The Phantom Empire (1987)

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The Phantom Empire or just Phantom Empire is a 1988 American science fiction horror comedy film directed by Fred Olen Ray, starring Ross Hagen, Jeffrey Combs, Dawn Wildsmith, Robert Quarry and Sybil Danning. It is a loose re-imagining of the eponymous 1935 serial.

Production

After realizing how little of his films' proceeds he saw when working as a director for hire, Fred Olen Ray decided to branch into production. While filming Commando Squad at Bronson Canyon, Ray decided that the area would make a convenient central location for his first self-owned effort. He tentatively named the film The Phantom Empire, after a classic serial that had been shot on the same premises.

Ray financed the majority of the budget with the proceeds of his early career, and a minority investor pitched in a further $20,000. He intended to shoot the film for under $100,000 but went slightly over, with the final costs estimated at $120,000 or $135,000 depending on recollections.

As The Phantom Empire's brief pre-production overlapped with the filming of Commando Squad, the director started making arrangement with players from that movie, such as the two leads Ross Hagen and Dawn Wildsmith, who was also Ray's wife. Ray already had actors in mind during writing, and filled the cast with people he had already worked with to optimize what would be a condensed schedule.

For the final stretch of the Commando Squad shoot, a cabin interior was built inside MovieTech Studios in Van Nuys. Ray thought he could re-use it for his own project, and wrote a 6-page sample set therein over one weekend. On the last day of filming (November 21, 1986), the director went around to crew members and offered them a small sum to stay after wrap and film the scene where the characters buy the treasure map, not knowing exactly when he…

Principal photography proceeded very quickly on December 1, 1986, lasting only six days, albeit very long ones. One day was so busy that it required a 27-page call sheet. Ray was apprehensive about shooting on such a short schedule, so he scoured his B-movie collection to try and find ways to keep the film interesting while relying on time-saving master shots.

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