Conception

Phantasmagoria was a radically different game for Williams, who was best known for designing the family-friendly King's Quest fantasy adventure game series.^[14] Williams said she did not want to get typecast in a particular genre, adding: "I felt I had more to offer than fairy stories. I wanted to explore games with a lot of substance and deep emotions."^[15] Although Phantasmagoria was her first horror game, Williams had created murder and crime stories in her earlier mystery games, Mystery House and the Laura Bow series.^[16] Williams was a fan of the horror genre, although she did not watch many horror films as a child after a traumatic experience watching Horrors of the Black Museum (1959) at age four.^[17] She began watching them again as a teen, and particularly enjoyed such films as Halloween (1978),^[18] and movies based on Stephen King novels,^[16][18][19] like Carrie and The Shining (1980).^[18] Williams cited the works of King and Edgar Allan Poe as the inspirations behind Phantasmagoria.^[16][19][20]

Williams had wanted to make a horror game for eight years prior to Phantasmagoria, and had started to design one on several occasions, but none came to fruition. She felt the computer game industry and software technology had not yet reached the point where an effective and frightening computer game could be made. As a result, she decided to wait until CD-ROMs were faster and could handle real actors, which she believed was crucial for a horror game because she felt the player had to be able to empathize with the character to fear for them.^[21] Williams had been considering several horror story ideas for years before making the game. In one, the heroine answers a magician's advertisement for an assistant and gets the job, but the magician turns out to be insane. Another was set in the past, with the female protagonist getting involved in the supernatural life of a magician character. That idea evolved into a woman being married to a man who is drawn to a bizarre house that previously belonged to illusionists and is haunted by ghosts.^[15] The final story as it appears in the game has a contemporary setting, but combines elements from modern fiction, 19th century literature, and classic horror films of the 1950s.^[16]

Writing

Phantasmagoria was the first Sierra On-Line game script to be written like a film screenplay.^[22] During the writing stage, Williams was under pressure to ensure Phantasmagoria was a commercial success for Sierra.^[23] She also faced concerns from her husband Ken Williams, the company president and co-founder of Sierra, who wanted the company to focus more on lower-cost, combat-oriented animated games, and was also concerned about the level of violence in Phantasmagoria.^[24] Williams said she knew the rape scene in particular would be controversial, but she felt it was essential to the plot because it was a turning point that made Adrienne realize something was deeply wrong with Don. She felt the rest of the story "would make no sense" without the scene, but also knew there was a chance it would be cut from the game before production ended.^[23]

The script numbered roughly 550 pages when completed, about four times the size of an average Hollywood screenplay. It also included another 100 pages of storyboards representing a total of 800 scenes.^[25] In preparation for writing it, Williams spent six months watching horror films and reading horror novels, as well as reading books about how to write horror novels and screenplays.^[16][26] She also asked people she knew socially to tell her scary stories so she could identify the elements of fear. She immersed herself so deeply into the genre that she began having nightmares and had to scale back her reading.^[26] She also spent about six months researching historical aspects of the story before the writing process.^[23] Williams had a history of using female protagonists in her games, like the Laura Bow series and some of the King's Quest games.^[8] She said her own personality was a partial inspiration for the protagonist Adrienne, although it was not purposeful: "I think it just kind of naturally worked out that way."^[23]

Andy Hoyos, the game's art director and a horror aficionado, participated in brainstorming sessions and discussions with Williams during the writing stage.^[16][27] He conceived the ideas for most of the death scenes and tried to make each one different and original with what he called "fresh approaches to murder."^[27] Williams wanted to include more scenes with Adrienne and Don as a happy, normal couple, so that Don's transformation to evil would have greater impact. She proved unable to do so while also maintaining the correct pacing for the gameplay.^[23] Williams wrote Phantasmagoria with the mass market in mind, targeting casual players as well as die-hard computer game fans.^[4][12][28] To that end, she wrote the game in short chapters to break it into smaller, easier-to-play sections.^[4] Her targeted demographic for the game was ages 16 and older.^[23] She chose the title "Phantasmagoria" after reading the word in a reference book about the history of magic and magicians. The term refers to a 17th-century theatrical horror show in which "spirits of the dead" were revealed in a darkened theater by the use of a modified magic lantern.^[23]

