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This is one of the first horror films I ever saw, I must of been about 8 or 9 and I watched it late on a Friday night when I was allowed to stay up, it gave me horrible nightmares but it was worth it because I found it fascinating, my dad taped it on our toploading betamax video so I could squeel with fright when he drained that fella of blood. Vincent price is ace in this film, I rate it next to the creeping flesh with Peter Cushing, another film that scared me stiff!

Both Phibes movies are good, with Price playing one of his best roles. Those clockwork musicians - very freaky. If you like the Phibes' have a look at "Theatre Of Blood". Price plays a Shakespearean ham (Edward Lionheart)who fakes his own suicide so he can gain bloody (but inventive)revenge on beastly theatre critics. He uses the methods of murder described in the play he was appearing in at the time of the bad review he received. It's ace.

Not one of my favorites, though one of Price's. There are compensating features, though. Namely, Terry-Thomas, he of the pencil thin moustache and gap between the teeth--which is used to good effect, when he voiced the character of Sir Hiss in Disney's "Robin Hood." Perhaps, best known as the Englishman (typecasting) in "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World." And, if I remember correctly, the novelization of the screenplay solved the problem with the locusts, with the nurse being eaten by ants, and the locusts, being used as a red herring. Which makes more sense. As locusts are herbivores, or plant eaters, while ants are omnivores, or they will eat eat almost anything, including human flesh. Enjoy

I find this to be the definitive Price film. As the mad genius Phibes, Price brings to the screen an all new persona of genuine evil, and malicious intent. This rates as my favorite Vincent Price movie, and is a horror classic with originality, with a touch of dark comedic overtones. One I highly recommend.

Hi, I saw both movies back to back when I was eleven or twelve years old on cable.  Must say that Vincent Price played the role of Dr. Phibes to the hilt (some of the cruel biblical death scenes even give me chills today).  Anyway, I'd recommend them to anyone who enjoys well made, classic horror films.

This certainly is a superior horror picture (indeed, black comedy might be the more accurate category), and must rank as one of Vinnie the P.'s best films overall.  What style! What panache!  Terry Thomas is a hoot, of course, and Joseph Cotten makes a worthy adversary to dear, departed Dr. Phibes.  And yes, I'd love to see what your take would be on THEATRE OF BLOOD, another darkly comic romp.

I had never seen this movie until I read the review. There is no possible way I could ever take it seriously (as if that would have been possible anyway, I mean you can see the strings holding up the carnivorous fruit bats) But it Kicks Ass! Vulnavia stole that movie right out from under Price. "Did you write down FASHIONABLE, inspector Trout?" My husband walked around for hours afterwards with a phone cord stuck in his collar talking like poor Anton. I still haven't absorbed the whole wax sculpture thing yet, though.

It was this film that turned me into a big fan of Vincent Price, and I would like to personally thank Andrew, as it was on your site that I first heard of it. Thanks again man.

I've always loved the high level campiness of the whole production.  One note:  those are LIMES not Brussels Sprouts!  He made a thick lime syrup that he drizzles over her face ....

Prices 50th & one of his best movies.I've heard it said that it was his First Phibes movie that set the trend of the mad scientist playing the piano.

When it comes to Vincent Price movies.Both Phibes gon on top of my list of the must haves.Along with

Last Man on Earth.(Which "Omega Man"was based on.)

The Raven.

Jim

Fun horror hokem. Vincent Price drips class in these kinds of movies. The two Dr. Phibes films were the crowning jewels on Price's horror star shtick. Tight little stories. Good production values as these British "B" films go. Handsome look and feel and playing-it-straight-for-camp performances all around. Typical "Black" British humor scattered throughout...at times outright surreal. I rank both the Phibes films right up there with the Edgar Allen Poe adaptations Price did with Roger Corman back in the early sixties. I believe these were the last of Prices starring roles...he only popped up in cameos afterwards. I think his last role as the lonely and sad Mad Scientist in Edward Scissorhands was a fitting goodbye for those of us who loved him, and it was perfect; the stereotype "B" movie mad scientist showing us what we had missed through all those "B" horror flicks...Mad Scientists are just human, and they need love too. Funny, clever, intelligent, talented, Vincent Price had class. Rent both movies and enjoy.

Trivia alert!  This was the last movie the Who's drummer Keith Moon saw before he bought it.  Maybe he thought he could die happy now that he had seen it ...

I slept the first time I watched that movie. I saw it because of the Misfits song "The Abominable Dr. Phibes".
By the second time, I really liked it. It´s a Price Masterpiece.
The only thing that´s troubling is that it´s a little annoying and boring.
Don´t see it if you´re half asleep.

