This is a really striking story, again bold and brutal. The threat of violence and rape is very palpable. The use of deep focus and harsh lighting come from the German expressionism that was pioneering the shooting techniques in the 20’s and developing the stylistic elements of what would later be the horror genre. Film has gone from stage like adaptations that are theater-esque, to spectacles with realism, and now the spectacle of horror is developing out of the notion of spectacle. We can see the offshoots of these first categories that film developed itself in and phantom of the opera is clearly a stepping stone in the horror genre, with the use of masks, sets, and fake makeup to pull at our terrifying internal fears of the unknown with external stimuli such as Lon Chaney’s horribly made up face.