Design

Andy Hoyos was the art director for Phantasmagoria,^[29] and Kim White, Brandee Prugh and Brian Judy were among the computer artists.^[30] It was the first computer game Prugh worked on.^[31] Mark Hood, a veteran Sierra programmer,^[32] and Mark Seibert served as Phantasmagoria project managers.^[33] Seibert called managing the project "much more of a technical and managerial problem-solving job than I ever envisioned."^[34] Unlike previous Sierra games, it also involved managing a great deal of outside resources, such as keeping the studio and outside art contractors on schedule.^[34] The game's three-dimensional graphics were among the first rendered on Silicon Graphics software.^[12][29][35] In creating the look of the game, Hoyos drew particular inspiration from the films of Tim Burton, and he particularly tried to emulate the lighting, sets and "imaginative edge" of Batman (1989). Other influences included the films Alien (1979) and Hellraiser (1987).^[29] Phantasmagoria was designed using the 3-D software package Alias.^[36] Hoyos started by designing the rooms,^[37] then created the furniture,^[36] and added textures and lighting.^[31] Once complete, the computer rendered final images of each room, which became the backgrounds for the game.^[37] While most computer games at the time had between 80 and 100 background pictures,^[38] Phantasmagoria had more than 1,000.^[12][38][39]

The game developers realized early during development that the game could not be completed entirely in-house due to the large scope of the project, and required working with Hollywood agencies, actors and special effects houses, among others. This added further complexity to the game's development and design.^[40] Gerald B. Wolfe, the game's director of photography, spoke to the artists about how to set up the camera angles during filming to best accommodate the design of the rooms. Mannequins created in the computer substituted as stand-ins for the actors to help Wolfe position the shots. Most of the artists had never created computer-generated backgrounds for video-captured characters, and found it to be a challenging process.^[37] Seibert said bridging the gap between Hollywood and the software world was difficult at first, but after about four weeks of shooting, the two sides had "come to a common language and had a greater understanding of the process."^[22] Hoyos said the biggest difficulty in designing the look of the game was creating a definitive scale for the environment, and ensuring the objects and environment would eventually be compatible with human characters and maintain realism.^[41]

Once the filming was completed, more than 20 two-hour Beta SP video tapes of footage had to be edited down to fit the actions of the game.^[42] The programming included editing the original video footage, and mixing the rendered images of doors, drawers, chairs and other objects into the footage frame-by-frame, which was necessary for more than 100 scenes.^[40] The game required more polishing and fine-tuning than most games of its time due to the many video components, and the programmers had to determine the desired frame rate, data transfer rate and desired resolution of the video elements.^[42] Another challenge for the game was CD resource management. Since many of the scenes in the game could be repeated in multiple chapters, some pieces of the code were written onto several different CDs to reduce the number of times the player had to swap discs in the middle of a chapter, an unusual practice for computer games at the time.^[38][42] The final game was on seven discs, a large number for a computer game,^[43][44] and more than the four or five discs originally expected.^[23]

Casting

Twenty-five professional actors were cast in Phantasmagoria.^[45] Roberta Williams watched the audition tapes of all the roles, and was involved with Mark Seibert in picking the actors. The only actor that Siebert chose without Williams' input was Victoria Morsell as the protagonist, Adrienne Delaney. Williams had watched other audition tapes for the part and was not happy with any of the choices. While she was on vacation, Seibert watched Morsell's audition and immediately selected her for the part. Williams was initially concerned that she was not involved in the decision, but later came to agree that Morsell was the correct choice.^[23] Morsell mostly had television experience, but had also previously worked in film and theater roles.^[45][46] She had to work 10 to 12 hours a day, six days a week, for three months to capture all her character's actions and movements.^[45] David Homb portrayed Adrienne's husband, Don Gordon.^[47] Morsell and Homb started dating in real life after filming.^[48] Robert Miano was cast as the villain Zoltan "Carno" Carnovasch. He had previously appeared in several films by Phantasmagoria director Peter Maris.^[49]

