The ABCs of 31 Days of Toy Terror: P is for The Phantom of the Opera as the Masque of the Red Death from Universal Monsters: ReAction by Super7

 

   We have to have something from the silent era for 31 Days of Toy Terror, so let's bring on the Phantom of the Opera! Back in 2014 Funko released Universal Monsters ReAction figures, but just a few years later Super7 began releasing the ReAction line on their own and greatly expanded their offerings. They also improved the quality of the line and still continue to release figures in the ReAction product range today. In 2018 Super7 released a variant of the Phantom from the Lon Chaney film, clad in his red robes and skull costume based on Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death." The Phantom wears this disguise during a masquerade ball in one of the scenes in the film which features color, a pretty shocking thing to see in a mostly black & white silent film. I picked this guy up a year or two ago assuming that I'd get around to checking him out for 31 Days of Toy Terror at some point and, lo and behold, he's proving us with the letter P for the ABCs of 31 Days of Toy Terror. Join me after the break....

The Facts:

Height: 3 7/8ths inches

Articulation: Swivel hips, swivel shoulders, and a swivel head.

Accessories: Staff

Original Retail Price: $18 dollars

Year of Release: 2018

The Positives:

* I really think it's trickier than you'd think to make good ReAction figures. If you go too simple, they just look cheap. If you go too modern you're missing the charm. Super7 usually does a really good job of capturing the sweet spot with the ReAction line and their take on the Phantom of the Opera as the Masque of the Red Death definitely feels just right. The paint is simple, sure, but the red color the figure is mostly molded  in looks great with just enough detail to pass for a very early 1980s figure. I'm getting hints of some of the robed Star Wars figures with a little bit of Charon from Mattel's Clash of the Titans. 

* The Phantom's disguise is really creepy. It's really creepy in the movie, and it's creepy here, too. He's wearing a pretty elaborate hat with a lot of plumage and there's some excellent sculpted detail and paint detail on the skull. He manages to look like he's grinning, which fits the film and the character from Poe's tale perfectly. 

* Flip the Phantom around you can see the excellent work on his robes on the back and more of the fancy feathers on his hat. This guy's a real dandy!

* He's a vintage Kenner inspired figure, so what do you expect? He's got swivel hips, swivel shoulders, and a swivel head. The plastic quality is really good and the figure is solid, like a vintage figure. 

* I love his staff! It has a silver serpent wrapped around it, a skull on the top, and even some paint applications. Hot dog! That's a really nice accessory. 

   The Phantom of the Opera as the Masque of the Red Death is one of my favorite Super7 era ReAction releases. It's a very cool take on the character in a very significant scene from movie history. Not as well know as the unmasking of Lon Chaney's Phantom, but that colorful ball still backs a pretty big punch. He's a Great figure and a spooky edition to your Universal Monsters collection. Or your Edgar Allan Poe collection. This guy fits in lots of places, even though he wasn't invited. 





If you're looking for more of the Phantom of the Opera then check out my review of Funko's ReAction The Phantom of the Opera.

If you're looking for more of the Red Death check out my review of the Mythos Expansion 2: Edgar Allan Poe & Red Death.