I listed some of my favorite horror movies a few weeks ago (click here to see that list), and when I got done making the list I realized I’d neglected to list a single old monster movie.

This seemed like a huge oversight, but I decided not to do anything about it. Instead I rationalized. I told myself that old monster movies generally aren’t very scary, and that as a viewer I process them differently from more contemporary horror movies. There are a lot of things to like about the original “Frankenstein,” but when it comes to scares it simply isn’t in the same class as “The Shining” or “The Silence of the Lambs.” In fact, I distinctly remember laughing uproariously when Frankenstein’s monster heaves a small girl into a pond and kills her. At the time — I was in high school — it seemed almost campy, and I couldn’t take it seriously. Of course, it’s possible that my reaction to that shot says more about me than the movie.

Anyway, old horror movies are a ton of fun. They’re usually anchored by great performances, and they’re incredibly atmospheric, with special effects that are about 100 times more charming and creative than the best CGI has to offer. Usually I watch old horror movies on Turner Classic Movies, but the best way to see them is on a big screen, accompanied by live music, and last Friday I happened to catch a screening of the 1925 film version of “The Phantom of the Opera” at The Sanctuary for Independent Media in Troy. The Alloy Orchestra, a Boston-based trio that specializes in scoring old silent films, provided an eerie and thrilling score that perfectly captured the turbulent emotions and excesses of the story. (Roger Ebert has called the Alloy Orchestra “the best in the world at accompanying silent films.”)

The Alloy Orchestra uses some traditional instruments — synthesizers, drums, clarinet — as well as an array of non-traditional objects that the group describes as “junk.” This junk, which hangs from a rack 6.5 feet high, includes wind chimes and pieces of metal; to see a picture of the group’s set-up, click here.

The group took some questions after the movie, and what they said was pretty interesting. They explained that many of the films they score already have scores, which were played at the time of their release, but that they prefer to write their own scores. They prefer to writes scores, they said, for creepy old movies. “Anything where people are just standing around chatting and having a nice time — we’re not really into that,” one of the musicians said.

Nobody stands around having a nice time in “The Phantom of the Opera,” that’s for sure. For people unfamiliar with the plot: The mysterious Phantom becomes obsessed with the singer Christine, and eventually brings her to his underground lair, where he tells her that she can do whatever she wants, as long as she loves him. At this point, I began thinking of “The Phantom of the Opera” as one of the first films about stalking, and wondered whether The Police watched it while writing “Every Breath You Take.” Naturally, Christine is totally creeped out, one thing leads to another, and soon her lover, Raoul, and an enterprising police detective are on their way to the Phantom’s dungeon to rescue her. Christine and Raoul are both kind of dumb, and I didn’t really care what happened to them, but the movie has two things going for it: Lon Chaney, very good as the Phantom, especially when you consider that he spends most of the movie wearing a weird-looking mask; and the subterranean dungeon where the Phantom lives, a macabre torture chamber replete with tunnels and secret traps. Christine was pretty eager to get out of there, but I wouldn’t have minded staying a little longer. The dungeon really is the second best character in the film.

In any case, if you ever have the chance, you should check out the Alloy Orchestra. Their website — click here — contains more information about their schedule and films.

Other great old horror movies:

“Frankenstein/The Bride of Frankenstein”: “The Bride of Frankenstein” is the superior film, but you should see both.

“Dracula” with Bela Lugosi I like vampire movies, and this is one of the first, and best .

“The Wolf Man” Lon Chaney Jr. makes a great — and sympathetic — werewolf.

And if you’re jonesing for some German expressionism, check out “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” and “Nosferatu,” where Max Schrek outdoes himself as a vampire (And if you really like “Nosferatu,” watch the 2000 film “Shadow of the Vampire,” a fictional account of the making of “Nosferatu” that suggests Schrek really was a vampire.)

Also, some of you may remember my post about my disastrous trip up Tongue Mountain. (If not, you can read that here ) Anyway, today’s Gazette carries a story, by Kathleen Moore, about a hiker getting lost ... on Tongue Mountain. I guess you can never have too many cautionary tales. Click here to read more.

Got a comment? A horror story? Add one below or e-mail me at sfoss@dailygazette.net.