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      The Abominable Dr. Phibes

      PG-13 Released May 18, 1971 1h 33m Horror Comedy List
      88% 41 Reviews Tomatometer 75% 5,000+ Ratings Audience Score 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. Read More Read Less
      The Abominable Dr. Phibes

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      Critics Consensus

      The Abominable Dr. Phibes juggles horror and humor, but under the picture's campy façade, there's genuine pathos brought poignantly to life through Price's performance.

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      Audience Reviews

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      S R Cult movie that I didn't really enjoy. Some interesting ideas, but it seemed more like an LSD trip. Saw on TCM. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 11/07/23 Full Review Mike F The first word I would use to describe this movie is strange, however, I very much enjoyed the humor of this movie. This was likely the origin of Saw, as the dramatic last scene looked eerily familiar. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/29/23 Full Review William D Overall, a fun film to watch with many disturbing and suspenseful scenes. It stars a brilliant Vincent Price and many other solid performances. The screenplay and storyline are interesting and engage the audience until the end. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/04/23 Full Review Audience Member "The Abominable Dr. Phibes" is a movie you won't forget anytime soon. It is not what I would call a Horror classic in the likes of "Dracula" or "Frankenstein" but I think it is a well made and entertaining movie with a lot of things going for it. The first is the most obvious: the late Vincent Price. You are almost always guaranteed a good time when you have a movie with Vincent Price in it. He, as always, does a terrific job as the title character determined to seek vengeance on the people he believes are responsible for the death of his wife. However he is not the only actor in the film who gives a very good performance. The late Peter Jeffrey is very good as Inspector Harry Trout. Jeffrey in a way compliments Price in a way. Seeing them play against each other in a sense helps to make the movie more enjoyable (It's almost similar to Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones in "The Fugitive".). Another high point of this movie is its production design. The sets and costumes are terrific and very convincing. However the movie is not without is flaws. Once again we see Inspector Trout vigilantly investigating the murders that Dr. Phibes has committed. As we have seen many times before, Trout is berated by his superiors who accuse Trout of being full of s--- and just wasting time. Then, in the end it is proves Trout was right all along. Yawn. That being said there is enough in "The Abominable Dr. Phibes" to like to make the movie worth seeing. I highly recommend it to any fan of Vincent Price or the horror genre for that matter. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review chuck h Every time it's shown on TV, I'll drop whatever I'm doing to watch Mr. Price. Abominable Dr P is a genuine pleasure! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review joel h Considering that Vincent Price's voice is almost as famous as his face, it seems strange that they chose his character to be almost completely silent in The Abominable Dr. Phibes. It almost seems like a waste. This film is also a little too slow for its own good, and it's not as comedic as it thinks it is. I almost liked this movie, but I don't think I'll be paying another visit to Dr. Phibes. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

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      David Robinson Financial Times Mr. Fuest makes very tolerable use of bis means: added to which he has the overwhelming advantage of Vincent Price as the Abominable Doctor. May 14, 2020 Full Review Margaret Hinxman Daily Telegraph (UK) It has, incidentally, a really well thought out revenge plot, directed by Robert Fuest with tons more style and assurance than he brought to Wuthering Heights. May 14, 2020 Full Review Dave Kehr Chicago Reader A former art director, Fuest gives the film a preposterously lush, Ken Russell-ish look. Highly enjoyable. Oct 19, 2016 Full Review Kristin Battestella InSession Film Distorted editing accents the suspense, archaeology adventure, Egyptian elixirs, and demented love story... Apr 19, 2024 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy There's plenty of innovation on display, to say nothing of ample amounts of effective humor. Rated: 3/4 Apr 23, 2022 Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins The climax is so dementedly intriguing, perfectly bringing together all the inventive weirdness before it, that it boldly caps off an unforgettable masterwork of the macabre. Rated: 9/10 Aug 27, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis 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.
      Director
      Robert Fuest
      Producer
      Samuel Z. Arkoff, James H. Nicholson
      Screenwriter
      James Whiton, William Goldstein
      Distributor
      MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., Live Video, Orion Pictures, Image Entertainment Inc., Vestron Video, American International Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp.
      Production Co
      American International Pictures (AIP)
      Rating
      PG-13
      Genre
      Horror, Comedy
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      May 18, 1971, Original
      Release Date (DVD)
      Feb 20, 2001
      Runtime
      1h 33m
      Sound Mix
      Mono
      Aspect Ratio
      35mm, Flat (1.85:1)