The comic relief roles of Harriet and Cyrus were played by V. Joy Lee and Steven W. Bailey, respectively.^[9][15] Lee had mostly done theater work in the Atlanta and Seattle areas, along with appearing in some industrial films and an episode of Northern Exposure.^[50] Bailey had been an actor in Seattle for about three years, doing mostly stage work, as well as some commercials, television episodes, independent films, and industrial films for the United States Navy.^[51] Malcolm was portrayed by veteran actor Douglas Seale. Stella Stevens played the antiques store owner Lou Ann, Geoff Pryser played Bob the realtor, and Carl Neimic played phone technician Mike.^[7] Traci Clauson portrayed Marie, Carno's fifth and final wife.^[45]

Filming

Phantasmagoria was Sierra's first game to use live actors integrated with computer-generated backgrounds.^[4][16] About 600 scenes were filmed for the game.^[4] The total filming took about four months,^[25][52][53] 12 hours a day,^[24] shooting six days a week.^[24][52] More than 200 people were ultimately involved in the making of the game.^[25][28] A total of $800,000 was originally budgeted for Phantasmagoria,^[24] but it ended up costing $4.5 million.^[52][54] The budget issues caused some friction between Roberta and Ken Williams.^[24] It was the first game made in a new filming studio built by Sierra in Oakhurst, California, the same location as Sierra's headquarters.^[16][55][56] It cost $1.5 million to build^[57] and was overseen by studio manager Bill Crow, who said, "Phantasmagoria essentially started with the design and creation of the studio."^[57] Sierra also developed computerized tools specifically to manage the shooting process, including software to digitize the video into the computer. Some of the software was built as the game was being made and as the need for new tools was being identified.^[58]

Sierra wanted the game to have Hollywood-quality film sequences, so they sought a director with experience in the film industry. They hired Peter Maris,^[59] whose previous experience was mainly of action and drama films, although some of his earlier films were graphic horror movies.^[60] Maris and Roberta Williams collaborated a great deal from the beginning of the process, with Maris explaining what he wanted in each scene from a filmmaker's perspective, and Williams explaining her desires from a game designer's perspective.^[61] Maris set up the camera angles and worked with the actors,^[62] using three motion-controlled cameras during the shooting.^[2][63] All filming was done entirely in front of a blue screen,^[62] and the digitized information was later loaded into the Silicon Graphics computers, which synchronized the relative motion of computer-generated, three-dimensional background art. Next, the live action and the backgrounds were composited using advanced techniques controlled by Petro Vlahos's UltiMatte system.^[63] The computer imaging components made Phantasmagoria a very different experience for Maris than his usual film industry work.^[62] Crow served as a production coordinator during filming, helping facilitate what happened on stage. He also directed the scenes that involved stunts or other special effects that required the coordination of animated sequences with live action.^[55] Cindy Jordan worked as the makeup artist.^[48]

Due to the nature of filming for a computer game, certain short performances had to be filmed over and over separately, like Adrienne simply crossing a room.^[61] Many of the actors, including Morsell, Lee and Bailey, had never done any blue screen acting before,^[64][65][66] and Miano had only done it once.^[67] Morsell in particular said she found it challenging because it was so physically constrictive.^[68] Such items as tables, chairs, doors or stairs that the actors appear to interact with are in fact constructed objects painted blue to match the blue screen, and were occasionally challenging for the actors to work with.^[69] During one scene, David Homb accidentally stood in such a way that his arm appeared to be going through the living room wall.^[70]

Morsell found it challenging to film a scene near the end of the game, in which Adrienne is pleading with Don while getting strapped into the chair with a guillotine overhead. Several different versions of the scene had to be filmed, and Morsell said it was difficult for her to work up the genuine emotion she needed take after take.^[48] The torture devices featured in the game were scale models made by local craftsmen.^[27] During one scene, the mansion roof starts to collapse, causing beams and chunks of debris to fall around the actors. To achieve this, the crew built lightweight beams out of hollow cardboard, which had to fall in the correct sequence. In another scene, Adrienne crawls along a water pipe that breaks. To film the scene without damaging equipment, the crew built a giant plastic box with a plastic tray underneath for the shoot. Three hoses ran through the pipe so water would spray in multiple directions.^[71]

