Phantom of the Paradise (1974)

Stars	User	Rating
8	BillyShears	90 _92nd
Wish rappers and dumb white kids would like this Brian DePalma movie as much as Scarface because the world we know would be NUTS
5	twincinema	85 _85th
If I had the ability to go back in time, and god help me I will eventually, my first stop is to go witness the production of this film.
5	Paxton	70 _63rd
When I say, "Sex Symbol!" you say, "Paul Williams!" "Sex Symbol!" - crickets chirp
4	DavidKahane	79 _62nd
This nutjob rock musical is a mash-up of Faust and Phantom of the Opera. William Finley plays a betrayed composer who starts off looking and behaving like the love child of Alison Janney and Don Music before transforming into a more musical Luther the Geek and finishes as Victor Von Doom in an Eyes Wide Shut mask. It's colorful and insane, like a melting funhouse viewed through a kaleidoscope. De Palma doesn't just let his freak flag fly, he sets it on fire and blows an airhorn while it burns.
4	PeaceAnarchy	79 _57th
Expected "so bad it's good', but got a genuinely good, though not great, film. Make no mistake, it's over the top from start to finish, in a way that could only have been done in the 70s, and it's the better for it. De Palma does a great job of fully committing to the style, the colour pops, and the set and costume design are perfect in setting the mood. I really like how the Phantom takes a central role and is neither pitiable nor disdainful. He's fully fleshed out, albeit with a bizarre arc.
4	INDYATMN	87 _80th
Wow, what an experience. This is a film H'wood would've never made if not for the brief popularity of rock operas. It takes "highbrow" influences & turns them into a garish live-action cartoon about rock celebrity w/ Paul Williams' music. Any 1 of these elements is likely to turn off fans of the other 3, but all of this worked for me. I'm sure it helped that I've never seen Phantom of the Opera (which I assume this is based on) so I found it mostly unpredictable & compellingly unusual.
3	terrymac	79 _81st
What the hell? I really liked this, although I'm finding it difficult to fully understand why. I think I might like it for the same reasons I liked Rocky Horror (although it may have more in common with its quasi-follow-up Shock Treatment, not least Jessica Harper), and I'm not sure what those reasons ae either. Loud, garish, tuneful fun.
3	MadMan	100 _97th
De Palma channels Hitchcock, Welles and old school horror in this epic masterwork that also sports a brilliant soundtrack. There should be more gothic musicals.
3	Barthalen	60 _38th
Where there might normally be a line between camp and satire, here it's more a jumping rope spinning wildly. The songs and/or performances are often goofy as hell, and whatever point this tried to make about selling out or copyright infringement is almost immediately buried underneath all the... everything. As a person who hates musicals, fun and fun musicals, it's probably best to ignore my opinion on this.
3	moraesfelipe	82 _88th
Such an out-loud, glamorous, horny, wacky and bizarre rock musical that it could only have been directed by De Palma. Not just because of the brilliant use of the split-screen, but also for its sense of collective madness surrounding celebrities (they die at the end, but the crowd is still partying), the director turns the famous opera into a frenzy Faust adaptation about this singer-songwriter that had his sonata stolen by a business man, then uses his scars to accomplish his revenge.
3	WWallce4prez	88 _92nd
Overshadowed and a not talked about enough, De Palma's crazy rock opera is a riot. There is so much to love in all of its chaos.
2	irvinejump	95 _98th
GENIUS retelling of Phantom of the Opera with the INSPIRED casting of Paul Williams as the demon
2	Neonman	91 _93rd
For fans of a very '70s film sensibility, this will come across as a pulsating and very alive production. Must've been influenced by and influenced Ken Russell, every department of this film clearly has an affection for music, theatre, rock opera, and of course cinema. It rehashes age-old texts like Faust and Phantom of the Opera and gives them a much needed modern oomph, all the while criticising the culture it emulates (another classic '70s staple).
2	moviesinhell	75 _54th
A bright, savvy satire on the music industry that also delivers its fair share of chills, twists, and texture. Special kudos go to Graham as fey glitter-rock animal Beef, the key figure in the wittiest _Psycho_ shower-scene send-up I've seen. And Sissy Spacek designed the sets!
2	RandallODim	88 _88th
Fuck Scarface; This is De Palma's masterpiece.
