Die-hard “phans” took over the Burton Cummings Theater this weekend to rewatch the cult 1970s film that captivated Winnipeggers for half a century.

Brian De Palma’s 1974 rock opera The Phantom of Paradise may not have been an international box office success when it was released 50 years ago, but in Winnipeg it hasn’t been forgotten.

The mix of comedy, horror and glam-rock The Phantom of the Opera and that of Goethe Faust was a resounding success in the city, developing a cult following that has continued to grow over the years.

Mary-Ann Vaillancourt was 10 years old when the film premiered. She remembers coming to the now-defunct Garrick Theater with friends to watch it.

“I stayed for two shows,” she said. “And I did it again the next weekend. And I did it every weekend I was allowed to go out.”

Vaillancourt was among hundreds of people who showed up to the latest “Phantomalooza,” a local event that this year marked the film’s 50th anniversary.

Phantom 50th committee member Craig Wallace said both scheduled screenings of a restored version of the film sold out in a day and a half. A morning session, also including a question-and-answer session with the actors, was added to meet demand.

“Winnipeg has brought a lot of people here from other provinces, and they see what we see,” said Dean Hunter, lead singer of Ghost tribute band Swanage, who is also on the committee.

“They may be from all over the world, but they love this movie as much as we do. And we just love sharing it with them.”

“Everyone knows all the words for everything”

The celebration brought back many memories for the fans who attended the matinee on Saturday.

Betty Moroz of Garson, Manitoba, was 14 when she first watched it.

“I thought it was a little weird at the time,” she said, but it stuck with her.

“It’s very powerful, very moving. The music, the love and what you would do for love. Everything for love.”

“I have two copies at home,” said Stephanie Starr, who came to the screening with her family.

“We love it. We’ve seen the movies many times before. And of course you have to get the merchandise, right? I have a few pimples.”

For other Winnipeggers like Tom Glenewinkel, the matinee was the first time they saw the film.

“Everyone knows all the words to everything,” Glenewinkel said. “It was just a great movie to watch, and just to be part of the experience for everyone who was enjoying it and getting into it.”

Vaillancourt brought a CD of the film’s soundtrack to the matinee as well as newspaper clippings about the film that she kept with her over the years.

She hoped to meet Paul Williams – star and composer of the film – who had responded to her fan letter decades ago.

“‘Dear Mary-Ann, thank you for your letter telling me how much you enjoyed Ghost.… PS: I think I’ve only seen the film about four times myself,” Vaillancourt read, saying that at that point she had already seen the film about 10 times.

“He made my whole day and my whole summer,” she added. “The music is still phenomenal now, and I always listen to it if I just want to be able to sing every word.”