The Classic Universal Pictures Horror Movie That Got Banned In The United Kingdom

Have you seen the Walt Disney-directed animated short "The Skeleton Dance?" A part of Disney's "Silly Symphony" series, the short revolves around four human skeletons dancing merrily in a graveyard, imitating the allegorical Dance of Death (also known as danse macabre). It isn't particularly spooky, but it is a fun, whimsical piece of animation that is still regarded with a sense of nostalgic fondness. However, this 1930 short was not always viewed through such a benign lens. Indeed, "The Skeleton Dance" was banned in Denmark upon its original release, with its subject matter being deemed too ... macabre. This moral stance to justify censorship might seem a bit silly in hindsight, as animated skeletons using bones as a xylophone hardly make for an unsettling premise. Well, in vaguely related news, the short entered the U.S. public domain on January 1, 2025, so you can now enjoy these fine skeletal gentlemen having a gala time to your heart's content.

Censorship in film or associated visual media can come in many forms; some include so-called moral justifications while others are fueled by thinly veiled political agendas. Regional laws also play an integral role in the enforcement of bans, such as the United Kingdom's Disorderly Houses Act (1751), which was often used to categorize public cinema screenings as a potentially morally void activity. The British Board of Film Censors (BBFC) was established in 1912 to curb such unjustified claims, but this also meant adhering to the board's certification rules, which were more arbitrary than today's age-based ratings. However, adherence to certification rules can hold little weight when social outrage brands a film as one deserving censorship, as was the case with Ken Russell's "The Devils" when it was banned in several countries due to its X rating.

But when you think about the 1925 silent horror classic "The Phantom of the Opera," there's little to no similarity between the disturbingly jarring imagery found in some of the more infamous horror films to be banned in several countries (think "Cannibal Holocaust") and this moving saga of doomed romance and violence. Moreover, the legendary Lon Chaney, who plays the titular Phantom haunting the object of his desire throughout the film, delivers a performance so profound that it surpasses the limitations of the silent medium. The complex, isolating pain of a social outcast who gives into brutality when he is denied love brings the layered themes of Gaston Leroux's source novel to vivid life. Why, then, was the film banned in the UK?

When Universal Pictures greenlit production on "The Phantom of the Opera" in 1924, parallels between this adaptation and the studio's 1923 hit "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" inevitably arose. The overwhelming success of "Hunchback" (also a silent film) rested on Chaney's portrayal of the hunchbacked bell-ringer Quasimodo, which made him a natural contender for the role of Erik, the so-called Phantom triggering the events of the film. In Leroux's novel, a young singer named Christine Daaé is suddenly accosted by a disembodied voice, which suavely pushes her to replace the prima donna Carlotta to further her career. Her lover, Raoul de Chagny, fails to dissuade her from doing what the voice dictates, and it is too late when the terrifying Phantom reveals himself and demands Christine's love. Things end in violence and tragedy, making Leroux's work an inversion of "Beauty and the Beast" that's framed through the lens of operatic theatre and gothic horror.

The scene in which the Phantom unmasks himself to reveal his true visage was underlined as the reason for the film's ban in the UK. However, the reasons seem to be more complicated than a moral concern for a scene that was considered too horrifying for audiences. A 1926 report by The New York Times states that the UK's Secretary for War at the time deemed the film "a clever and humiliating hoax" and believed it was propaganda meant to be used for "recruiting purposes." Admittedly, the report does not clarify these statements or pinpoint which scenes led the official to make these assumptions. Apart from this reasoning, though, it's widely believed that the Phantom unmasking scene — which purportedly caused panic among some audiences — was the primary reason behind the ban.

It's also worth noting that several cuts of the film exist. The first cut was altered due to poor audience reaction during its Los Angeles premiere, as they believed that the film should not end with a redemptive kiss (which essentially humanizes the Phantom). The revamped aspects of the second cut had to be made quickly and without incurring too many costs, which necessitated rushed script changes and reshoots. However, this version, which was more comedic in tone, was received way worse than the original, resulting in a final version that ends with the Phantom being hounded to death. Unfortunately, the original redemptive cut is now considered lost.