The Phantom of the Opera

Play trailer

The Phantom of the Opera

Now Playing

1h 33m

Horror

Music

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

90%

Tomatometer

49 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Aspiring young opera singer Christine Daaé discovers that she has a mysterious admirer intent on helping her become a lead performer. This masked presence is Erik, also known as the Phantom, a horribly disfigured recluse who lives underneath the Paris Opera House. When the Phantom takes Christine prisoner and demands her devotion and affection, her suitor, Vicomte Raoul de Chagny, sets out to rescue her.

Now in Theaters

Now Playing

Buy Tickets

Critics Consensus

Decades later, it still retains its ability to scare -- and Lon Chaney's performance remains one of the benchmarks of the horror genre.

Read Critics Reviews

Keith Phipps

AV Club

The atmosphere matches Chaney's performance perfectly. His grotesque appearance is achieved with wires, cotton balls, and eye-dilating chemicals, but his character, as usual, is animated from within.

Aug 16, 2013

Full Review

J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

Lon Chaney's performance as the hideous organist prowling the sewers beneath the Paris Opera is still a cornerstone of gothic horror.

Aug 16, 2013

Full Review

Ty Burr

Boston Globe

A grand, pulpy potboiler of a suspense melodrama.

Rated: 4/4

Nov 24, 2011

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

If it wasn’t quite the match of the fright fests that were being made over in Europe during this decade (Nosferatu, Haxan), it was certainly one of the most epic American undertakings this side of D.W. Griffith and Cecil B. DeMille.

Rated: 3.5/4

Feb 13, 2023

Full Review

Robert E. Sherwood

LIFE

[Phantom] is not nearly so magnificent in scale, nor so stirring in theme, as The Hunchback -- but as represented on the screen it is a more consistently thrilling story. It is spook melodrama at its wildest and weirdest, and it is beautifully done.

Oct 7, 2021

Full Review

María Luz Morales (Felipe Centeno)

La Vanguardia (Spain)

The audience was always interested in Lon Cheney's mysterious character. [Full Review in Spanish]

Oct 2, 2020

Full Review

Read all reviews

Elsie M

This screening was accompanied by live music and it is the best way to enjoy a classic silent film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/10/25

Full Review

Kathy

Classic silent movie with music.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/07/24

Full Review

Lau S

I love this horror movie! Damn great!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/29/25

Full Review

Robert C.

I love love love Lon Chaney's makeup in this. The face reveal is classic horror.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/07/25

Full Review

Horror fan 4

A wonderful film filled with great performances and make-up effects. Tim Treakle

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/14/25

Full Review

Alesia L

The Phantom's fear was noticeable through physical communication between the actors and the musical intensity, making it difficult to evoke positive emotions for the Phantom, unlike in the Broadway show and the 2004 movie, likely due to Andrew Lloyd Webber's score bringing to you sadness regarding the Phantom's situation. It was nice to learn that the Phantom's actual name is Erik. This was enjoyable to watch, and I regret not seeing it sooner and I have plans to revisit it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/15/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Rupert Julian

Director

Lon Chaney

Erik, The Phantom

Mary Philbin

Christine Daae

Norman Kerry

Vicomte Raoul de Chagny

Arthur Edmund Carewe

Ledoux

Gibson Gowland

Simon Buquet

Phantom of the Opera

81%

77%

Phantom of the Opera

Watchlist

Dracula

96%

82%

Dracula

Watchlist

Murders in the Rue Morgue

79%

47%

Murders in the Rue Morgue

Watchlist

The Mummy

89%

71%

The Mummy

Watchlist

Frankenstein

94%

87%

Frankenstein

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Aspiring young opera singer Christine Daaé discovers that she has a mysterious admirer intent on helping her become a lead performer. This masked presence is Erik, also known as the Phantom, a horribly disfigured recluse who lives underneath the Paris Opera House. When the Phantom takes Christine prisoner and demands her devotion and affection, her suitor, Vicomte Raoul de Chagny, sets out to rescue her.

Director: Rupert Julian
Producer: Carl Laemmle
Screenwriter: Gaston Leroux, Bernard McConville
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Universal Pictures
Genre: Horror, Music
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 6, 1925, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 11, 2016
Runtime: 1h 33m

Most Popular at Home Now