
The makeup of Lon Chaney was so disfiguring that the camera operator lost focus while shooting the sequence, and theaters were urged to have smelling salts on hand in case ladies in the audience fainted in horror.

The scene in which Erik plays the organ and Christine creeps up behind him to snatch his mask off is often cited by critics and connoisseurs of film art as one of the most memorable moments in the history of all film. The film was reissued in 1929 with sound effects, music and some reshot dialogue sequences (but none with Chaney). For this classic silent film Universal Studios created a faithful replica of the Paris Opera House as a setting.
