The Abominable Dr. Phibes
(US, 1971)

Director: Robert Fuest, Executive Producers: James H. Nicholson, Samuel Z. Arkoff, Producers: Louis M. Heyward, Ronald S. Dunas, Screenplay: James Whiton, William Goldstein, Cinematography: Norman Warwick, Production Designer: Brian Eatwell, Art Director: Bernard Reeves, Music: Basil Kirchin, Jack Nathan, Singer of "Dark Town Strutters Ball": Paul Frees, Singer of "One for my Baby": Scott Peters, Editor: Tristram Cones, Wardrobe Supervisor: Elsa Fennell, Makeup: Trevor Crole-Rees, Hairdresser: Bernadette Ibbetson, Special Effects: George Blackwell

Cast: Vincent Price (Dr. Anton Phibes), Joseph Cotton (Dr. Vesalius), Virginia North (Vulnavia), Terry-Thomas (Dr. Longstreet), Sean Bury (Lem Vesalius), Susan Trevors (Nurse Allen), David Hutcheson (Dr. Hedgepath), Edward Burnham (Dr. Dunwoody), Alex Scott (Dr. Hargreaves), Peter Gilmore (Dr. Kitaj), Maurice Kaufmann (Dr. Whitcombe), Peter Jeffrey (Detective Inspector Trout), Derek Godfrey (Crow), Norman Jones (Sergeant Schenley), John Cater (Waverley), Alan Zipson (1st Police Official), Dallas Adams (2nd Police Official), James Grout (Sergeant), Alister Williamson (1st Policeman), Thomas Heathcote (2nd Policeman), Ian Marter (3rd Policeman), Julian Grant (4th Policeman), Hugh Griffith (Rabbi), Aubrey Woods (Goldsmith), John Laurie (Darrow), Barbara Keogh (Mrs Frawley), Charles Farrell (Chauffeur), John Franklyn (Graveyard Attendant), Walter Horsbrugh (Ross, the Butler), Caroline Munro (Victoria Phibes)

Review by John Gibben

Well I finally unwrapped The Abominable Dr Phibes DVD I bought awhile back and.......

It is still one of the great 70's comic horror flicks, it was as much a joy to watch this time as it was the first time I viewed it.

A series of bizarre murders begin with the death of one of nine members of a team of doctors and one nurse who performed an unsuccessful operation on the wife of one Dr Anton Phibes (Vincent Price), played by in what must be the easiest part she ever had by the delectable Caroline Munro: We only see her as series of beautiful photographs for most of the film.

Each murder is linked to the 10 plagues of Egypt during the time of the exodus, the plague of boils for instance is represented by the death of the first doctor by him being killed by a swarm of bees in his own library ! After the second murder via bats the police start to investigate why the killings are happening and by whom. As more deaths take place the chief surgeon on the team Dr Versalius (Joseph Cotton links all the deaths to Dr Anton Phibes and informs the police in the form of Detective Inspector Trout (who is called by every fish name but his own). The trouble is as far as they know Phibes died in a car crash in Switzerland whilst rushing home to be with his dying wife, we the audience though already know this not to be true, and while Phibes takes off his revenge, he mourns deeply for his beloved Victoria. As he sits and talks to her photograph Phibes proclaims: "Nine killed her, nine shall die, nine eternities in doom !"

The story takes twists and turns along the way and each bizzarre murder is more inventive than the last (my fave being the unicorn head "I think it's a left-hand thread!" and the subsequent unscrewing of the body is hilarious) the film is a visual and verbal delight from start to finish and one I would recommend to everyone to catch up with or just watch again. This film comes from a time when directors still knew how to make films and not pre-packaged products with an eye to merchandising and franchises. If only someone with the balls to hark back to these days would come along and give film production a much needed kick up the arse I for one would be truly delighted.

Additional Info:

• Despite the fact that hundreds of period photos must have been shot of Caroline Munro for the two Phibes picture, none of them appears to have as of yet re-surfaced on the collector’s markets.
• The original script at one stage demanded to have photos taken of Munro with a pre-accident Phibes dancing Charleston or at a masquerade dressed up as Napoleon and Josephine.
• Vincent Price and Joseph Cotton had previously been working together in The Shoemaker’s Holiday for Orson Welles’ famous Mercury Theatre.
• The films original and very ingenious tag line "Love means never having to say you’re ugly", was a spoof on Love Story’s "Love means never having to say you’re sorry".

Click HERE for a gallery of Lobby Cards!

House of Phibes
This is THE group for all Phibes Phans. If you have a question about the Phibes movies that these pholks can't answer, then no-one can. Their file section has a bunch of rare stuff, including copies of scripts for two further Phibes movies that never got made and even some animated gifs of lovely Caroline Munro as Victoria Phibes.

Another review on the Bad Movie Report Site. Abominable Dr Phibes a bad movie??!!?? Hmmm...

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