Phantom of the Paradise (1974) A Gothic Horror Story

Phantom of the Paradise is a 1974 American musical rock, opera horror comedy film written and directed by Brian De Palma, and scored by and starring Paul Williams. In the film, a disfigured composer writes his music for a woman he loves so that she will sing it. However, a record producer betrays him and steals his music to open his rock palace, The Paradise. Betrayed, the composer dons a new appearance and exacts revenge on the producer. It co-stars William Finley and Jessica Harper. The story is a loosely adapted mixture of several classic European works: Gaston Leroux’s novel The Phantom of the Opera, Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Faust by Goethe/Christopher Marlowe. The film was a box office failure and received negative reviews contemporaneously; while earning praise for its music and receiving Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations. However, over the years, the film has received much more positive reviews and has become a cult film.

The 16th Annual Another Hole in the Head Film Festival brings you 15 days of mind bending cinema from the San Francisco Bay Area and around the globe culling together a diverse collection of films of all varieties and budgetary considerations.