Gaston Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera is one of my favorite books. It’s been adapted many times, but none of those adaptations have ever hit quite the right note for me. Nonetheless, each iteration of the story is fascinating in its own right, and I enjoy reviewing the history behind them and the differences that separate each of them.

• Gaston Leroux’s Phantom of the Opera: To set the stage, let’s start with the original work that sparked it all.
• The 1925 Silent Film: Lon Chaney stars in a masterpiece of early theatre.
• The 1943 Film: Claude Rains begins the trend of charismatic Phantoms.
• The 1962 Film: Herbert Lom portrays the most sympathetic Phantom yet.
• The 1986 Musical: The Phantom moves from page to stage and enchants a new generation of audiences.
• The 1989 Film: Robert Englund dons the mask in a slasher film take on the Phantom.

_{Featured Image: Monique Wingard, CC BY 2.0}