recognizable.

The Tall Man is relentless in his effort to take over the world. Although this multi-dimension traveler comes across as an impeccably dressed — though incredibly creepy — gentleman, don’t let his appearance fool you. When he’s not turning the dead into dwarf zombies to use as slave labor, this supernatural badass unleashes upon his victims the Sentinels — deadly spiked flying spheres that latch to the head and drill into the brain.

No horror movie has affected so many people for so long. Forget about the beach, kids worried about Jaws in swimming pools, bathtubs, toilet bowls… You’d hear that damn soundtrack in your head. Dun-duh, dun-duh, dun-duh”¦ You’re probably checking behind you now. And don’t think about leaving the country, because Jaws knows where you are.

Damien’s mother was a jackal and his daddy was the devil. Sounds like an awesome paternity suit in the making. As a kid, the angel-faced five-year-old is an unholy terror on a tricycle. As a teen, he learns he’s the antichrist. And as a man, he tries to stop the Second Coming. The name Damien has become synonymous with evil — and with good reason.

Michael Myers started the whole slasher craze. In his whited-out Capt. Kirk mask, he set about killing off the neighborhood’s promiscuous teenage population. He spent his childhood locked away in a mental institution after stabbing his older sister to death, but no treatment could cure his urge to kill. Michael possesses a strong will, stealth, and most importantly, immortality — traits that would be emulated in many future horror movie killers.

The Alien, better known to its buddies as Xenomorph, is the baddest looking monster in horrordom (the razor-clawed, acid-blooded creature was designed by famed surrealist painter H.R. Giger). Xeno, and his kind, have also slaughtered more victims than any other movie killers. But what really makes this beast scary is the way it comes to life — through your damn chest! Never mind that the Predator kicked the Aliens asses. The sequel should right this wrong.

Based on real-life psycho Ed Gein (as countless movie killers have been ever since), Norman ushered in the modern horror movie and was a new breed of movie killer. Just your average-looking American boy”¦and his mother. And when mommy isn’t happy, you’d better watch your ass in the shower.

The ultimate psycho girlfiend. Her last boyfriend is hanging out in a burlap sack in her otherwise empty apartment. When we finally see the poor bastard, he’s missing a few body parts and eats his ex’s own vomit, his only sustenance. Her new boyfriend gets off easy — he only loses a foot. But, boy, is she cute!

It’s been years since we’ve seen an iconic madman grace the silver screen. Then SAW came along and treated us to a new, new breed of serial killer. Ah, but Jigsaw doesn’t kill his subjects. He merely tests their lust for life. Would you be willing to cut out your own eye to live? Or saw off your leg to escape? Remember, Jigsaw doesn’t want to kill you – he wants to make you better.

Samara is one of the latest — and creepiest — of the horror genre’s “evil children.” The little girl used her abilities to drive those around her insane. Frightened by her child, Samara’s mother threw her down a well to die. After death, Samara’s vengeful spirit passed on into a videotape, causing any viewers to die in seven days — the amount of time it took the child to die at the bottom of the well. Samara can make the images from the tape come out of the TV screen, including her creepy soaking wet self! No one is safe from Samara’s wrath…or their VCR.

A wounded serial killer on the run from the cops uses voodoo to transfer his soul into a Good Guy Doll to escape capture. But even though he’s now only two feet tall and made of plastic, this batteries-not-included tiny terror hasn’t lost his taste for murder. Unassuming victims fall prey to the innocuous-looking Chucky’s evil ways as he attempts to transfer his soul to a human host, slashing and stabbing anyone in his path. He’s Chucky, wanna play?

Leprechaun in the hizhouse, yo! Don’t mess with this dude’s pot of gold. No, seriously, don’t. This tiny mofo will stop at nothing to retrieve even one measly coin, even if it means bashing you with his shoe buckle or playing pogo on your chest — he’s very resourceful like that. He’s been to da ‘hood and back, leaving a trail of bodies behind. What he lacks in size, he makes up for in persistence, and rhyme, of course.

I’ve never thought about lotion or baskets the same way after hearing that weirdo scream those words in THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. And how about the infamous “tuck” scene? Weird-o! Gumb is truly one of the creepiest movie killers in history. He’s also the last person I’d want to be trapped with in a dark basement.

Anything that lives in a basket, eats burgers by the sack, and sniffs panties is one badass in our book. Basket Case, aka Belial Bradley, began life as half-formed creature attached to his brother’s side. After being forcibly removed from his bro, the little guy turns into a stone-cold killer. When you see him, you’ll either cringe in terror or laugh your ass off. Either way, he’s a force to be reckoned with.

Holy crap! It’s 40 tons of ravenous red jello from outer space! Don’t laugh, this gelatinous mass of mobile marmalade has the ability to consume all living matter in its path, growing ever larger and more deadly with each victim. There’s no reasoning or bargaining with the Blob. It comes, it eats, it grows…repeat. That’s some exponentially scary smuckers!

He doesn’t want to hurt anyone. He just wants to bash your effing head in. Jack Nicholson‘s performance as the axe-wielding caretaker is damn classic (didn’t that WINGS guy try this, too?) A hobbled Jack stumbling through the snow in the Overlook’s hedgemaze is one of the most terrifying moments in horror history. “Here’s Johnny!”

List compiled by the Geek staff; written by Empress Eve and Dave3 of G.o.D. as well as with Jimzarro and Jenn-X of Blogzarro.com.