The Phantom of the Opera is a 1962 British horror film directed by Terence Fisher and starring Herbert Lom, Heather Sears and Edward de Souza.

When the body of a murdered stagehand swings out of the wings during the first aria of Maria, the show's star, pandemonium ensues.

With the show postponed and Maria refusing to perform again, producer Harry Hunter auditions new singers.

Investigating the murder, Harry leaves Christine, who is then approached by a masked man, The Phantom of the Opera.

It was written by Professor Petrie, a former boarder who was supposedly killed during a fire at the press that was to print his music.

The faint sound of the Phantom's organ-playing draws Harry down a tunnel where the dwarf attacks him with a knife.

Five years before, as a poor and starving composer, Petrie had been forced to sell all of his music, including the opera, to Lord Ambrose for a small fee with the thought that his being published would bring him recognition.

After discovering that Lord Ambrose was publishing the music under his own name, Petrie became enraged and broke into the printers to destroy the plates.

While burning the already printed music, Petrie unwittingly started a fire and accidentally splashed acid on his face and hands in an effort to put it out, thinking it was water.

In agony, he jumped into the river and was swept by the current into an underground drain, where he was rescued and cared for by the dwarf.

Listening enraptured, the dwarf is discovered in the catwalks by a stage-hand, and in the chase, he jumps onto a chandelier poised high over Christine.

As the rope begins to break from the weight, the Phantom rips off his mask, leaps to the stage and pushes Christine safely from harm.

[7] According to author Wayne Kinsey's interpretation of a quote from producer Anthony Hinds, the romantic lead (Harry Hunter) was written for Cary Grant .

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "The absurd, much-filmed story crumbles—at any rate here—once the ingénue is reconciled to The Phantom as her mentor; but its Gothic elements are rich enough to defy time ...

Surprisingly tasteful for a Hammer film, the production is also quite imaginative (The Phantom's rocky, water-lapped lair, complete with organ and double-bed) and careful.

In the hands of the British, with Herbert Lom as the opera ogre, the result is ornate and pretty dull.

"[15] Variety wrote that the film "still provides a fair measure of goose pimples to combat some potential unwanted yocks.

In the shadow of its predecessors the current 'Phantom' seems a reasonable booking for average houses, without doing anything to erase oldtimers' memories of the earlier versions.

"[16] Harrison's Reports gave the film a grade of "Fair", writing, "The story of creative fakery, revenge and danger is not only loosely woven together, but its believability is weak.