Vincent Price stars in as the Abominable Dr. Phibes in the film
of the same name and its sequel. The era is the 1920s, and a crime scene
startles Scotland Yard where a prominent doctor was shredded to death by a horde
of vampire bats…right in his own bedroom. Detective Trout, the lead detective in
charge of the investigation is reminded by his assistant of a similar strange
murder of another doctor that took place shortly before this. That doctor was
stung to death by bees in his own house. As the bodies start to pile up, Trout
and his men discover the dead doctors once worked together with a chief named
Dr. Vesalius (the superb Joseph Cotten) on a botched operation that killed the
beloved wife of a Dr. Anton Phibes (the magnificent Vincent Price in a showcase
role). Phibes was later killed in a car crash while he raced back to be by his
ailing wife's side.
But as Scotland Yard soon find out to their dismay, the good Dr. Phibes is still
very much kicking (if not completely alive) and aided by his lovely and
mysterious partner Vulnavia (well-played by the divine Virginia North), he plans
a most sinister form of vengeance on the doctors who killed his beloved wife by
using the ancient biblical curses visited on the Egyptian pharaohs as his source
of inspiration. What makes The Abominable Dr. Phibes so much fun to watch is the
stylish and witty manner in which the story is told. Before he goes out to kill
his target of the day, Phibes plays his organ and dances passionately with
Vulnavia in elaborate song and dance numbers that would be the envy of a
Broadway production. If this sounds silly, bear in mind that it's handled with
great aplomb and tongue planted firmly in cheek.
Anton Phibes is the sort of campy 1960s villain in the same style as the rogues'
gallery on the Adam West Batman TV show, or the weird menaces that John Steed
and Emma Peel faced on the Avengers. Although he's technically the villain, you
still find yourself rooting for him as you wonder how he's going to pull off his
harebrain murderous schemes, some of which are so off the wall that they'd make
Rube Goldberg proud. And the chemistry between Price and North is fabulous, and
that's all the more amazing when you consider that, for the better part of the
film, Price doesn't speak, while North has no lines at all.
Taking place three years after the first film, Dr. Phibes Rises Again to stalk
England and later Egypt in a nonsensical story about Phibes taking his dead,
well-preserved wife to a special underground hideout that he had built in the
desert. But he winds up tangling with Biederback (Robert Quarry) an old
archenemy over secret maps and a special key. It's apparent from the start that
the second film is not as good as the first. One of the main reasons for this is
that the film strips Phibes of all of his mystery by having him fawn over his dead wife
and blab on and on about exposition that could have been better
served being shown then explained.
Another problem is that Virginia North did
not return for the sequel, and her absence is sorely missed. While actress Valli
Kemp does what she can in the role of Vulnavia, she lacks the suave, cool
presence that North originally brought to the role. Although the sequel is a
lesser film than the original, film and horror movie buffs will appreciate
having both movies on the same disc, for it creates a fun double feature. The
special features are limited only to the theatrical trailers for each movie.
Both films are presented in widescreen, and while the print for the first Dr.
Phibes films looks stunning, the picture quality for the sequel is off in many
places. If you're the kind of person who thoroughly enjoys the dark side of life,
if you think everybody needs a little dose of black-hearted malice once in a
while, and if you think you'd feel right at home with the Addams' Family, then
you'll get a kick out of the antics of Dr. Phibes and Vulnavia.
--SF