The director, Robert Fuest,  was a friend of the LaVeys.     "The organist" in a horror movie is nothing new, but I think the combination of organist and mechanical orchestra, and the orchestra's  style of costume, is a  tip-of-the-hat to Anton LaVey.   This was made several years before  Fuest's  "Devil's Rain", where Anton plays the Satanic organist.

Vincent Price chews up endless scenes like only the master can. How can anybody not like a mad doctor with a voice like that? The 'unicorn' scene was too funny for words. I felt sorry for Trout. Not only does he cop it from his superiors, they always get his fish species wrong!

My favorite Price movie & one of my all time favorites.  It's like if Dr. Evil actually killed people.  With a hottie sidekick named Vulnavia.  My personal favorite was the supercharged portable ac unit.  That's some serious creativity.  I was waiting for the frickin' sharks with laser beams, but I wasn't disappointed.  The rest of the deaths were just as creative.  I mean, come on - carniverous grasshoppers?  BWAHAHA!!  It doesn't get any better than that.  Except for maybe the catapulted unicorn head impaling scene.  I am anxious to see the sequel...

I saw this movie several times and its still a good movie and using the seven pleges of egypt that moses laid down until the king of egept let the people go and a man in a frog mask being strangled by it well we told you

in the 1980's, George Romero was attached to direct a 2nd sequel, PHIBES RESSURECTUS, with a script by the original writers (they hadn't worked on the 1st sequel,which wasn't as good as the original). Shame that never happened, as this is one of my faves...

Nothing like using the pluages moses laid down on egypt on a bunch of neglegent doctors usialy they would be sued for malpractic but this is still a pretty good movie and the locust in the airplane wow where did dr phibes get them bugs? i guess phibes read his bible good

Your review of Dr. Phibes is hilarious, especially the "what I have learned from this film" list.  I had been meaning to see this film for nostalgia's sake recently, but what sealed the deal tonight was seeing a Diane Arbus retrospective at the Museum of Fine Arts.  I don't know if she got around to seeing it when it was released, but I'm sure she would have liked it!  

Great Price. Great killings. What is left is pure boredom.

I'd never heard of this film before until i came across this site by accident. I bought it on DVD, and it is quality viewing, great film. The unicorn head scene is hilarious.

Only one other person in my group of friends had seen Phibes, so we corrupted the rest of the group. Now we are all Phibes fanatics!

Wonderful in all its hideousness.

I saw this movie and wow its great and theres nothing like using the curses that god laid upon the egyptians to make them release the isralites and dr phibes using them well i thought the movie was GREAT a real classic

I don't believe I,ve seen a bad Vincent Price movie.  He really get,s into character.  Phibes rules!

Vulllllnaaaaviaaaa....
Only Vincent could do that name justice.
My all time favorite B-movie, altho at the time it was the scariest thing.
The House that Dripped Blood. Another of those icky-ooky movies. Christopher Lee I believe in that.


Now I gotta find these on DVD.....

Honey....popcorn run!!!!

My favorite of all Vincent Price movies.The scene with the man in the frog mask was my favorite death scene .Vulnavia was my favorite character she was more evil then the good doctor himself. I would marry her myself.I give it six stars.

I also loved the movie, but one thing got me really puzzled.  The Rabbi says nobody knows the order of the plagues, and the movie takes some liberties there (e.g. the death of the first born was the last plague, not the ninth).  All anyone needs to do to find out the order is to read Exodus, where everything is spelled out in great detail.

The wave files were well chosen and brought back memories - but a decent "Viictoooooorriaa' is as canonical as a Moriaty [tm:goons]"AOooooooowwwww".

 I love the Dr. Phibes shows so much and I have not been able to find the shows, is there a way to buy the dvd's without a credit card. I do not have one but I want the Dr. Phibes movies so bad. The scarey shows now just can not touch the Dr. Phibes at all. Let me know if I can sent a check or money order to get this movie. Thank You.

