This week’s post is about a cursed color.

Those of you following the progress of Phantoms of Vendôme have probably noticed that the story is rendered in a limited color palette of black, white and red.

The special hue of red used in my graphic novel is actually inspired by a sensation from 1925 – a color known as “Phantom Red”. The appearance of infamously shapeshifting actor Lon Chaney in his sinister Red Death masquerade costume in the year’s new film The Phantom of the Opera, dazzled an audience of film goers accustomed to black-and-white cinema.

Dubbed “Phantom Red”, the unique and alluring new shade was eagerly picked up by fashion designers, department stores, makeup designers, and artists. Soon it could be seen in everything from gowns and coats, to ladies’ shoes, to lipstick, rouge and nail polish, from sprawling window displays to tiny action figures.

Advertisements associated the color with the mysterious and dangerous figure of the Phantom himself. The fact that the color was pronounced cursed only increased its popularity.

Little did they know that the color really did hold hidden perils and could be weaponized …

MORE NEXT WEEK!

See the legendary Masquerade Scene from the 1925 film below and experience the thrill of Phantom Red with your own eyes: