When it comes to bringing horror films back to life, there is no shortage of inspiration from what has already been. Dracula and his army of undead have been resurrected dozens of times in various incarnations. Vampires have spread from Hammer horror to modern rom-coms. Zombies have been popular in film since their inception in the 1930s and revival in the 1960s, while true to life haunting stories regularly crop up in horror films. But what about one of the greatest horror characters created? Will we soon see a reboot film of the Phantom of the Opera?
What is The Phantom of the Opera?
The Phantom of the Opera (Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) was a novel published as a serialisation between 1909 and 1910 written by Gaston Leroux. The novel took inspiration from real events of the Paris Opera House of the 1800s, and regarding the ballet student skeleton used in Carl Maria von Weber's 1841 production of Der Freischütz. An opera house is haunted by a mysterious deformed man who begins tutoring and later falls in love with a protégé. In 1925, a film was adapted by Rupert Julian and starred Lon Chaney Sr. as Erik, the deformed phantom of the opera and Mary Philbin as heroine Christine. The film fit the tone of the silent movie genre of Hollywood, which focused on the orchestral accompaniment as opposed to the actors’ lines.
Modern Day Musical
But the story was one set in an opera house and, as such, really came to life with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera musical in 1986. The show became the first production to celebrate it’s 10,000th performance on Broadway, and has grossed around $5.6 billion worldwide and achieved a total Broadway gross of $845 million. The show has been seen by over 130 million people, spanned 145 cities across 27 countries, and remains a staple of both Broadway and the West End. A film starring Robert Englund a.k.a A Nightmare on Elm Street’s Freddy Krueger came out in 1989, bringing the original gory story to life, contrasting the more poetic musical. Also starring in Lake Placid: Final Chapter, Englund’s horror film work may have been too much for the story. An adaptation of the musical followed in 2004 with Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum in the primary roles. So, is is time to bring the Phantom back to life?
The Phantom of the Opera is Here
The musical’s success, as well as the multiple miniseries and foreign film adaptations shows that the story still has legs over 100 years later. The Phantom of the Opera remains a classic figure of pop culture, regardless of whether you have seen the media featuring him or not. The story was even parodied in American Dad, The Simpsons, and Family Guy, showing the prolific nature of the character. For example, G5 Entertainment have developed Mystery of the Opera: The Phantom’s Secret, taking influence from the prolific work. The game also takes inspiration from other famous operas and helps educate on opera for those who are unaware of it. Betway online also have a Phantom-inspired slot game, which takes the basis of the film/musical/book and wraps it in an online casino context. Fans of slots will gain knowledge of the opera and those interested in the opera may enjoy connecting with the slots gameplay. Developed by PlayPond, Mystery Legends: The Phantom of the Opera also uses the setting of the Paris Opera House for a point-and-click PC version of the game.
What Does the Phantom’s Future Look Like?
The fact that the musical still sells out shows and fans still flock from far and wide to hear the tenor’s dulcet tones hiding behind the mask indicates that fans are eager for more. The very fact that the Phantom is such a well-established and memorable character also shows that, from a marketing standpoint, they will sell stories. So, the logical step is to produce a new film for the modern day. The film could take advantage of the musical elements already established a la Les Miserables (2012) and have the characters sing live, or could become an IMAX 3D masterpiece and bring the chill factor. The film could go back down the horror route and bring it to the modern day like Friday the 13th did with their 3D version, Friday the 13th Part 3 (1982). Whether the film moves away from its now well-established roots in the theatre or not, the character will still find its way into hearts and minds regardless of what direction it takes.
The Phantom of the Opera as a story has done remarkably well, spanning a period of over a century, regaling people around the world of the simple story. Whether the title character is given a heroic write-up or rewritten as a villain, the character will definitely continue to bring in punters.
