DE PALMA MADE "ONE OF THE MOST VISUALLY STUNNING AND BIZARRE MOVIES OF THE '70s"
At CBR this weekend, Michael McCarrick posted an article with the headline, "Every Phantom of the Opera Film Ranked, According to Critics." Based on ratings of the films at Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, Brian De Palma's Phantom Of The Paradise comes in at number 2 with an average score of 76. That's right behind the 1925 silent classic starring Lon Chaney, which hits the top spot with an average score of 90. Here's what McCarrick wrote about De Palma's film:
The most interesting and unique film adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera by far is Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise. While Phantom is usually constricted to the Paris Opera House during the 1880s, De Palma manages to defy the conventions with one of the most visually stunning and bizarre movies of the '70s. Instead of the usual setting, Paradise takes place in an alternate modern day universe, with a hard rock club called "The Paradise" replacing the Opera House. This Phantom is a songwriter who sold his soul to get the woman he loves to sing his songs, only to have a record tycoon steal his music. The shocking visuals, as well as the satire of the music industry, make this arguably the most entertaining Phantom adaptation.