2	Himinotebook	93 _81st
A gorgeous, unique and utterly bizarre take on both Faust and Phantom Of The Opera with all the glitz and 1970s showbiz sleaze you could ever want and some true bangers on the soundtrack
1	CloseFriend	81 _77th
This musical stands far inferior to the Rocky Horror Picture Show, but it still has great music, intriguing set design, and beautifully campy performances in its own right. Jessica Harper knocks her part clear out of the park. I found the film's depiction of LGBT characters pleasantly approbative for its time as well.
1	frankswild	75 _63rd
The first time I saw this was with no sound in a bar; the bartender assured me that rewatching it with the sound probably wasn't necessary (I think he was right). The insane image of the bulging eye behind that strange and ridiculous mask was great but there were other parts that were pretty bad.
1	Stain	100 _95th
Awesome. My favorite version of the PotOpera story. They'll never make movies like this one ever again
1	JooJoo	3 _30th
Holy shit De Palma. For something that's at least part musical the music ranges from bland to terrible, and some of the acting (specifically in lead) looks like it belongs in a Troma production. This really isn't a good movie at all, but I gotta admire how cracked out he made this variant on the two myths. Both embracing the absurdity of its times and ridiculing.
1	Freder	89 _82nd
Other than OBSESSION, this is the only movie in de Palma's resume that I can say I really like. Though it hasn't aged entirely well and is very much of its time, it's still so far over-the-top and so cunning in the way it remixes the story that you can't help but be entertained. Fun performances from Gerrit Graham and especially Paul Williams as Swan. Great design, too.
1	Hailey	98 _97th
They need to make a Broadway musicial based on this film!
1	chemical404	66 _73rd
Drug induced version of Phantom of The Opera. It's silly, but I liked the style. Also, I loved Jessica Harper's awkward dancing. I already rewatched scenes with her multiple times since.
1	omgfridge	10 _97th
This should be revered more. Not sure how many other directors could pull this off. Always something hectic happening while at the same time being totally tantalizing to watch (and listen). Bizarrely wonderful.
1	spleen	14 _7th
Whatever hallucinagens were not used on the cast and crew must have been spoonfed to the studios for letting this one out.
1	fenixdown	82 _83rd
An brilliant musical and a scathing critique of the music industry.
1	Bown	86 _80th
I watched this four movies deep into an all-night mystery movie marathon and I’m not entirely sure I didn’t just dream it but either way it was insanely good
1	SirRobbie	90 _96th
Brilliant.
1	mightysparks	60 _68th
Loved the style, the humour and the music, but after the first half, I found it less interesting. Not a bad film at all though.
1	Darren	81 _78th
What money does to art. How violence and perversion are the roots of all Hollywood production. Even those with integrity eventually fold under the guise of fame. A fitting film for the hippie era. The thirst for blood. A cacophony of nothingness. You like the audience at paradise crave violence and DePalma gives it to us. A lush colour palette out a giallo picture.
1	Bavafreak	95 _90th
The best horror rock opera... and probably the only horror rock opera.
1	damil	65 _54th
The music was pretty good, and I liked the costumes and overall look of the film. De Palma shows off his typically inventive directing style, too. It's become a bit of a cult classic, and I hope it becomes more of one. I didn't love it, but I thought it was cool and I think it'll stick in my mind for some time to come.
1	SpikyCactus	80 _78th
Top badass moment? A film made in the early 70’s that isn’t crap. Well okay it is, but it’s good crap, like Tesco’s Jammy Doughnuts; (for details see the survey the Good Housekeeping Institute carried out during National Doughnut Week 2015). Better than all it's myriad of influences, it also contains Beef that even vegans can enjoy. And what did I learn watching it? Never to mess with another guy’s cantata. No cats or chainsaws; or decapitations, (as long as you exclude the dummies).
1	chmul_cr0n	83 _94th
it's amazing, this mixture of retardedness and depalmaness. :D this movie is so fucking crazy...
1	moonsmilk	9 _80th
I love this goofy-ass movie so much.
1	Boxcars	7 _49th
Bombastic, lively, and wholly ridiculous; "Paradise" is a superficial commentary on the evils of the show business that barrages the viewer with surrealistic images and a catchy musical number or two.
1	Monisit	70 _41st
Too much camp for me. The music was surprisingly good, but other than that it's just an all around camp fest - which just happens to have a huge budget. Winslow is just really boring as a protagonist and spends most of his time just doing one of two things. Swan is just a terrible villain. And the love interest is laughably bad, barely even a character at all.

Average Percentile 62.17% from 774 Ratings