Phantom of the Paradise

I might be the only person on this site who loves both _Cannibal Holocaust_ and Paul Williams. So, as a huge Paul Williams fan, the songs in _Phantom of the Paradise_ really struck a chord with me, as did the 70s vibe. As for the rest? Even at his best DePalma borders on kitsch, and indie-DePalma falls indie kitsch vat and what he drags out of it doesn't smell too good. Not to menton the atrocious song dubbing... Let's just say I can only name 3 rock musical horror comedies and this is my second favorite (between _Rocky Horror_ and _Little Shop of Horrors_). Still, the soulful songs, Paul Williams and the big screen premiere of the wonderful **Jessica Harper** (who would go on to star in 1977's _Suspira_) makes this film a recommend. And if you can't handle me at my _Cannibal Holocaust_, you don't deserve me at my Paul Williams.

>*"As long as it sounds good, nobody's gonna care what it's about."* I'm not into musicals at all, in fact I mostly hate them but I had a good time with this. I was drawn in by the weirdness, it's weirdness for weirdness' sake but very captivating nonetheless. I mostly liked the musical numbers, memorable stylish costumes, really nice set pieces, eccentric characters and a great score. I'm not the best person to talk about or analyse the critic on the music industry here but it's pretty clear it has a lot to say and still feels relevant today. Paul Williams ends up being the standout performance as Swan, pretty hateable villain. Cool design for The Phantom's costume, a crossbreed between Owlman and Darth Vader. The horror elements fit perfectly with the central theme. The makeup and blood looks very cheap. Not too sure what to think about the last few minutes.