Monster Friday: Phantom of the Opera

Before settling into musical theater, the Phantom here used to be a bona fide monster. When I was growing up, he was more hearsay than actual fact. No TV ever broadcast the movie. The 1943 version of Phantom of the Opera was more melodrama than monster flick (and a lame melodrama at that). And the 1925 version was silent. Even Dr Madblood in his late, late Saturday night time slot wouldn't show a silent movie.

So without a movie, my friends and I would share the outline of the story and concentrate on the hideous face and the sewers of Paris. Of course for the Phantom, the sewers were a kind of subterranean fantasy land - a landscape where he was free and the ceilings were high. The actual waste management aspect of his sewer really didn't enter in to it.

And we had this model. This is one of the most dramatic of the Aurora monster models. It's the moment of unmasking -- his arms are wide, his cape flowing, his glow-in-the-dark face not looking like it healed well at all. And I especially love the dude behind the grate at the bottom -- he's a nice touch.

So if you have a chance, rent the silent. It's pretty creepy. Not only does he not talk, he doesn't sing either.

More photos after the jump