PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE (1974)—Heaven is for Quitters

Cinema of Cruelty (Movies for Masochists)

On this week’s annotated deep dive, The Cultists Present Brian De Palma’s ‘Phantom of the Paradise’ (1974). An intertextual explosion of classic literary references reworked and remixed through the lense of a then fresh-on-the-scene De Palma, ‘Paradise’ tells a fever dream of a musical tale about Winslow Leech, a bugged-eyed ingenue who just wants to finish his glam rock Faustian pop cantata rock opera—and he will sell any souls, barter with any Satans, and car bomb any Beach Boy tribute bands he needs to to do it. Critically panned and commercially rejected upon its release in all but Paris, France and Winnipeg, Canada, ‘Paradise’ remains a beloved celluloid treasure to that select few who can see the wonder in a classic tale as old as time. That tale about a Man, a Girl, and a record-producing, cock-blocking, cantata-stealing Satan.

Deep dives include: Faust, Phantom of the Opera, and other literary borrowings; the downside of optical printing; an array of the film's production notes; the musical gift of Paul Williams; and why Daft Punk, the helmeted electronica synth pop duo, are, well, a helmeted electronica synth pop duo.

Episode Safeword: “perdition”