The Phantom
The Phantom (1931) Rewatch? ❎
Fantastically campy fun with the most gratuitous cat stretch scene in any film I’ve seen.
Like plenty of thirties cheapies, it has no regard whatsoever for a start, middle and ending. Drops you right in with The Phantom, a sinister murderer, escaping from prison then whisks you right off to a spoopy mansion because that’s precisely where the film wants to be next.
Just roll with it, innit. It’s going to go wherever it needs to and logic or sense be damned, scenes are not going to exactly flow anyway with plenty of awkward pauses and erratic pacing as is par for the course. It’s all part the fun and there’s plenty of giggles to be found from the deliberate silliness, never mind the budget/acting constraints.
Hard to pick a fave moment but this dude (The Thing!) turning up in the full Victorian melodrama villains outfit, cackling evilly is it goes? Yeah, loved that especially. Give that guy half a chance and you bet he’d tie you to a railtrack and enjoy every second of it.