Phantom of the Paradise

The record press in which the character Winslow Leach is disfigured was in fact a real pressing plant (it was an injection-molding press at an Ideal Toy Company plant). William Finley was worried about whether the machine would be safe, and the crew assured him it was. The press was fitted with foam pads (which resemble the casting molds in the press) and there were chocks put in the center to stop it from closing completely. However, the machine was powerful enough to crush the chocks that it gradually kept closing. It is commonly believed that Finley pulled his head out of the press just in time to avoid being injured, and that his scream in that scene was genuine, but this is an exaggeration. Finley was in fact quickly pulled out by grips, and the record press scene, along with most scenes in the movie with little dialogue, was filmed without sound, and the talking and sound effects were dubbed in later, meaning any screaming that may of taken place went unrecorded. At a Phantom of the Paradise convention, Finley exaggerated the story, and said that his scream was "for real", although he may have meant that he was able to conjure up a very real scream in post production by thinking back to his memories of the incident.

Brian De Palma can be seen at around 1:02:58. He's right there plain as night, in the darkness just over Phoenix's left shoulder, sitting in a director's chair with his right arm raised, along with another crew member over Phoenix's right shoulder, then he vanishes when the spot picks her up.

The closing credits feature a series of montages of the cast members, identifying each by name, starting with the musical trio (Oblong, Hahn, Comanor) and concluding with William Finley as Winslow/The Phantom. These montages are made up of shots ostensibly from the movie, and most of them are, but there are also numerous outtakes.

In the pre-release (or press) prints of the movie, the scene where Winslow was disfigured by the record press was longer; His disfigured face was briefly seen steaming with smoke from the press, and Winslow then killed the cop that surprised him (and shot him in the leg, which explained why Winslow walked with a limp for most of the film; however, he was able to run with the greatest of ease towards the end). The scene was removed from subsequent versions, as it was best decided that Winslow's disfigured visage be revealed at the end of the film.

Featured in Terror in the Aisles (1984)