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      The Phantom of the Opera

      1962 1h 24m Horror List
      Reviews 50% 10,000+ Ratings Audience Score Composer Lord Ambrose D'Arcy (Michael Gough) and his backer, Harry Hunter (Edward De Souza), struggle to find a replacement for the female lead in their new opera after she quits in the wake of a gruesome murder. When a new prospect, the nubile Christine Charles (Heather Sears), disappears, Harry cautiously investigates. Meanwhile, a mysterious masked man (Herbert Lom) who is eerily familiar with the opera holds Christine captive and offers to groom her to play the part. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Nov 28 Buy Now

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      Critics Reviews

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      Matt Brunson Film Frenzy One of Hammer's more disappointing attempts to revive and reinterpret the classic Universal monsters. Rated: 2/4 Aug 16, 2020 Full Review Christopher Null Filmcritic.com Rated: 3/5 Sep 22, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

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      Brad P Beautifully shot, acted, and written Hammer has nailed what I feel is the best version of Leroux's tale yet, anchored firmly by a strong performance from Herbert Lom Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/28/23 Full Review CKB A first-rate Hammer production that makes this strange story work better than the other, often dismal, attempts. The horror aspect is presented more suggestively here, and the Phantom's disfigured face is not shown directly until the end credits. Herbert Lom's Phantom, unbalanced yet sympathetic, doesn't love his chosen singer, but wants her to train her to present his music properly to the world at last. Michael Gough is excellent as the vile, narcissistic aristocrat who has stolen the Phantom's music to claim as his own. Much of the film is a detective story in which the opera's producer gradually gets at the bottom of the mystery, and he and and the singer (who are now in love) wind up helping the Phantom not from fear, but out of sympathy for his sufferings and the injustices he has endured. Interesting and worthwhile. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/10/23 Full Review Audience Member It was one of my favorites since i was a kid. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member While the names might have changed, the terror remains the same. Actually, this incarnation of the classic Gaston Leroux character is more dramatic than horrifying, which serves to separate it from a crowd which includes no less than twenty incarnations over the course of a century. Sleazy composer Lord Ambrose d'Arcy sets his sights on fresh-faced Christine Charles. Unfortunately, the Phantom that resides beneath the London Opera House also takes an interest in her. In this instance, the Phantom is a former music professor who was horribly scarred during a fire and who lives beneath the London streets with his hunchbacked henchman. I'll be honest, nowadays I find it hard to take Herbert Lom's unmasked Phantom seriously as I keep expecting Inspector Clouseau to show up and wreak comedic havoc. For me, Lom has become almost inextricable in his role of Chief Inspector Dreyfus from "The Pink Panther" franchise. Still, when he is masked, he is a forced to be reckoned with. He carves a gravel-voiced, stoic statue of pain and betrayal with his performance. However, his make-up can't hold a candle to that of the great Lon Chaney's, which is probably why it is kept to the barest minimum of screen time. Heather Sears makes a pleasant diva hopeful and Edward de Souza is a competent leading man. But it is Michael Gough who really steals the show as d'Arcy. Gough has always had a wonderfully villainous voice and the shadiest of facial expressions. I continually find myself wishing he had acted in more horror films. On a side note, because of this motion picture, I will always associate Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" with "The Phantom of the Opera" as it matches the tone of the story beautifully. This film doesn't rank among the highest Hammer Horror offered the world, neither does it stand as the grandest adaptation of its source material (the 1925 version holds that crown in my opinion), but taken on its own accord it is an interesting interpretation that is entirely enjoyable and should be viewed by all "Phantom" aficionados. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member The corrupt Lord Ambrose D'Arcy (Michael Gough) steals the life's work of the poor composer Professor L. Petrie. (Herbert Lom). In an attempt to stop the printing of music with D'Arcy's name on it, Petrie breaks into the printing office and accidentally starts a fire, leaving him severely disfigured. Years later, Petrie returns to terrorize a London opera house that is about to perform one of his stolen operas. An underrated Hammer film . Hammer's version offers many changes to Leroux's novel, the most noticeable one being that the movie is set in London instead of Paris. The disfigured phantom (Herbert Lom) lurks in the bowels of the London Opera House (in this version) and he has fallen in love with Christine (Heather Sears), a soprano he helps to promote and protect Christine (the enchanting Heather Sears) . I like the UK accents . Drama, Horror, Romance in the twisted tale. And Hammer productions adaptation is my new favorite version . Excellent . Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Audience Member Not much of a horror movie at all, but like most Hammer films, it has some damn fine direction and atmosphere. This is one of the most tragic versions of the story. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      The Phantom of the Opera

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis Composer Lord Ambrose D'Arcy (Michael Gough) and his backer, Harry Hunter (Edward De Souza), struggle to find a replacement for the female lead in their new opera after she quits in the wake of a gruesome murder. When a new prospect, the nubile Christine Charles (Heather Sears), disappears, Harry cautiously investigates. Meanwhile, a mysterious masked man (Herbert Lom) who is eerily familiar with the opera holds Christine captive and offers to groom her to play the part.
      Director
      Terence Fisher
      Screenwriter
      Anthony Hinds
      Production Co
      Hammer Films
      Genre
      Horror
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Nov 10, 2016
      Runtime
      1h 24m
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