Top 25 Horror Movies

The Phantom of the Opera, 1925

One of the great "reveals" in horror films comes when the phantom's mask is removed to show a grotesque visage with distended eyes, misshapen nostrils and cadaverous teeth. Director Rupert Julian's lavish subterranean nightmare (best seen on Milestone's two-disc set) is a tribute to the artistry and masochism of Lon Chaney, the "man of a thousand faces," who endured extraordinary pains to scare audiences and burrow into the sad hearts of characters like Quasimodo, Mr. Wu and the phantom. This film was remade many times, most recently as V for Vendetta.