Popcorn Disability: Lon Chaney and 100 Years of 'Phantom of the Opera'

We've gotta talk about everyone's favorite disfigured leading man

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At the beginning of the month horror host Joe Bob Briggs showed 1925’s The Phantom of the Opera as part of his Shudder series, The Last Drive-In (shout-out #MutantFam)! The intention was to honor the film’s 100th anniversary and the power of Lon Chaney Sr.’s performance, so I wasn’t too surprised that the series didn’t explore the movie’s impact as a disabled narrative; Briggs tended to boil everything down to the Phantom being “ugly.” Again, I’m not surprised. Looking at films through any lens, let alone a disabled one, is hard if you don’t know what to look for. So, let’s talk about 100 years of the Phantom of the Opera, and how Lon Chaney, and his performance, set a tone for horror performances we still see today.