Erique Claudin (Rains) is a long-time violinist for the Paris Opera House. He is let go due to his deteriorating skills and has a nervous breakdown. The now out of work musician has anonymously paid for the career of a young operatic understudy named Christine DuBois (Foster) but Claudin is now destitute. His only asset is an unpublished piano composition for the opera, but when he seeks it at the music publisher's office it is not there. He goes berserk, killing the publisher with his hands, and is disfigured in the process by an assistant. In his effort to flee the murder scene he hides in the Parisian sewer system.
Click here to see the rest of this review...
As months pass the opera house has become haunted by strange accidents and thefts of items. Star singer Madame Biancarolli (Farrar) gets sick before the opening of a big production. Christine steps in and steals the show. Biancarolli suspects foul play by singer Garron (Eddy) who likes Christine. The phantom appears and threatens Biancarolli for making trouble for Christine. He is angered by her interference and kills both her and her maid. The opera's owners devise a plan to entrap Claudin. They open a new show but without Christine and wait for him to show himself. He appears and drops a giant chandelier before snatching Christine off to his hidden dwelling under the opera house. Claudin plays piano for his beloved but she is mortified when she removes the mask to reveal his true identity and gruesome acid-charred face. Christine is just rescued by Inspector Daubert (Barrier) and Garron as the unstable walls fall down everywhere. Claudin is crushed to death by block, stone, and debris.
The review of this Movie prepared by David Fletcher
