History Film / PhantomOfTheParadise

Life in prison isn't so kind to Winslow. His teeth are extracted for experimental purposes, and he winds up with a set of sharp metal replacements. One day, when he hears one of his ''Faust'' songs on the radio-- watered down into cutesy pop and performed by Swan's most popular band, The Juicy Fruits-- he goes insane and manages to escape prison, he even manages to terrorize Swan's offices and the thugs who beat him up, but ends up in a freak accident with a record press, severely deforming his face and damaging his vocal chords. Angry and desperate, Winslow heads to The Paradise and dons a cape and a mask, now becoming the titular Phantom. He attempts to kill The Juicy Fruits (now retooled into "The Beach Bums") with a bomb, but fails. When he confronts Swan alone shortly thereafter, he's put off-balance by Swan's now conciliatory manner.

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

** One unforseen consequence was Peter Grant getting upset at [[Spoiler:Beef's death, as it resembled the onstage (accidental) electrocution of Les Harvey, guitarist for Stone The Crows, a band managed by Grant.]]

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

** The Phantom's mask is also reminiscent of a stylized Owl, or similar Bird of Prey, making the Love Triangle very avian themed. Which fits in a musical setting since the sounds and chirps many birds make are considered melodic.

* DiegeticMusical: The plot is centered around a songwriter's operatic adaptation of Myth/{{Faust}}, the evil music mogul Swann stealing it and framing him for a crime and the opening of Swan's new concert hall "The Paradise". Every song in the film is presented as an InUniverse performance, whether it's a concert, audition or the live-showing of the eponymous opera.

* GothicHorror: The film is a mid-'70s {{Homage}} to Gothic Horror, borrowing visual cues and motifs from the likes of ''Literature/{{Frankenstein}}'', ''Film/TheCabinetOfDrCaligari'', ''Literature/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'', ''Literature/ThePictureOfDorianGray'' and ''Myth/{{Faust}}''. The film itself is [[{{Troperiffic}} built on many tropes familiar to the genre]]; its protagonist is a [[TheGrotesque tragically deformed]], morally ambiguous TheatrePhantom-ByronicHero, the antagonist a SatanicArchetype who's industry reflects a DecadentCourt hosting DancesAndBalls, a waifish love-interest who is lusted after by both, [[ReligiousHorror religious overtones]], a {{Creepy Crow|s}} motif, a DealWithTheDevil (both metaphorical and literal), MalevolentArchitecture and a DownerEnding with an aftertaste of divine justice.

* GroupieBrigade: Phoenix gains after her first performance at The Paradise. Winslow rescues her from it to have a private conversation with her on the roof. More bizarrely, Beef gains one after he dies: with the crowd enthusiastically chanting his name as his body is wheeled out to the ambulance.

* CastingCouch: Exaggerated. Swan's process for selecting female singers is three of his bodyguards ushering an assembly line of applicants through a door, throwing them onto a waiting couch and pawing at them; those who make it to the next round have to cuddle with each other in a Sapphic orgy that Swan himself joins (one girl mentions that she's been called back a dozen times, just never to sing). And then, ''maybe'', you get to audition on-stage later.