The chase scene at the end of the game, in which Don pursues Adrienne throughout the entire mansion, took a full week to film. Homb wore a prosthesis on his face to simulate wounds from Adrienne pouring acid on him. Only one prosthesis was available, and it was in such bad shape by the end of filming that Williams said "we were essentially holding it in place with the proverbial wire and bailing wax."^[23] Several scenes in Phantasmagoria involved animals, including a Doberman Pinscher, two cats, a beagle and several rats.^[72] Sierra commissioned Dave Macmillan and other Hollywood animal handlers from the company Worldwide Movie Animals to handle the animals.^[73] Two cats were required to portray Adrienne's pet Spaz because the cats were temperamental and each would have moments when they would not perform.^[72] Some objects were borrowed by a museum operated by the Fresno Flats Historical Society and used as props in the game. The society was thanked in the credits as a result.^[23] Ultimately, all of the scenes filmed for Phantasmagoria were used in the final game. Some were edited for length and pacing, but none were cut altogether.^[23]

Despite a storyline running over a course of seven days, Adrienne wears the same wardrobe throughout the entire game: an orange shirt and black pants. Williams said this is because many of Adrienne's actions throughout the game can be repeated by the player over and over, making it difficult to change her wardrobe without it becoming "a nightmare of shooting."^[23][74] The only solutions she saw were to allow less decision-making by the player, or to keep the flexibility intact but not allow any costume changes. Williams said she decided the latter option was ultimately better for the game. An orange shirt was chosen for the character because it was the best color to shoot against the blue screen. None of the characters wear blue, purple, gray or any shade of green similar to the blue screen for that same reason.^[23]

Effects

For Phantasmagoria's special effects, Sierra sought the professional effects house The Character Shop, headed by senior creature maker Rick Lazzarini.^[75] The core special effects team for the game consisted of Lazzarini, Michael Esbin and Bill Zahn.^[76] Lazzarini said making Phantasmagoria was a much faster and more cooperative process than in the film industry. Due to the tight filming schedule, most effects had to be done in one shot with no cuts, so there was less margin for error.^[77] They created the effects for all the death scenes in the game, which included creating assorted body prostheses, burn makeup and what Lazzarini called "gallons of fake blood,"^[77] which was made of sugar, water and dye.^[69]

Adrienne's head is split open by a swinging pendulum blade in one death scene, an effect that took several hours to set up. A fake head was created from a model cast of actress Victoria Morsell's head,^[78] with pumps installed to pump fake blood into it, and strings attached to either side so it could be pulled apart.^[69] The crew only had one head model, so they had to keep putting it back together and reusing it over and over for each take.^[23] After filming was completed, the crew put the head back together and took a picture of Morsell with it.^[79]

One scene involved a burning head, which was created by taking a cast of the actor's face, head and body with a plaster, then placing soft rubber over the cast to simulate human flesh. It was also treated so it did not release black smoke like a rubber tire when it burned.^[76] For burn effects placed on the body after the fire, the crew made a sculpture of the wounds, then mounted them onto rubber appliances, which were glued to the actor.^[76] For Harriet's death scene, in which she is scalped and her brain is visible, makeup artist Cindy Jordan put a cap over actress V. Joy Lee's head and covered it with mortician's wax to make it look bumpy.^[65] Another special effect involved a spirit that appears in the form of ectoplasm during a séance.^[79] It was created from cellulose, water and green food coloring.^[80] It proved difficult to make, and several attempts were made before the right consistency was achieved.^[23] To create the appearance of it coming out of actress V. Joy Lee's mouth, an eight-foot long hose was attached to the side of her face.^[80] Project manager Mark Seibert had to suck the fake ectoplasm through the hose to get it in, then during filming he spit it out. It took several shots before the take was successful,^[81] and it looked so funny during filming that the crew kept laughing during takes.^[23]

Music

Sierra composers Mark Seibert and Jay User created the musical score for Phantasmagoria, with Neal Grandstaf providing additional music.^[82] Most of the music is a mixture of real instruments with synthesized and sampled sounds,^[63] and unlike previous Sierra games, the score was recorded live, rather than created in the computer.^[83] Themes for the music ranged from rock and roll to opera.^[63] The composers observed the game and various scenes to prepare their score, trying to create an ambiance and identify spots to build the tension with music, creating stingers as needed.^[84] For cinematic scenes, they watched tapes after the scenes were shot and composed the music afterward. This was a new process for Sierra and the computer game industry in general, but the same concept was regularly followed in the film industry.^[85]

