At the time of its release in 1989, the Broadway musical was reaching it’s fever pitch, so it made sense that Menahem Golan, true to form, would attempt to cash-in on its success with a modern horror-splattered take on the classic story. It still leans heavily into gothic atmosphere, but this Phantom throws Robert Englund into the title role and gives him a grotesque, skin-stitching backstory that feels more at home in a grind house than an opera house.
Even though it was far from a critical or commercial darling at the time, this very 80’s (and non-Andrew Lloyd Webber) take on the Phantom holds a place near and dear to my Cannon-loving heart.
Ah, Cannon. It really was the beginning of the end. Back in 89-90, while the dying embers of the company were being scattered, Menahem Golan took what remaining projects he had on the boil to 21st Century Film Corporation to finish development… including his Spider-Man option.
While it seemed like the Cannon ethos might live on at 21st Century, Phantom of the Opera under-performed, as did the excellent Golan-produced Night of the Living Dead remake, Captain America and The Forbidden Dance (among a few others). It was curtains for any further projects. Also, Spider-Man would infamously turn into a decade-long legal fluster-kuck. But im glad ‘Cannon’ managed to eke out few extra good years during the mom and pop video store heyday. -Pop