     This is probably my favorite horror movie (along with its sequel). The dark humor of Mr. Price is at its best in this film, and its a really great movie to view if you've had a falling out with a doctor. This is one of the few movies (if not the only one) I've ever watched where you really hope the bad guy (?) gets away with it. I can not say enough good about this darkly humorous film masterpiece (yes, I said masterpiece).
     I had the wonderful chance to see Vincent Price do a lecture back in the late 1970's regarding his horror film roles, a memory I cherish very much from that time. Near the end of his lecture, Mr. Price took questions from the audience, and one of the questions he was asked was; -What was your favorite horror film roll?  
     Mr. Price responded, that most people seem to best remember him as the crazed guy at the lever in "The Pit And The Pendulum", laughing maniacally as the blade swings over his helpless victim. But, as for himself, he would have to say his personal favorite horror roll was "The Abominable Doctor Phibes". He went on to explain that he had come into films well into the sound era, so he had completely missed out on the silent movie era where it was important to "emote", or exaggerate for the camera to make your character understood, an acting "style" that he had always longed to try on film. The character of Dr. Phibes aforded him this chance.
     As you may recall from the film, Dr. Phibes must use a sort of speaking apparatus (the victrola thing he plugs into his neck) to enable him to speak due to his injuries, so his character never moves his lips. Only his throat moves a bit when lines are given. Mr. Price explained that in order to make the character of Phibes work, he had to use the same "emoting" techniques (eyes and posture) as were used by actors during the silent film era. He would "facially act" the lines of Phibes, and later the soundtrack of Phibe's stumbling speech (as spoken by Price) would be dubbed in, so he had to "think" his lines as he acted, or responded to the other actors, all the while making the small swallowing movements with his throat to show that something was happening in his throat to make the sound of his character's voice.... a subtle, but important little nuance to make Phibes all the more real.
     And in perfect Price style, he ended his lecture by reading Edger Allen Poe's "The Raven"... with that, I am certain that he made a couple of hundred people's night, as no one else before, or even since, can deliver lines by Poe with that kind of flourish and style. This was the genius of Vincent Price... and like many fans of the late, late movies... he is very much missed.

When you walk into my house, the first thing you see is the "Love means never having to say you're ugly" poster for The Abominable Dr. Phibes. 

No horror film ever captured my imagination in the way this one did.  After growing up on a steady diet of lumbering monsters in the Universal horrors, Phibes was a revelation.  Not only did Dr. Anton Phibes possess a Rube Goldbergian genius for dispatching his victims, he was actually the romantic hero of Abominable and its sequel. 

I remember running home from school in order to catch the yearly Halloween broadcast of The Abominable Dr. Phibes before it started, and I was a lazy kid.  This was the only time I remember running.

I absolutely LOVE Vincent Price. Quite tall, and dashing in his younger days, a good-looking guy with blue eyes to rival Paul Newman's. And his sense of humor is great.
This movie is so much fun to watch...I always catch it on TV when it's shown.
The way everyone plays it with a straight face only adds to the comedic value.
An unforgettable black comedy that I highly recommend.
Yes, we miss Vincent, and are lucky enough to have his movies on tape/dvd.
For another rollicking good time, check out "Theatre of Blood." The line "two poodles, two pies" has stuck with me since I saw it in the theatre.

Price is Right....great moniker! I agree the Phibes movies and THEATER Of BLOOD are my favorite Price movies as well. Vinny is truly in the top horror film actors of all time...along with the 2 Chaneys,Karloff,Lugosi,Lorre,Lee and Cushing . In fact...anything he's in is worth watching! I saw DR.PHIBES RISES AGAIN as a kid back in the 70's...a treasured movie memory!  :thumbup:

Ever heard of "The Shadow of Fu Manchu"?  This is hilarious in being a direct duplicate of it, in the beginning at least. The reverend is Fu Manchu, Trout that detective dude who the radio drama follows.

Fu Manchu:
http://www.archive.org/details/FuManchuOTRKIBM

This isn't a so bad it's funny movie, I laughed once at that whole amusing opening bat scene, they are actually flying foxes and quite cute (I have mates who look after injured flying foxes).
This movie is actually pretty engaging on its own merits. It's all about waiting for the next imaginative kill. I enjoyed this movie and all the serious acted sillyness. Just don't expect this to dish out the laughs like say Starcrash.

I actually don't consider this a B-Movie, at least not in the traditional sense.   It's a classic to me.  It's also one of Price's best in my honest opinion.  I haven't seen the sequel, I've been unable to find a copy.   :bluesad:  Also, I can't believe I didn't realize this despite it being so blatant and also including the fact that I'm a "Saw" fan, but Kadath (my husband) was the one who had pointed out that there is no way in hell Phibes' death of the first born son attempt didn't inspire the "Saw" films in some manner.  I can't believe it took me 5 times and my husband to make me notice that.  Haha.

The grasshopper death scared me for life!

Brian

     There's Vincent Price, then there's VINCENT PRICE....PHIBES is all about the latter. No actor in the post-WWII period could lick the paint off the flats like Ol' Vinnie, and he's a sheer joy to behold in this, and the sequel, not to mention THEATER OF BLOOD.

(http://www.headinjurytheater.com/images/phibes%201%20just%20plain%20weird.jpg)

  


  Vulnavia ain't so bad, either.

It is possible (I will have to check) but I think this was another film banned in the old South Africa - that is, prior to 1994's democracy. The sequel may also have been banned.  :thumbdown: