Mego Phantom of the Opera

I bought these Mego Phantom of the Opera figures back in February, assembling an all-star Mego Horror line-up for this Halloween season. The Lon Chaney figure was going up in price on the secondary market and purchasing him with the Masque of the Red Death figure from one particular seller saved me from overpaying. I was completely unfamiliar with the Masque of the Red Death Phantom, but little explanation is needed with a character that visually striking.

Below, Lon Chaney and Bela Lugosi live again as 8" Mego Horror figures! While these characters never appeared in a movie together, my youthful imagination created a partnership between the two when playing with my 3.75" Remco figures. As a kid I didn't know much about the Phantom of the Opera, but he was ever present among the Universal Monsters merchandise...

Below, Lon Chaney is reunited with his fellow Universal Monsters, Mego Mummy, Frankenstein and his Bride, and Bela Lugosi Dracula...

Masque of the Red Death Phantom fits right in, aesthetically, with my Funko Primal Age Batcave- he's so crazy looking. This figure doesn't have the hinged ankles other Mego figures have, but some strange, high-heeled boots with a swivel above the ankle instead, like he borrowed feet from some other doll. He's a fantastic and bizarre figure!

Like my Mego Medusa, this Masque of the Red Death Phantom is so outlandish looking that he doesn't need to belong to any categorical grouping. There's an almost bootleg quality to them, amplified by Mego's unique styling. 

I was always enamored by Lon Chaney's portrait in this character but was charmed by the bootleg charm of the Masque of the Red Death Phantom. I had been looking forward to opening these for eight months, and they did not disappoint. More Mego Horror to come in this last week before Halloween- stay tuned!

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Happy Halloween!