Abominable Dr Phibes [DVD] [1971] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

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The following is a list of the ten plagues of Egypt and how they correspond to Doctor Phibes' victims. The man awakens, hearing disturbing little sounds about his room. He looks 'round, sees nothing but then hears little squeaks and flutters. Shadows flutter past. Suddenly there are bats on his bed climbing towards his face, screeching. The man is terrified.

Vincent Price, in his 100th film performance, plays Phibes with just the right combination of remorse and determination. Price doesn't emphasize the eccentric nature of the character - his actions do well enough on their own. Anyways, the ways of killing these people were so crazy, so cool and so amazing that you might actually find yourself rooting for this nut case. Think about it--one person had their head eaten by grasshoppers and another was slowly drained of all their blood! And, if you haven't gotten enough senseless killing, there is a sequel!! This movie has "cult classic" written all over it! Theme Serial Killer: Dr. Phibes used the first nine plagues of Egypt to carry out his revenge. the tenth, the Plague of Darkness, he reserves for himself.

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Phibes, at his wife's shrine once more (and changed into off-white robes), speaks of soon being with her in eternal paradise. This film would have probably been horrible had they taken themselves seriously. Fortunately, they didn't and, consequently, created a fascinating and entertaining festival of murder, revenge, and Art Deco set design. Vincent Price is Phibes, a brilliant organist and acoustic expert who's wife dies during an operation. He seeks to avenge her death by killing all 9 members of the operating team in creative and extravagant ways. You know the murders will take place, but you're fascinated at how they are done. It's like watching a master at work and all of the murders are works of art. By the end of the movie you'll find yourself rooting for Phibes. Dr. Kitaj drives up across open ground to the hanger of the London Aeroplane Club. A youngish man, he whistles as he meets up with Harry, his mechanic, then enters his plane. Sgt. Schenley closes in. Phibes, playing with a wild flower, grins for the first time while his aide plays her white violin and Kitaj's plane readies for takeoff. Schenley arrives just as the plane heads downfield. He racing to catch up, but the plane achieves liftoff. Phibes watches - cold, dour and waiting. Unable to do else, Schenley watches Kitaj's plane as well.

Over coffee, the police discuss the remaining plagues and their placement of guards around all five surviving surgical team members, save Dr. Kitaj, whom they haven't yet located. The money from Phibes' Switzerland account was transferred to England two years ago and withdrawn in cash by a tall attractive woman who rarely spoke a word. Matching the goldsmith's description, Trout is keen upon meeting HER. The 100 best horror films". Time Out. Archived from the original on 8 April 2013 . Retrieved 13 April 2014. a b c d Weaver, Tom (2000). Return of the B Science Fiction and Horror Heroes. McFarland & Company. pp.182–183. ISBN 9780786407552. Trout and Schenley visit the home of Dr. Vesalius, lead in by the doctor's teenage son. The boy is impressed that Det. Insp. Trout comes from Scotland Yard, but not the father, who busies himself with a model train set. Vesalius isn't fussed about the deaths of three doctors until Trout lists off their names (Hargreaves, Thornton and Dunwoody) - all close friends of Vesalius.In a desperate attempt to reach his ill wife, organist Anton Phibes (Vincent Price) is horrifically disfigured in a car accident and presumed dead. When he learns that his wife died during an operation, Phibes blames her surgeons and plots an elaborate revenge to punish them for their incompetence. With the help of a mute assistant (Virginia North), Phibes creates a mask resembling his own face and murders the surgeons one by one using bizarre methods inspired by the biblical plagues. The next victim is a man named Doctor Kitaj. Kitaj is on vacation and decides to take a trip in his personal single-engine airplane, but Phibes and Vulnavia sneak onto the airfield and fill Kitaj's plane with a horde of rats. Kitaj and his pilot don't realize that a dozen of the rodents are inside of the plane until they are several miles up in the sky. The rats tear into the pilot, forcing the plane to crash into the ground, killing both of them. Dr. Vesalius: (to Trout) Human error won't stop him. He's had years to hide, to plot this damnable thing.

Murderous Mask: Dr. Hargreaves is done in by a mechanically constricting frog mask that crushes his skull. How many people are responsible ... about life and death? Can doctors be held responsible if they are not able to save someone? And how would you actually be able to tell if they did not do their best? Also does it really matter or is our Dr. Phibes here out of his mind anyway? I think the latter question is easier to answer. Pykett, Derek (2008). British Horror Film Locations. McFarland & Company. p.12. ISBN 9780786451937.As the lid lowers automatically, Trout, Schenley and Vesalius lower downward on the organ, which grandly plays the conclusion of "War March of the Priests" on its own. Having reached Dr. Phibes inner sanctum, the men are confused. Where's Phibes? It's the final curse, darkness, which means to forever end the peaceful sleep of these three men. They turn to leave, and lights dim on Phibes' final resting place, leaving only the sun design illuminated. A thunderclap is heard (more for the sake of the viewing audience than the characters). Medium Awareness: Vulnavia keeps striking poses for the audience. She's the only character to do so, which adds a bit of evidence to the "magic" side of the Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane debate.