Phantasmagoria 2: A Puzzle of Flesh released in 1996, and it had just about everything you could ask for from a full-motion video horror adventure game: secret experiments, psychic powers, mad scientists, alternate dimensions, alien creatures, government teleportation programs, a bunch of gruesome murders, frontal nudity, and at least one severed head.
Despite that impressive list, Phantasmagoria 2 wasn't exactly a critical hit at the time. It did have its share of fans, however, thanks to its campy B-movie charm. Even today, lead actor Paul Morgan Stetler, who played Phantasmagoria 2's tormented protagonist Curtis Craig, says he still gets plenty of mail from fans.
Since Stetler found himself with some extra time during the lockdown, and since this year marks 25 years since Phantasmagoria 2 launched, he decided to reach out to members of the cast and development team, many of whom he hadn't spoken to since the game was finished. Guests of his monthly interview series with the people involved with Phantasmagoria 2, called Conversations With Curtis, have so far included Monique Parent (who played Jocilyn), Todd Licea (Jonas Craig), Paul Mitri (Trevor), as well as YouTubers like Ross Scott (you may know him from Freeman's Mind) and Voidburger.
You can check out some of the livestream conversations here on Stetler's YouTube page.
As the interview series continues for the rest of the year, future guests will include the game's director and writer, as well as more of the cast.
Conversations with Curtis is a nice way to present an oral history of the game's development and a fun trip down FMV memory lane. There's even a great minigame on the official site, complete with FMV, that lets you point-and-click around Curtis' apartment and his office, where you might stumble across a few hidden clips, including a reenactment (over webcams) of a scene by Stetler and Parent. You'll also find Stetler's Patreon right here.
