SONG AT MIDNIGHT is a creaky old reworking of Gaston Leroux's PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, with the story transferred across to mainland China, where it gets additional political subtext and meaning. It's a stand-out movie because it was China's first horror picture, and already it has imagery and a look familiar from later Chinese cinema: facially-deformed "baddies", cobwebby sets, a plot spurred by human greed and envy. The film is notable for being very derivative, copying bits and pieces of various Universal classics like Dracula and Frankenstein as well as Phantom; it also happens to be slow-paced with dialogue scenes that really test the patience. However, it deserves plaudits for the make-up and set design alone, and it has bags of atmosphere which makes it a must see for any lover of classic horror cinema.
Review of Song at Midnight
