Classic Silent Film 'Phantom of the Opera' Haunts Brooklyn church for Halloween
BROOKLYN (PIX11) –It was an authentically spooky Halloween experience Inside a 177-year-old Brooklyn Church tonight.
In the darkness, “The Phantom of the Opera” visited St. Ann and the Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn Heights.
To many audience members, I was a spine-tingling way to start Halloween week.
The eerie flicker of the 1925 silent film classic “Phantom of the Opera,” starring Lon Chaney, was projected onto a screen in the 177-year-old Saint Ann and the Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn Heights.
The music from an authentic library used in silent movie theaters was performed live by the Brooklyn Chamber Orchestra.
“Is there a better time than Halloween for this quintessential horror classic,” Phil Nuzzo, the artistic director of the Brooklyn Chamber Orchestra, told PIX11 News. “It’s been with us in different forms throughout the years,” he added.
This sold-out performance is the first time a Brooklyn audience has seen this silent film classic with the actual music that was played in movie theaters across the country in the 1920s.
“Every theater had its own score,” Rodney Sauer, the conductor, told PIX11 News. “So kind of like a play, when it would travel, each theater would provide sets and costumes, here it’s music,” he added.
Coincidentally, the organ played for this performance was installed in this church in 1925.
Organist Gregory D’Agostino and audience members loved the idea of seeing this film with live music.
“I’m a movie buff, so actually, it’s kind of fun to be part of it, not just passively or semi-passively watching the film, ” D’Agostino told PIX11 News.
One of the church's board members, Dominique Pauyo, embraced the concept.
“I love the fact that it’s autumn, the spooky season, Halloween,” Pauyo told PIX11 News.
“I love Phantom of the Opera now with live music. It is second to none,” Donna Stefans, an audience member, told PIX11 News.