Long a favorite, Gaston Laroux’s novel “The Phantom of the Opera” has been filmed many times with Lon Chaney’s 1925 silent version being thought to be the best. In fact, this 1962 version came about because of the success of Universal Studio’s film, “Man with a 1000 Faces” the story of Lon Chaney. Produced by 1960’s horror film specialist, Hammer Studio’s this version was more romantic then the pure horror of the Chaney version.