The opening theme of the game features a neo-Gregorian chant, which was performed in studio by a 135-voice choir.^[25][63][85] Much of the underscore music that plays when the player is exploring the game, rather than during cinematic scenes, is based upon that opening scene.^[84] The composers made use of silence in many scenes, to build up tension for moments of a "pounce" effect, creating the effect with music that something is catching the listener. They deliberately saved the most intense music for the final chapter of Phantasmagoria, when the game becomes the most intense. During some chase scenes, drums and low strings are used in the score to simulate a heartbeat, which grows louder and louder during more dangerous moments.^[84]

Sales

Phantasmagoria quickly became the bestselling game in the United States,^[35] and was Sierra's bestselling computer game to date.^[108] It grossed $12,000,000 and sold 300,000 units during its first week-end of release,^[39][54] debuting at number four in PC Data's August 1995 list of top-selling computer games for MS-DOS and Windows. It followed MechWarrior 2, Microsoft Flight Simulator and Myst.^[109][110] By September, it had reached number one on the list among computer games^[111] and ranked third among all computer software, following Windows 95 and Microsoft Plus!^[112][113] InterAction, a magazine published by Sierra On-Line, wrote that no other Sierra game topped game charts as quickly as Phantasmagoria did.^[114] By the end of December, it remained at number three among overall software, and number one among computer games,^[115][116] and by January it was estimated as many as 500,000 copies had been sold.^[117] According to Sierra On-Line, its global sales surpassed 600,000 units by March 1996.^[118]

Phantasmagoria finished 1995 as the ninth bestselling game of the year according to an analysis by PC Data of sales by 42 retail chains.^[119][120] In January 1996, Phantasmagoria was the fourth-best seller among MS-DOS and Windows games, behind Microsoft Flight Simulator, Myst and Command & Conquer,^[121] and it was number six among all computer software.^[122] By February 10 it was number five among MS-DOS and Windows games,^[123] and by February 24 it was number 10.^[124] It received a boost in June 1996, possibly due to the pending release of its sequel Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh, and jumped back up to seventh among bestselling computer software programs according to Computer Life magazine.^[125] One year after Phantasmagoria was released, it still remained in the bestseller charts, and more than one million copies were ultimately sold, making it Sierra's first game to reach that milestone.^{[108][126][127]} NPD Techworld, which tracked sales in the United States,^[128] reported 301,138 units sold of Phantasmagoria by December 2002.^[129]

Reviews

More information Publication, Score ...

Review scores

Publication	Score
Adventure Gamers	[132]
AllGame	[133]
Computer Gaming World	[5]
GameSpot	6.0/10[98]
Next Generation	[134]
PC Gamer (US)	88%[135]
PC Games	A−[136]

Close

Phantasmagoria received mixed reviews.^{[23][137][138]} Vince Broady, executive editor of Multimedia World, said Sierra was smart to try to capture the adult market, which was looking for sophisticated games especially after the popularity of games such as The 7th Guest.^[57] Dwight Silverman of the Houston Chronicle declared it the best game of the year,^[139] calling it a "masterwork" and "as close as it gets to a film you control," although he said not everyone would appreciate it due to its violent content.^[140] Entertainment Weekly gave it a B+ and called it "one of the surest signs yet of computer games approaching the quality level of the movies." The review said it had some suspenseful and novel twists, but also some "horrific touches (that) seem a bit derivative, such as a Freddy Krueger-like nightmare in which hands pull you through a bed."^[1] Kim McDaniel of The Salt Lake Tribune called it "the most sophisticated computer game to date" and "a weird, wild, horrific ride that will make you jump at every turn, even if you aren't normally faint-of-heart." Although McDaniel said it might be easy for experienced players, she appreciated that it was more accessible for casual players than difficult games like The 7th Guest.^[12]

