With Andrew Lloyd Webber's stage version of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA making a killing in the late 80s at the box office in both the US and England, it was only a matter of time before the horror genre reclaimed one of it forefathers. Who better to tackle this than Robert Englund, king of 80s horror, and Menahem Golan, king of 80s horrible? The end result is an interesting concoction that mixes 80s slasher attitude with 19th century sentiment.
Director Dwight Little, hot off the success of HALLOWEEN 4, brings an unusual sense of prestige to a film. The film benefits from excellent cinematography, ornate costumes and beautiful Hungary locations. While it isn't going to convert any Webber fanatics (it may have conned a few), the film is one of the more extravagant horror films from the late 80s. The script by Gerry O'Hara offers a few deviations from the original Gaston Leroux source novel. There is no chandelier scene (apparently cut due to budget) and the film inserts completely wrongheaded wraparound segments set in modern day New York. I guess the producers figured a Victorian Era tale wouldn't hold attention spans, no matter how bloody.
And this is easily the goriest version of PHANTOM to date. Highlights include beheadings, skull crushing, skin removal and throat slashing. Unfortunately, it seems a bit of this feel victim to the MPAA. John Buechler's MMI handled the graphic gore while Kevin Yagher's team contributes the scarred Phantom make-up. This may not have been the best move because the end result is something so similar to the Freddy Krueger image (Yagher did the Freddy make-up for the last few NIGHTMARE films) that it comes off as almost a reproduction.
That is not to say that Englund is merely going through the horror icon motions. His portrayal of Phantom Erik Destler is very serious and unlike any previous incarnations. This Phantom keeps the wisecracks to a minimum and is completely unsympathetic. It is kind of hard to feel for him as he screams, "Christine!" when you've just watched him literally rip someone's heart out. Then again, Jill Schoelen isn't much of a muse either. While she does perfectly fine in contemporary set horror films, she seems a bit out of place in 1885 England with her raspy voice. The rest of the cast is comprised mostly of British actors. They are quite good especially Bill Nighy (recently seen in THE CONSTANT GARDENER) and Terence Harvey as the Scotland Yard Inspector trying to figure out the murders.
1989 certainly was a productive year for Englund. He saw his directorial debut, 976-EVIL, released in theaters in March. The fifth installment of the ELM STREET series hit theaters in August. And this version of PHANTOM debuted in November. As much as Englund tried to separate this turn from his Freddy image, the studio played it up (check out the poster above). The film opened on close to 1,500 screens but fared rather poorly. Despite the poor box office (just under $4 million total domestically), the film ended up being 21st Century's highest theatrical grosser. Actually, it is their only theatrical grosser because this film tanked the company.
Director Dwight Little, hot off the success of HALLOWEEN 4, brings an unusual sense of prestige to a film. The film benefits from excellent cinematography, ornate costumes and beautiful Hungary locations. While it isn't going to convert any Webber fanatics (it may have conned a few), the film is one of the more extravagant horror films from the late 80s. The script by Gerry O'Hara offers a few deviations from the original Gaston Leroux source novel. There is no chandelier scene (apparently cut due to budget) and the film inserts completely wrongheaded wraparound segments set in modern day New York. I guess the producers figured a Victorian Era tale wouldn't hold attention spans, no matter how bloody.
And this is easily the goriest version of PHANTOM to date. Highlights include beheadings, skull crushing, skin removal and throat slashing. Unfortunately, it seems a bit of this feel victim to the MPAA. John Buechler's MMI handled the graphic gore while Kevin Yagher's team contributes the scarred Phantom make-up. This may not have been the best move because the end result is something so similar to the Freddy Krueger image (Yagher did the Freddy make-up for the last few NIGHTMARE films) that it comes off as almost a reproduction.
That is not to say that Englund is merely going through the horror icon motions. His portrayal of Phantom Erik Destler is very serious and unlike any previous incarnations. This Phantom keeps the wisecracks to a minimum and is completely unsympathetic. It is kind of hard to feel for him as he screams, "Christine!" when you've just watched him literally rip someone's heart out. Then again, Jill Schoelen isn't much of a muse either. While she does perfectly fine in contemporary set horror films, she seems a bit out of place in 1885 England with her raspy voice. The rest of the cast is comprised mostly of British actors. They are quite good especially Bill Nighy (recently seen in THE CONSTANT GARDENER) and Terence Harvey as the Scotland Yard Inspector trying to figure out the murders.
1989 certainly was a productive year for Englund. He saw his directorial debut, 976-EVIL, released in theaters in March. The fifth installment of the ELM STREET series hit theaters in August. And this version of PHANTOM debuted in November. As much as Englund tried to separate this turn from his Freddy image, the studio played it up (check out the poster above). The film opened on close to 1,500 screens but fared rather poorly. Despite the poor box office (just under $4 million total domestically), the film ended up being 21st Century's highest theatrical grosser. Actually, it is their only theatrical grosser because this film tanked the company.