Your upcoming horror movies resource since June 24th 1999. For advertising inquiries or to submit news/information contact us. This site is independently owned and operated. If you like what we do and would like to help in some way click here. A very special thanks. Best viewed on Desktop. Privacy Policy. Bovada bonus codes
When it comes to bringing horror films back to life, there is no shortage of inspiration from what has already been. Dracula and his army of undead have been resurrected dozens of times in various incarnations. Vampires have spread from Hammer horror to modern rom-coms. Zombies have been popular in film since their inception in the 1930s and revival in the 1960s, while true to life haunting stories regularly crop up in horror films. But what about one of the greatest horror characters created? Will we soon see a reboot film of the Phantom of the Opera?
What is The Phantom of the Opera?
The Phantom of the Opera (Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) was a novel published as a serialisation between 1909 and 1910 written by Gaston Leroux. The novel took inspiration from real events of the Paris Opera House of the 1800s, and regarding the ballet student skeleton used in Carl Maria von Weber's 1841 production of Der Freischütz. An opera house is haunted by a mysterious deformed man who begins tutoring and later falls in love with a protégé. In 1925, a film was adapted by Rupert Julian and starred Lon Chaney Sr. as Erik, the deformed phantom of the opera and Mary Philbin as heroine Christine. The film fit the tone of the silent movie genre of Hollywood, which focused on the orchestral accompaniment as opposed to the actors’ lines.
Modern Day Musical
But the story was one set in an opera house and, as such, really came to life with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera musical in 1986. The show became the first production to celebrate it’s 10,000th performance on Broadway, and has grossed around $5.6 billion worldwide and achieved a total Broadway gross of $845 million. The show has been seen by over 130 million people, spanned 145 cities across 27 countries, and remains a staple of both Broadway and the West End. A film starring Robert Englund a.k.a A Nightmare on Elm Street’s Freddy Krueger came out in 1989, bringing the original gory story to life, contrasting the more poetic musical. Also starring in Lake Placid: Final Chapter, Englund’s horror film work may have been too much for the story. An adaptation of the musical followed in 2004 with Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum in the primary roles. So, is is time to bring the Phantom back to life?
The Phantom of the Opera is Here
The musical’s success, as well as the multiple miniseries and foreign film adaptations shows that the story still has legs over 100 years later. The Phantom of the Opera remains a classic figure of pop culture, regardless of whether you have seen the media featuring him or not. The story was even parodied in American Dad, The Simpsons, and Family Guy, showing the prolific nature of the character. For example, G5 Entertainment have developed Mystery of the Opera: The Phantom’s Secret, taking influence from the prolific work. The game also takes inspiration from other famous operas and helps educate on opera for those who are unaware of it. Betway online also have a Phantom-inspired slot game, which takes the basis of the film/musical/book and wraps it in an online casino context. Fans of slots will gain knowledge of the opera and those interested in the opera may enjoy connecting with the slots gameplay. Developed by PlayPond, Mystery Legends: The Phantom of the Opera also uses the setting of the Paris Opera House for a point-and-click PC version of the game.
What Does the Phantom’s Future Look Like?
The fact that the musical still sells out shows and fans still flock from far and wide to hear the tenor’s dulcet tones hiding behind the mask indicates that fans are eager for more. The very fact that the Phantom is such a well-established and memorable character also shows that, from a marketing standpoint, they will sell stories. So, the logical step is to produce a new film for the modern day. The film could take advantage of the musical elements already established a la Les Miserables (2012) and have the characters sing live, or could become an IMAX 3D masterpiece and bring the chill factor. The film could go back down the horror route and bring it to the modern day like Friday the 13th did with their 3D version, Friday the 13th Part 3 (1982). Whether the film moves away from its now well-established roots in the theatre or not, the character will still find its way into hearts and minds regardless of what direction it takes.
The Phantom of the Opera as a story has done remarkably well, spanning a period of over a century, regaling people around the world of the simple story. Whether the title character is given a heroic write-up or rewritten as a villain, the character will definitely continue to bring in punters.