If you’re looking for a fun, not-so frightening movie to watch this Halloween after the trick-or-treaters have packed it in, I suggest Phantom of the Paradise, released 50 years ago this fall.
A 1970’s take on the classic …Opera tale, the movie is about a failed songwriter who swears vengeance on the scheming music mogul who stole his life’s work. It’s the movie that KISS is kicking themselves that they never made (instead of their disastrous attempt at the story).
Directed by Brian De Palma on a shoe string budget, with a cast of nobodies (except for the cute-and-cuddly Paul Williams as–get this–the bad guy) Phantom was a box office flop when it was released in 1974, but soon became a cult classic.
The story is more creepy than scary, the characters are over the top, the cinematography is as whack as you might expect from a Seventies film, the costumes are wild, and the whole thing is so gonzo that it’s never been remade (which is just as well).
What makes Phantom worth watching are its surreal depiction of Seventies rock-and-roll excess; its refusal to take itself too seriously; its allusions to horror classics like Psycho, Faust, and The Picture of Dorian Gray; and (most strongly) its musical numbers and soundtrack.
I saw it several times, when my local theater at Christown Mall ran it as a summer matinee a few years after it came out, and I ate it up. My friend Bob had the soundtrack album, and we wore it out listening to it.
You can find Phantom of the Paradise on YouTube or several streaming services.
Kenton Kilgore writes books for kids, young adults, and adults who are still young. Follow Kenton on Facebook for frequent posts on sci-fi, fantasy, and other speculative fiction. You can also catch him on Instagram.
