Review of The Phantom of the Opera (1925) by John M — 02 Nov 2013

Lon Chaney: dedicated to the craft. Everybody knows the classic story of the monstrous haunt of an opera that falls in love with a young, budding starlet; it's a story that's been around for over a century.

This is the very first film adaptation. Being that there are countless interpretations of this story, you get varying degrees of how sympathetic the phantom is. Here, he is pretty much an abomination, and Chaney is perfect for the role.

It's not easy to act underneath a mask for the majority of your screen time, especially in a silent film, and Chaney deserves all the kudos in the world for pulling it off. But when the mask does finally come off and you finally get a glimpse of his face, it is absolutely chilling.

The make-up effect is haunting, and it is not likely to be something you will soon forget. Silent films do contain some of the best horror imagery, and the usage of shadows here really adds to the moody atmosphere.

The one criticism I have here also goes for pretty much all silent horror movies: being that it is a silent film, the reactions have to be so much bigger to register with the audience, and it can be unintentionally comical when watched nowadays, which that does occasionally happen here.

Still, this is well worth your time, as behind the scenes of a theatre can be inherently creepy, and they tease the scary here just right.