Before Andrew Lloyd-Webber fancied up Gaston Leroux’s 1909 novel with a flying chandelier and some awesome 80’s synthesizers, Lon Chaney Sr. scared the bejeezus out of unsuspecting audiences in 1925 with a creepy kisser not even a mother could love. Grossing over $2 million (at a nickel a pop), and grossing out millions more, Phantom kicked off a stream of Universal horror pictures that included the now-classic Frankenstein and Dracula. Presented here with a soundtrack by organist Dennis James (on a 4,322-pipe calliope), this legendary “beauty and the beast” tale set against perilous Parisian catacombs and ominous, opulent opera houses is one terrifying trip worth taking.
Sun., March 10, 7:30 p.m., 2013
