Review of Phantom of the Paradise (1974) by Kevin M — 27 Feb 2011

The cult appeal is completely mystifying; it seems "Phantom" was one of those weirdo low budget projects brought to life via mind-bending drug abuse and deliberately marketed as a Midnight Movie. But alas, it's impossible to engineer the next "Rocky Horror", and the camp levels are purposely ramped up to an absurd degree. Is it okay to make something this unhinged and nonsensical and idiotic if you're constantly winking at the audience the whole time? Does the cringe-inducing "comedy" somehow work if the filmmakers knew they were making something awful? Also the songs are pretty fucking bad.

The presence of Jessica Harper adds a half star to the rating.