Phantom of the Opera, The (1989)
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Everyone knows the story of The Phantom of the Opera. I even did a review of the 2005 movie here. I’ll just fly through the story, cliff note style.

-Scarred man falls in love with woman
-Scarred man kills everyone that stands in the way of said woman
-Woman falls in love with another man
-Scarred man kills some more people, and then goes after woman and man for revenge

Badda-Boom, Badda-Bing

That’s about it. The version I’m reviewing is the same story, but with a different spin.

Christine is trying out for a stage play. Her friend Meg (Molly Shannon!) and her find some old script music, and decide to try out with that. While singing, a sand bag conks her on the head, and we are whisked back in time to Victorian times.

The movie circles around the script music that Christine had found. It turns out to hold the power of the phantom. You see, the phantom has supernatural powers. Superhuman strength, teleporting abilities, and a face even a cataracts-ridden mother couldn’t love.

Who plays the phantom? None other than Freddy Krueger’s Robert Englund. I personally always liked his acting, and he is in his element here. This is a slasher version of The Phantom of the Opera. Gore, blood and dead bodies galore! This movie really brings out the horror of the classic love story.

If someone crosses this Phantom he doesn’t burst into heart-wrenching song, he tears out the heart of who hurt him. While it is fresh to see a darker take on the story, it does have its flaws.

I would have liked to see a mask on this Phantom, instead of a high collar. When the Phantom needs to go out on the “prowl”, he stitches skin from his victims onto his face. The outcome looks like a cross between a burn victim, and Meg Ryan. Again, just give me the mask. The mask makes the man!

Also the movie should have ended 10 minutes earlier than it did. When you think that everything has wrapped up nicely, it just stretches out longer for a build up to the underwhelming ending.

Overall I recommend this to fans of The Phantom of the Opera, and good bloody horror in general. The is a love story with heads landing in punch bowls. It’s nice to see a Phantom with some balls.

3 1/2 cans out of 5

Added:  Friday, July 08, 2005

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