A Billboard magazine review said Phantasmagoria "lives up to the advanced billing" and "aims to unnerve and succeeds gruesomely with bloody special effects interspliced in trusty scare-flick fashion with daubs of flesh and hints of sex."^[141] USA Today writer Joe Wilson gave it three-and-a-half stars and called it well-produced, visually appealing, frighteningly realistic and "a much-needed change from normal fare," although he said the plot did not start to become interesting until halfway through.^[94] Gene Emery of The Providence Journal said the game was "an impressive work, a sophisticated mix of live action and a rich computer-generated environment, coupled with a musical score that's spooky without being overwhelming." He also called the gameplay "elegant in its simplicity."^[9] San Francisco Chronicle writer Laura Evenson called it unpredictable and addictive, comparing it to a good mystery novel.^[92] A reviewer for Next Generation was pleased with the story, the production values of the cutscenes, and the way the game mixed in full motion video without resulting in slowdown or poor control. However, he found that the lack of a challenge made it a poor value for experienced players, since they would be able to finish the entire game in a day or two, and recommended it strictly for those who were new to the adventure genre.^[134] Ric Manning of the Gannett News Service wrote, "The graphics are terrific, but don't play on a full stomach."^[142] Steve La Rue of U-T San Diego found the game "visually opulent and interesting" with "dialogue a lot better than I expected, given the trite gothic novel plot," but also said he had to adjust to the "gradual, contemplative pace."^[95] Jack Warner of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote: "It's hackneyed, but the art is so good, the acting sufficiently convincing and the atmosphere brooding enough to keep you going," although he said "precious little happens" in the first few discs.^[143]

Computer Gaming World writer Arinn Dembo called the storyline of a couple buying a haunted mansion "a cliché so familiar that it needs no explanation," but said it still worked in a computer game because the player could directly experience it in that medium, rather than simply watching it in a film. Dembo also praised the game for featuring a female protagonist, though she said Adrienne was too much of an exaggeratedly feminine "girlie-type girl." Overall, Dembo said the game "achieved a new height of realism and beauty in a computer game" and was "an important technological leap, and represents a step forward for the whole industry."^[5] Another Computer Gaming World review said Phantasamagoria "appears to deliver on its ambitious promises" and that although the puzzles are too simple for experienced gamers, the appeal of the game is exploring a setting that "would have had even the folks in Amityville making tracks."^[11] Harley Jebens of the Austin American-Statesman said some of the acting was "hilariously bad" and the storyline was predictable, but that the game keeps you engaged, the story draws you in and the controls were well executed.^[4] Fort Worth Star-Telegram writer Andy Greiser said the game was a beautiful combination of live actors and computer-built backgrounds, but said the action doesn't start to pick up until the halfway point.^[144] In a mixed review, Phil LaRose of The Advocate praised the game for having a female protagonist and excellent special effects, and said it had gone further toward merging the realms of film and game than any other computer game. He also said the game was too linear, with overly simple puzzles and a plotline with "so many recycled concepts in this game, players will feel like they've seen it all before."^[145]

Other reviews were more negative. GameSpot writer Jeff Sengstack said the expensive budget and long production history "do not necessarily translate into high quality gaming." He complimented the graphics and music, but considered "[the game] generally unchallenging, the characters weak, the violence over-the-top, and the script just lame."^[98] Mike Hall of the Albuquerque Journal compared Phantasmagoria to big-budget films with multimillion-dollar budgets and multiple production delays that ultimately failed, like Cleopatra and Waterworld. He said the graphics were beautiful, but the game ended too quickly, the plot was thin and the puzzles were too easy to solve.^[146] The Escapist writer Brendan Main said the game fell short of its ambition to change how gamers experienced horror media, and the juxtaposition of real-life actors on settings that were "ordinary, pixilated fare" was "odd and unflattering."^[25] A one-star review in The Video Games Guide, published in 2013, "now seems little more than a flawed, though ambitious, white elephant."^[147] In a 2014 review, IGN writer Kosta Andreadis said the game's special effects were still effective, and that Phantasmagoria wisely builds suspense and saves the violent content for the end of the game. But he said it was ultimately "less a bad game than a bad horror film" and said the execution, "although technically interesting, is extremely goofy, full of ludicrous situations, weird plot turns, bizarre dialogue, and dated costume choices."^[138]

Awards

Phantasmagoria earned an Editor's Choice Award from PC Gamer,^[39] and a Golden Triad Award from Computer Game Review,^[35][39] whose editors later gave it their 1995 Best FMV of the Year prize.^[148] It was nominated for Best Adventure/Role-Playing Software in the annual Excellence in Software Awards competition, known in the game industry as "The Codies," which are among the most prestigious honors in software development.^[99] It was also named Best Adventure Game of the Year by Games Magazine, Game of the Month by Windows Magazine, and was one of three nominees for PC/Computing's Game of the Year.^[39]

