Tuesday, October 7, 2014

The Phantom of the Opera

from Amazon.com via Google Images

The Phantom of the Opera

Before Andrew Lloyd Webber
wrote The Music of the Night,
a silent phantom
gave me a fright.
Even on a small screen
in black and white
the face was startling:
a damaged nose,
high cheek bones,
eyes that glowed.
A scream rose 
in my throat
and I cried out,
"Mom!"

Thanks to J.lynn Sheridan for this week's Wordsmith Studio Creative Prompt-Shivers. When I was a child, there was a program on Saturday called Silents, Please, that showed silent movies. It introduced me to the work of Lon Chaney and the character of the Phantom. Little did I know that years later this story would be set to music and become a worldwide sensation. Yes, I did go to see the play.

What are your early memories of fright night films and scary stories?

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4 comments:

  1. Love it! So expressive. I remember screaming during the original of the movie, The Fly.

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    1. Thanks, Carol. I think the old black and whites are the scariest!

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  2. Ooooh, Phantom of the Opera. Don't you love the old black and white shows? Who needs color and gore? Remember Dark Shadows? I loved those shivers! Wonderful poem, Michelle.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the great prompt, Janice. One of the old black and white shows I remember is Alfred Hitchcock's show. It was as scary as his movies!

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