Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- ornate
- wistful
- theatrical
- classic horror night
- opera movie marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly recognize the film's lavish sets, music, cinematography, and technical polish while finding its horror and suspense diluted by extended operatic passages.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Claudin's devotion to Christine, his disfigurement, and his secret intervention in her career make romantic longing inseparable from gothic horror.
The Paris Opera House, its backstage spaces, mazes, and catacombs organize the film's mystery and suspense.
Extended opera sequences, elaborate sets, Technicolor presentation, and musical staging are defining features of this adaptation.
The film presents the phantom through mystery, romantic melodrama, ornate décor, and implied menace rather than extreme graphic horror.
Films like Phantom of the Opera, and why
The Phantom of the Opera
shared gothic horror atmosphere, doomed romance, theatrical spectacle, and mysterious masked figure
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
shared ornate production design, romantic melodrama, musical performance, and classic horror sensibility
The Phantom of the Paradise
shared gothic romance, opera-house setting, tragic outsider, and elaborate musical spectacle
The Man Who Laughs
shared Universal gothic horror, tragic monster figure, romantic longing, and expressive studio production
Movie Details
- Director
- Arthur Lubin
- Release Date
- 1943-08-12
- Runtime
- 89 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (225)
Cast
- Nelson Eddy
- Susanna Foster
- Claude Rains
- Edgar Barrier
- Leo Carrillo
- Jane Farrar
- J. Edward Bromberg
- Fritz Feld
- Frank Puglia
- Steven Geray
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Peacock Premium, Peacock Premium Plus
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Phantom of the Opera about?
- A lush Technicolor gothic romance follows a disfigured violinist whose obsession with an opera soprano turns the Paris Opera House into a haunted maze of music and menace.
- What is Phantom of the Opera like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Phantom of the Opera as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Phantom of the Opera violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Phantom of the Opera as mild.
- What did critics think of Phantom of the Opera?
- Critics broadly recognize the film's lavish sets, music, cinematography, and technical polish while finding its horror and suspense diluted by extended operatic passages.
- Which films are like Phantom of the Opera?
- Films with a similar feel include The Phantom of the Opera, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Phantom of the Paradise, and The Man Who Laughs.
- How long is Phantom of the Opera?
- Phantom of the Opera runs 89 minutes.
- Where can I watch Phantom of the Opera?
- In United States, Phantom of the Opera streams on Peacock Premium, Peacock Premium Plus.