Controversy

Before Phantasmagoria was released, CompUSA, the nation's largest discount computer retailer, notified Sierra it would not stock the game. The company did not comment on specific reasons for their decision except for a written statement from chief operating officer Hal Compton: "Software comes out all the time. Some we buy, some we don't. This one we chose not to."^{[86][101][103]} Analysts believed CompUSA objected to the realistic violence in the game. Lee S. Isgur of Jefferies & Co., a global investment bank that followed the computer game industry, said CompUSA's decision probably would not harm overall sales of the game, and that it could in fact help it generate publicity. He added that "It's probably one of the bloodiest games ever."^[86] Likewise, Vincent Turzo of Jefferies & Co. said, "When you say you're not going to carry something, of course the consumers rush to the stores to see what it's all about."^[91] Roberta Williams said of CompUSA's announcement: "I'm disappointed that they decided to make a stand with my product."^[103] Some smaller retailers also decided not to stock Phantasmagoria,^[114] but others like Walmart continued to carry it.^[86]

As well as the graphic gore and violence, the rape scene in Phantasmagoria drew particular attention and objections from the game's critics.^{[9][138][149]} One major newspaper claimed Phantasmagoria "makes a game of sexual violence."^[137] Multiple parents' groups, religious organizations, community action committees and special interest groups called for a boycott, and sent letters to the Sierra offices in droves voicing objections to the game.^[137] Phantasmagoria was unable to be sold in Australia after being refused classification by Office of Film and Literature Classification (the R 18+ classification was not available for video games at the time).^[114][150] The Roberta Williams Anthology collection was also banned in Australia because it featured a one-chapter preview of the game.^[150] The governments of two other countries also banned Phantasmagoria.^[137] The game was spotlighted in U.S. Senate hearings debating regulation of content in the computer software industry,^[137] and there was talk that it could re-ignite the debate in Congress over whether to impose federally mandated ratings on computer software that stores would be required to enforce.^[114]

Sierra found that Williams tended to garner extremely favorable press, even as Phantasmagoria got negative press, so the company began having her discuss the game in person.^[151] In response to the backlash, Williams said she believed computer games were subject to harsher standards than films and television, which she said often have more violent content than Phantasmagoria, in part because computer games are often regarded as children's entertainment rather than for adults.^[101][103] Williams said Phantasmagoria was less excessively violent than games like Doom and Mortal Kombat, and that unlike those games, Phantasmagoria is "the good guy ... not going around shooting up people."^[103] Sierra spokeswoman Rebecca Buxton and Dennis Cloutier, the company's vice president of sales, both expressed surprise at the reaction to the game because Sierra made strong efforts to warn viewers about the adult content in its marketing, box warnings and censoring options.^[101][103] Cloutier said the company was essentially "censoring ourselves."^[103] Steven L. Kent of The Seattle Times said there were more violent games than Phantasmagoria, but that most video game violence appears in computer animations, and thus can be more easily overlooked than in a live-action game, which elicits a stronger emotional response.^[103]

In April 1998, three years after the game was released, the Kentucky Teachers Retirement System came under criticism for owning 435,000 shares worth $9 million in Cendant, which by this point had purchased Sierra On-Line, due to the violence in Phantasmagoria and other Sierra games.^[152][153] Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, and Lamar Alexander, the former governor of Tennessee, all asked the system to sell its stock. McConnell was particularly critical of the rape scene. They suggested a link existed between recent student slayings in West Paducah, Kentucky, and Jonesboro, Arkansas, and the "increasingly violent world many American children enter when they sit down in front of a computer screen."^[152] Pat Miller, executive secretary of the Kentucky Teachers Retirement System, said the system wasn't aware of Phantasmagoria or Sierra's products, and that it invested in Cendant because it's part of an index fund of the 500 best stocks in the country. Miller added that, if the retirement system finds a problem with Sierra On-Line, it would ask Cendant to cease ownership in the company, and that the system would divest its stock if it refused. Miller said: "We're not going to continue to invest in some company that does something that will be detrimental to our children. We know that our membership would not want us to do that."^[152] The same letter was also sent to heads of teachers' retirement systems in California, Ohio and Texas.^[154]