'The Phantom of the Opera' began as a novel by Gaston Leroux and is a timeless classic so naturally the story has sustained itself over the last 100 plus years since its first publication. Most audiences will either be familiar with the 1925 silent horror starring Lon Chaney or more likely the 1986 stage production by Andrew Lloyd Webber. However, there are many adaptations that seem to fall under the radar and the most obscure of them all is the 1989 version starring Robert Englund, best known for his portrayal of the boogeyman Freddy Krueger in the 'Nightmare on Elm Street' series. You can probably understand from that last statement just why this one isn't as well known.
The 80's were the heyday for horror fans and especially fans of the slasher sub-genre spawned during the early 70's and by 1989, the market was oversaturated with cheap low quality slasher flicks and even the big dogs of the era were on their last legs so when it comes to a film like 'Phantom' it sadly got lost in the pile. My first experience was seeing the above poster at a local video store and it never left my mind. As a kid, I only knew of the musical and would listen to the music all the time so seeing such a frightening and nasty looking cover was a bit traumatizing for my seven year old self. Years later, I found myself searching for a copy of it and once I finally snagged one I was pleasantly surprised.
The film keeps the basic structure of the novel and has that classic Gothic atmosphere but the story takes a different turn. It starts in present day New York (well present day 1989 anyway) and follows a young woman named Christine Day (Jill Schoelen) who hopes to win a part in a local opera. After a stage accident occurs during her audition, she finds herself back in time where a mysterious "Phantom" is causing mayhem and murder to make sure Christine is the star of the show.
The biggest changes occur with the odd time travel plotline, which seems to be a setup for a potential franchise that never came to be as well as the film's titular villain and his actions. This is not a romantic version of the story but rather it sticks closer to the novel with its grim tone and of course with this being an 80's horror film, it takes on a heavy amount of gore and other gruesome special effects. The film even remains censored to this day due to its violence but gorehounds and horror fans alike will be pleased by what's on offer here. Even the Phantom's infamous mask is given a much more nasty touch by having it be stitched on pieces of his victim's flesh rather than a traditional white mask.
The biggest surprise for me was how strong the production value and overall performances were. This was not a big production but Dwight Little (Halloween 4) does a superb job with directing and taking a film costing very little and making it look much grander overall. The London sets were from a previous film production but even then Little manages to add his own style with beautiful lighting and setting the mood perfectly. This has one of my favorite versions of the Phantom's lair and it's just how I imagined it when I first read the novel.
Robert Englund doesn't get enough credit for his acting I think as he is best known for being a bit over the top at times, especially when considering how Freddy went downhill from scary to goofy but this film is one of the best examples of his acting chops. He still has that tragic element to the character but at the same time he can switch on a dime and be so vicious and unforgiving. It's one of his best roles and its a shame he got such little attention at the time but sadly things were against him from the start. Hollywood is a business at the end of the day, so they of course pushed a whole marketing campaign including the poster used for this review. They were 100% using Englund's fame as Freddy to sell this and it was just the wrong move in my opinion.
Jill Schoelen is good as Christine though she's not as memorable as others in the role. She's likeable and easy to attach yourself to as an audience member but I feel that the actress has been given better jobs such as 'The Stepfather' than here. The rest of the cast is all fine with their performances, most not being as prevalent to the story as other adaptations. Christine's rival Carlotta is heavily cut back but the scenes she does appear in are certainly memorable. You even have a small role for future 'Underworld' star Bill Nighy who's very over the top but in that enjoyable way.
I've wanted to talk about this version of 'Phantom of the Opera' for a long time now. It gets so little or negative attention due to its slasher tropes that most people just don't seem to acknowledge it. I believe that it's a true hidden gem and it deserves the cult following it has and more so if you're able to track down the old DVD copy (the Blu-Ray is sadly out of print) at a fair price, check it out. You'll enjoy yourself.
A
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