Phantom of the Paradise

92 minutes

Brian De Palma's Grand Guignol send-up and put-down of the rock business (1974), with a maimed musician (William Finley) haunting a concert hall operated by a malevolent mogul (Paul Williams). This was one of De Palma's early efforts, and its excesses can be chalked up to youthful enthusiasm—the ideas seem appealingly audacious even when they misfire, which is more often than not. Unfortunately, De Palma's style failed to develop beyond the superficial cleverness exercised here, even as his films grew more pretentious. With Jessica Harper and Gerrit Graham. By Dave Kehr