Can you believe that NECA is making action figures based on a movie that is 100 years old? It's pretty amazing that silent horror films have the staying power they do and still have fans! I mean, at this point I can't imagine anyone who saw the film during its original run is still alive, so everyone who is a fan is a fan of a movie that they weren't the original audience for. My wife has a grandfather who just turned 100 this year as well, but that means he would have been a baby when the film came out as he was born earlier in the year than the film's November 15th, 1925 premiere date. That's crazy to think about! NECA released their standard version of Lon Chaney as the Phantom of the Opera back in 2023 and now in 2025 they've released the 'Masque of the Red Death' Phantom dressed in his costume from the "in color" scene of the film where the Phantom crashes the masked ball. It's a memorable moment in film history and it's incredibly cool to have it commemorated here. Ready to check out the 'Masque of the Red Death' Phantom? Then join me after the break...
Height: 7 1/8ths inches
Articulation: Swivel/ hinge ankles, swivel/ hinge knees, swivel thighs, balljointed hips, balljointed waist, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/ hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, barbell jointed neck, and a barbell jointed head.
Accessories: 7 interchangeable hands, 3 portraits, hat, cape, and staff.
Non-Scalper Price: $35-$37 dollars
* This is a pretty unique looking figure and, right out of the box, there's nothing reused here from the previous Phantom except for the hands. The Masque of the Red Death costume is pretty elaborate and while it's completed with a fancy red cape/ robe combo, right here we're just taking a look at the basic figure. He's wearing a very fancy outfit of a few different shapes of red. It's a costume party, so this doesn't have to be practical; Erik is here to make an impression! There's some great texture work here and everything looks old timey and fancy with blossoming sleeves, multiple layers, tights, and a ruffled collar. He's quite a dandy, alright!
* This portrait is really good. Remember, this isn't meant to be a real skull; it's a costume skull, though it does seem to freak everyone at the ball out. The Phantom is wearing a rather freaky looking skull mask and that's why we have a skull here that's just a bit oversized; just enough to be unsettling. The paint accents nicely add some texture and accentuate the features of the mask. There are even eyeholes present; enough for the Phantom to see through but small enough to keep him unseen.
* Since this is a mask, Erik is covering the rest of his head with a rather long bandanna. Well, the bandanna wrapped around his head looks normal but the tails are very long. Kind of like what you'd expect a pirate to wear. I'll admit that while writing this review I have looked for images of the original costume but haven't found any. You can see the tails of the bandanna hanging down underneath his hat in the film and film stills, though, so this was definitely there.
* To complete the look of the masked Phantom, we need this hat. It fits perfectly, so that's a huge plus. Check that thing out! It's incredible. Phantom of the Opera? More like Phantom Pimp Daddy of the Opera, am I right?
* There's only one word for a hat with this much decoration on it: Festooned. This hat is festooned with feathers and such. It's pretty impressive! If you need to make an entrance any time soon, get you a hat like this!
* I'd feel that I hadn't done a thorough enough review if I didn't point out how swanky these sleeves are. Look at the sculpted stitches on these and how fancy they are. This guy is ready to own the great ball at the Paris Opera House or to scarf a massive turkey leg and win a costume contest at his local renaissance faire.
* This little belt pouch is pretty cool. I can't find any reference material for it, so maybe NECA's crew made it up for the figure? I'd really like to know where it came from. It's a neat little pouch for carrying stuff because, let's be honest, there's probably not a lot of storage space in tights, so the Phantom needs a place to keep his coins, keys, and Chapstick.
* To complete the look there is a very elaborate crimson cape included. The material is excellent as is the tailoring and fabrication. There are even sequins all around the hem of the cape. Oh, and it's wired. It does trail on the ground like in the film, so it's length is a feature for sure. I do have an issue with the design of the garment itself as I don't think it quite matches what we see in the film, but it's a very well made soft goods garment.
* Seven swappable hands are included. There's one right hand for gripping his staff and six hands for giving him various gestures to express himself. Everything swaps easily and you have a nice range of hand sculpts to have the Phantom silently emote.
* The Phantom carries a really creepy staff to the ball that is reminiscent of the Nehushtan from the book of Numbers (the pole with a brass or bronze serpent that God instructed Moses to create) or the
Rod of Asclepius (that looks like the Snake Men staffs). It's a silver serpent wrapped around a pole except the head of the staff is a skull. Perhaps a twist on the healing imagery associated with those other staffs? It's really creepy and really well done, but that's par for the course for NECA, isn't it? They craft fabulous accessories.
* When you look at the costume for the Phantom in this guide, it really looks like his red robe and cape is wrapped and draped around him. That just doesn't seem to be what NECA's cape is designed to do. As you can see, yes, you can wrap it around him and approximate the look from the film a bit, but not with too much accuracy. I figured I just sucked at draping and wrapping clothing so I looked at the packaging and, lo and behold, there are no images of the Phantom accurately wearing the cape like a robe. This is an impressive looking figure and I'm absolutely loving it, but I'm curious as to why NECA didn't execute the robe differently.
If you're looking for more of the Phantom of the Opera then check out my review of the Sideshow Phantom of the Opera (Silver Screen Edition), NECA's Toony Terrors The Phantom of the Opera, Sideshow's Little Big Heads Phantom of the Opera (Masque of the Red Death), Funko's ReAction The Phantom of the Opera, Super7's ReAction of The Phantom of the Opera as the Masque of the Red Death, and The Phantom from Monster in My Pocket.
For more NECA Universal Monsters check out the following:
I'm picking this one up without hesitation. Chaney was always film royalty, and it's good to see Neca capture some of the incredible effort he put into his screen makeup. If you've not seen it, James Cagney's ’Man of A Thousand Faces' is a great film in its own right and a great biography of Chaney to boot.
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