As far as adaptations of The Phantom of the Opera goes(excluding the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical), this 1962 Hammer version is not as good as Lon Chaney's, which is the best version, but it's superior to the Claude Rains version(though I do prefer Rains over Herbert Lom).It does have its problems, with too much time spent on the opera and the romance and not enough of the Phantom, which does undermine the tension, sense of dread and horror. Sadly, the opera numbers, while musically good, are staged awkwardly and really do slow the film down. The romance is rather saccharine, and the chemistry between the two 'heroes' a little bland. Heather Sears also plays Christine too low-key and the script, while with some intelligent moments, does plod sometimes and has a little too much talk.However, it is very lavishly made (one of the better looking early-60s Hammer films) with truly marvellous interiors of the opera house, rich vibrant colours and opulent costumes. It is beautifully and spine-chillingly scored, though James Bernard would have been an even better fit for composer. The story is less than perfect, but does offer some effective moments. The close up of the eye is really quite chilling and enough to make one jump, while the grasping hand over the stage and the lowering of the gas lamp are indeed very suspenseful, Phantom's back-story is interesting and makes one empathise with him and the ending is incredibly moving.Terrence Fisher's direction is technically accomplished and does evoke some suspense and atmosphere, though his story-telling has been better elsewhere. Regarding the acting, Michael Gough steals the show being chillingly vile as a true slimeball with no redeeming qualities of a character. Herbert Lom is a great contrast as the Phantom, under heavy and effective make-up he is a sympathetic and tragic figure and it is quite a poignant performance, though not without a few scary moments. Edward De Souza is charming.In conclusion, not among the best of Hammer by a long shot and could have been better, but still manages to be pretty good. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Terence Fisher directed this Hammer studios version of the often-filmed story. Herbert Lom plays the Phantom, who was really Professor Petrie, a struggling composer who had his music stolen by the evil Ambrose D'Arcy(played by Michael Gough) who is now having an opera produced with his stolen music. The star of the opera Christine(played by Heather Sears) becomes an obsession of the Phantom, who became disfigured after a fire involving Ambrose. When he kidnaps Christine, her producer(played by Edward De Souza) pursues the trail to the Phantom's secret lair to stop this menace from further troubling them... Well directed and acted, especially by Lom, but film is otherwise disappointing, with an unsatisfying and dull story. Ambrose deserved a harsher on screen fate! Look for future "Doctor Who" actor Patrick Troughton as the opera rat-catcher.

As a fan of both the Hammer Horror films and the the Phantom of the Opera I was intrigued upon learning of hammer's version of the story. Having learned something of its back-story before seeing it, my interest was intrigued even more by the knowledge of Cary Grant's near involvement. Having seen the film now I will say this it is neither the worst Phantom film or the best by any means.Not that the film doesn't have a good cast. Herbert Lom takes a good crack at playing the role of the Phantom playing the role much more for sympathy then for the sheer terror of earlier (and later) versions of the character thanks to the script. Heather Sears, playing Christine Charles, gives a decent if un-extraordinary performance which can also be said of her costar Edward de Souza playing the Raoul of this version Harry Hunter (the part originally intended apparently for Cary Grant). There's also a good supporting cast especially in Thorley Walters as theater manager Lattimer and Michael Gough as the suitably unlikeable Lord Ambrose d'Arcy. There's also a nice brief scene stealing performance from Patrick Troughton as The Rat Catcher. All in all its a nice cast.The film's fault lie really behind the camera as the production is very low key to say the least. The sets themselves seems below the standards of even other Hammer films of the time thought the theater itself works very well in the context of the film. The opera staging in the film is one of the highlights even if Joan of Arc makes for a strange Opera choice indeed (and a deviation from the novel amongst many deviations). the film also suffers from snail speed pacing at times which is annoying considering that the length of the film is only about an hour and a half anyway. Yet the real fault in the film lies in the script.The script itself is where the films problems mostly lie. To begin with the film feels watered down in the horror department when compared to other Hammer films of the era due presumably to the near involvement of Cary Grant. There's also the big problem of the fact that the film is called The Phantom of the Opera but that the Phantom isn't really the star of his own film. This is thanks to a bad decision to shift many of the Phantom's murderous acts elsewhere which leaves the Phantom does little else but sit in his lair for the length of the film. the storyline used in the film bares little resemblance to the original novel by Gaston Leroux and owes more to the previous film versions of The Phantom of the Opera then to the novel especially the 1943 film version.This Hammer version The Phantom of the Opera is neither the best or the worst film version of that story. Though it has a nice cast and some fine performances from the supporting cast in particular the film is let down quite heavily by a low key production, snails pacing and a script hampered by one or two bad decisions. This is a version of Phantom perhaps best enjoyed by fans of the Hamemr films though they too will find that even in comparison with other Hammer films of the era it feels watered down and slow at times.

Phantom of the Opera, The (1962) ** (out of 4) Hammer's remake doesn't even come close to the Chaney or Rains versions. As usual, the opening hour is pure boredom as the Phantom whispers to the leading singer and we've got the usual bad guys and romantic lead doing their thing. The non-stop talk gets very boring and really damages the film. The final twenty minutes are excellent as we get to see the backstory of the Phantom and I don't mind the ending too much, although some hate it. I think it would have been interesting seeing Cary Grant in the title role but sadly that didn't come to be. This Hammer version is certainly behind the Chaney and Universal versions.