A cult classic from 1974, Phantom of the Paradise is a modern take on Phantom of the Opera. By modern of course, I mean 70s modern and holy hell is this ever a period piece. Next to nothing looks like it could happen at just any point in history, it all screams mid 70s. Nevertheless, this film written and directed by Brian De Palma did rather poorly when initially released.. Is there a big overarching reason for that? No, seriously I want to know I'm confused about this.