The Phantom of the Opera (1989)

Alex Hyde-White

Terence Harvey

**The Phantom of the Opera** is an American horror film which serves as a more horror-related and gorier version of Gaston Leroux's ***Le Fantôme de l'Opéra*** released in 1989 and directed by Dwight H. Little.

## Plot

Christine Day, a young opera singer in modern-day Manhattan, is searching for a unique piece to sing at her next audition. Her friend and manager Meg discovers an old opera piece called *Don Juan Triumphant*, written by a composer named Erik Destler.
 Curious, Christine and Meg do a little research on Destler, and
discover he may have been responsible for many murders and the
disappearance of a young female opera singer he was said to have been
obsessed with. While Christine is alone, she sings from the tattered
parchment and blood seeps from the notes and covers her hands. Shocked,
she discovers this to be an illusion when Meg returns. Christine
auditions with the piece and during her performance, an accident with a
falling sandbag renders her unconscious and shatters a mirror.

She awakens in London in 1885, wearing opera clothing. A
different version of Meg is also there. Christine turns
out to be the understudy to the diva La Carlotta, who is both jealous and resentful of Christine's skill. During this whole time, Destler attacks the scene-shifter Joseph with a blade high above the rafters for almost killing Christine with the falling sandbag, and blaming the accident on him.

Alone in her dressing room Christine hears the voice of
Destler, revealing he is her teacher and an angel sent by her deceased
father. Destler encourages her to practice Carlotta's part of Marguerite
 in *Faust*,
 saying that only she can sing the part. Christine complies. That
evening, Carlotta discovers Joseph's skinned body in
her dressing closet. The event causes her to scream and lose her voice.
Christine is cast in the role of Marguerite, which causes a panic to the
 opera house owner Martin Barton, who favors Carlotta and the prestige she brings to his opera house.

During the scene where Dr. Faust
 signs his soul to the Devil, Destler reminisces about a time, decades
ago, when he sold his own soul to the Devil in exchange for people
loving him for his music. The Devil grants his wish, but disfigures
Destler's face, telling him that only his music will be what people love
 him for. Christine gives a stellar performance, receiving a standing ovation, and celebrates that night with her fiancé Richard Dutton.
 She tells him of her mysterious "teacher", to whom she accredits her
success. A mildly jealous Richard asks to meet this teacher, but
Christine insists her teacher is only a figment of her imagination.
Meanwhile, Destler seduces a prostitute and pays her gold to call
herself "Christine" for the night. After leaving the tavern he stays at, he is confronted by a trio of muggers in an alleyway, but this results in him murdering all of them.

Shockingly, the next morning in the papers, Christine is given a
bad review by the famous opera critic E.A. Harrison, secretly done as a
favor to Barton. Destler tracks Harrison down and brutally murders him
in a Turkish spa after Harrison refuses to recant his review. Christine
tearfully goes to the graveyard and prays at her father's grave. Destler
 appears as a shadowy violinist and offers her a chance at musical
immortality if she will only go to him. Christine goes away with the
Phantom in his stagecoach. Deep in the sewers below London's opera
house, Destler reveals himself as the composer of *Don Juan Triumphant*,
 which causes a spark of recollection within Christine and she sings the
 same lyrics from the beginning of the film. Destler places his ring
upon her finger and warns her never to see another man again. Christine,
 through fear, promises she will not. Destler kisses her hand declaring
her to be his bride.

Richard goes to Inspector Hawkins,
 who reveals that the Phantom is not only the legendary Erik Destler,
but has lived for decades, uses the opera house's catacombs as a
hideout, and skins his murdered victims for their facial skin to cover
his own hideous visage. Richard has heard that the only way to kill the
Phantom is to destroy his music.

After hearing of Harrison's murder, Christine meets Richard at a
masquerade ball and begs him to take her away. She fears the Phantom and
 really loves Richard. Erik, disguised as Red Death,
 witnesses this exchange and becomes enraged. He decapitates Carlotta,
causing a mayhem, and kidnaps Christine. Hawkins, Richard, Hawkin's partner Davies, policeman Morris and the rat catcher, whom Destler has been bribing in the past, go
quickly in pursuit. Back in the Phantom's lair, an enraged Destler
attempts to rape Christine, but hears the men approaching. He tells
Christine she can never leave and locks her in the lair. Davies and Morris
become lost in the sewers and are killed by Destler, including the rat
catcher for betraying him.

He returns to Christine who asks him if he is going to kill her
too. Destler replies "This is either a wedding march or a funeral mass.
You decide which." Richard and Inspector Hawkins burst in. After a
brutal fight with the Phantom, Richard is stabbed, set aflame, and
killed instantly. Christine sets the lair on fire by pushing over
candelabras and attempts to kill Destler, but he grabs her hand and
tries to lead her away with him. However, a wounded Hawkins manages to
shoot Destler. Christine pushes another candle holder through a mirror
which sends her back to her own time. As she vanishes, she hears
Destler's echoing voice screaming her name.

Christine awakens back to the present-day in Manhattan and meets
the opera's producer, Mr. Foster, who comforts her and offers her the
leading part. At his apartment, they have drinks and Foster goes
upstairs to change and finds a blemish on his face, revealing that
Foster is really Destler from long ago. He prepares to change his facial
 skin with synthetic ones he keeps in a special lab. Meanwhile,
downstairs, Christine discovers a copy of the *Don Juan Triumphant*
 music score. Foster/Destler enters, reveals his true identity to her
and lovingly kisses her lips. Christine pretends to accept him then rips
 off his mask, stabs him and escapes, taking his music. She tears it
apart and lets it drop into a drain, whilst Foster/Destler is heard
screaming.

On her way home, Christine passes by a street violin player, whom
 she gives some money to. The violinist starts playing the theme from *Don Juan Triumphant*.
 Christine looks back and reflects on the music for a while. Then, very
resolutely, she turns around and continues on her way, wondering if
Destler is really gone for good.

## Cast

* Robert Englund - Erik Destler/The Phantom
* Jill Schoelen - Christine Day
* Alex Hyde-White - Richard Dutton
* Terence Harvey - Inspector Hawkins
* Bill Nighy - Martin Barton
* Stephanie Lawrence - La Carlotta
* Yehuda Efroni - The Rat Catcher
* Molly Shannon - Meg (New York)
* Emma Rawson - Meg (London)
* Nathan Lewis - Davies
* Peter Clapham - E.A. Harrison
* Terence Beesley - Joseph Buquet
* Mark Ryan - Mugger Leader
* Mickey Eppes - Mugger #1
* Laszlo Szili - Mugger #2