History Film / PhantomOfTheParadise

* BlackAndGreyMorality: It's the horrible, merciless music producer Swan versus the mentally unstable and vengeful Winslow Leech, though they end up working together at different points of the film.

* MusicalWorldHypothesis: The rest of the songs are performances or rehearsals but ''Never Thought I'd Get To Meet The Devil'' seems to be in Leech's head as he's going to confront Swan.

Compare and contrast ''Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow'', another 1970s rock musical that tackles horror themes (albeit in a much spoofier manner) and was considered a failure when it first came out, but is now a cult classic. (Also, both films were by 20th Century Fox and the actress who played Phoenix played Janet in ShockTreatment, leading some fans to see all three films as a loose trilogy.)

[[quoteright:360:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/potp.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:360:''"My music is for Phoenix. Only she can sing it. Anyone else who tries, dies!"'']]

Winslow Leach is an aspiring singer/songwriter who's quite thrilled when powerful music producer, Swan (PaulWilliams, who wrote all the film's songs), expresses interest in using his music -- a rock version of ''Faust'' -- to open The Paradise, the ultimate rock theater. However, Winslow quickly finds out that Swan wants absolutely nothing to do with him after taking his music. While Winslow gets lucky the first time he sneaks into Swan's mansion (by meeting Phoenix, a cute wannabe singer), he isn't so fortunate the second time, where he's beaten up by Swan's men, framed for drug dealing, and sent to prison for life.

* GovernmentDrugEnforcement: If by "Government" you mean "Record Company". Death Records does this with all there musicians, for example when one of The Beach Bums complains that he's too sick to sing, Philbin just shoves some pills down his throat and shoves him back on stage. That said He wasn't just "sick", [[spoiler:he heard the ticking from the bomb]].

A musical CultClassic from 1974, directed by Creator/BrianDePalma. A sort of reimagining of ''Literature/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'', but set in the 70's and with is more of a rock opera than a traditional one.

A musical CultClassic from 1974, directed by Creator/BrianDePalma.

%%* PsychoShowerMurderParody

** The Phantom's attack on Beef in the shower homages and parodies the infamous shower scene in ''Film/{{Psycho}}''.

* [[spoiler: AChatWithSatan: Satan talks to Swan when he attempts to kill himself in a bathtub.]]
* AffablyEvil: Swan.
* AllPartOfTheShow: [[spoiler: The audiences at the Paradise apparently think everything is this, including Beef's death and the chaos at the wedding in the end.]]

** Winslow Leach's name is ironic considering that [[spoiler: the success of the Paradise is dependent on Swan leeching from Leach's work.]]
** Phoenix's name highlights her character arc. This comes to the fore with [[spoiler: Beef being burnt to a crisp before she symbolically rises from the ashes of his failure. She's also the only named character who survives, mirroring the phoenix's status as immortal.]]
** Swan is as regal and luxurious as the implicit cultural implications given by his name. As well as resembling an inversion of the ugly duckling tale [[spoiler: seeing as he becomes more and more monstrous, from a personality perspective, as the movie goes on. Swans are also known to be much more vicious than their appearance lets on.]]

* AwesomeButImpractical : Swan's desk. It's a giant, round gold record with the Death label. Since the desk is about a dozen feet wide and the only place for Swan to sit is dead centre, he must have to scramble across the top of it.

* BathSuicide: It's shown that Swan was about to do this when he was offered his DealWithTheDevil.

* [[spoiler: BuryYourGays: Beef gets impaled with a fake lightning bolt.]]
* CampGay: '''Beef.'''
** MachoCamp

* DeathWail : Winslow's shriek of rage when he discovers Swan's second betrayal.

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler: Winslow dies after killing Swan, leaving Phoenix heartbroken and alone.]]

* [[spoiler: TheHeroDies]]

* NextSundayAD : A very minor example. The film was released in October of 1974, but the calendar pages show December of 1974.

* PsychoShowerMurderParody
* [[GovernmentDrugEnforcement Record Company Drug Enforcement]]: Death Records does this with all there musicians, for example when one of The Beach Bums complains that he's too sick to sing, Philbin just shoves some pills down his throat and shoves him back on stage.
*** He wasn't just sick, he heard the ticking from the bomb.

* TheSeventies

* SequelEscalation: A kind of in-film example, with Swan's public shows. [[spoiler:The first in the film features a singer bloodlessly miming harakiri on stage. The second involves dummy audience members being hacked up by the singers and turned into a Frankenstein-like man. This show ends with said man being electrocuted on stage. The final show, the wedding, features a man being shot in the head, the Phantom's wounds re-opening, and Swan himself being graphically stabbed to death on live TV, with the theater audience themselves finally climbing up to take part in it all. This troper didn't think about this until repeat viewings, so it counted as FridgeBrilliance too.]]

** Winslow Leach's name is ironic considering that [[spoiler: the success of the paradise is dependent on Swan leeching from Leach's work.]]

[[caption-width-right:360:"My music is for Phoenix. Only she can sing it. Anyone else who tries, dies."]]

Compare and contrast ''TheRockyHorrorPictureShow'', another 1970s rock musical that tackles horror themes (albeit in a much spoofier manner) and was considered a failure when it first came out, but is now a cult classic. (Also, both films were by 20th Century Fox and the actress who played Phoenix played Janet in ShockTreatment, leading some fans to see all three films as a loose trilogy.)

* GlamRock: Beef. Blech.

* CastingGag: Paul Williams, who plays the diabolical, 5'2, top-hat-wearing, bird-obsessed Swan would later voice the diabolical, 5'2, top-hat-wearing, bird-obsessed Penguin on ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries''.
** He apparently moonlights as an [[Film/BattleForThePlanetOfTheApes ape scientist in the far future]].

** He apparently moonlights as an [[PlanetOfTheApes ape scientist in the far future]].

* ReferenceOverdosed: The plot of the film is remarkably coherent given how many sources it draws upon, not to mention the inevitable AlfredHitchcock homages that director BrianDePalma is fond of throwing into his works:
** The title and the first half of the plot specifically invokes ''ThePhantomOfTheOpera''.
** The "sold his soul" aspect of the plot is obviously based on ''{{Faust}}'', just like Winslow's cantata.
** Swan's deal with the Devil features a recording that ages in his place, much like ''ThePictureOfDorianGray''.
** The Phantom's attack on Beef in the shower homages and parodies the infamous shower scene in ''{{Psycho}}''.
** The assassination during a stage performance recalls ''TheManWhoKnewTooMuch''.

** The title specifically invokes ''ThePhantomOfTheOpera''.
** The main part of the plot is obviously based on ''{{Faust}}'', just like Winslow's cantata.