The Monster of the Opera (1964), aka The Vampire of the Opera, has been on my watch list for quite some time, but I’m not sure how I first became aware of it. It’s inclusion in Severin’s Danza Macabre box set provided most of my excitement for purchasing it, especially since I already owned Lady Frankenstein (1971.) Sadly, just like when I watched Lady Frankenstein, I was disappointed that I didn’t enjoy The Monster of the Opera.
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The extended dream sequence at the beginning gave me hope. A lovely young woman in a sheer gown bounces downstairs, hearing maniacal laughter. As she runs up and down other staircases, of which there are a lot in this movie, it becomes clear that she’s being chased. Suddenly, she hits an invisible barrier and is trapped as a vampire with the biggest pitchfork I’ve ever seen, approaches.
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This sequence is beautifully stylized in glorious black and white. There are close-ups during the action and strange camera angles. The shadows are almost characters themselves. Some of the style is maintained through the rest of the film; however, the excitement is not. It’s replaced by the most annoying group of characters I’ve seen in a long time. The young members of the dance troupe are constantly chattering, laughing, and moving.
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It's interesting, then, that we learn in this version of vampire lore, the “monster” cannot attack you if you keep moving. Once the characters realize they must keep moving, I bet they wish they had rested a littler earlier. We also learn that sometimes vampires like to kill their victims with the biggest pitchforks you’ve ever seen instead of using the weapon that makes them vampires: their fangs.
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It's not original these days, but since we claim that Dark Shadows offered the first version of a vampire that lived in the present with the reincarnation of a woman he once loved, it’s interesting that The Monster of the Opera seems to have added that plot point sooner. True, Maggie Evans/Josette DuPres wasn’t directly responsible for cursing Barnabas Collins, but Giulia/Laura (Barbara Hawards) was responsible for cursing Stefano (Giuseppe Addobbati.)
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Once the rambunctious youngsters meet their instructor, Sandro (Marco Mariani), at the old theater he discovers for their latest musical extravaganza, the movie plays almost like it’s happening in real time. If not, it for sure takes place during one evening at an interminable pace that’s only 80-minutes long. Some of the rehearsals/performances are so jarring that with a little more finesse, this could have been a real musical, and perhaps more entertaining.
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