IMDb > The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)
The Abominable Dr. Phibes
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The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) More at IMDbPro »

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The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) -- A doctor, scientist, organist, and biblical scholar, Dr. Anton Phibes, seeks revenge on the nine doctors he considers responsible for his wife's death.

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Overview

User Rating:
7.0/10   4,012 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 35% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
James Whiton (writer) &
William Goldstein (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Abominable Dr. Phibes on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
18 May 1971 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Revenge Is The Best Medicine. more
Plot:
A doctor, scientist, organist, and biblical scholar, Dr. Anton Phibes, seeks revenge on the nine doctors he considers responsible for his wife's death. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
1 win more
NewsDesk:
(8 articles)
Nobody Shows Any Old Horror Movies In NYC - Except All Of These:
 (From Icons of Fright. 5 October 2009, 2:22 PM, PDT)

Greatest Scream Queens
 (From SoundOnSight. 1 September 2009, 12:00 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
An ingenious horror classic more (93 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Vincent Price ... Dr. Anton Phibes
Joseph Cotten ... Dr. Vesalius
Virginia North ... Vulnavia
Terry-Thomas ... Dr. Longstreet
Sean Bury ... Lem Vesalius
Susan Travers ... Nurse Allen
David Hutcheson ... Dr. Hedgepath
Edward Burnham ... Dr. Dunwoody
Alex Scott ... Dr. Hargreaves
Peter Gilmore ... Dr. Kitaj
Maurice Kaufmann ... Dr. Whitcombe
Peter Jeffrey ... Inspector Trout
Derek Godfrey ... Crow
Norman Jones ... Sgt. Schenley
John Cater ... Waverley
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Dr. Phibes (USA) (promotional title)
The Curse of Dr. Phibes
more
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for some horror violence/gore.
Runtime:
94 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
UK:X (original rating) | Australia:M (DVD rating) | Finland:K-18 | Norway:16 (1972) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:PG-13 (re-release) | West Germany:16

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Dr. Phibes's first wife was named Victoria Regina. In 1935, Vincent Price made his Broadway debut in the play "Victoria Regina." more
Goofs:
Factual errors: In the closing sequence, when Dr. Phibes has the surgeon's son chained to the operating table, he states several times that he will have 6 minutes before the acid falls. The sequence, which follows continuous and uninterrupted runs 5 1/2 minutes from the time Dr. Phibes starts the flow of the acid to the moment when it falls in Vulnavia's face. Was Dr. Phibes a cheat? more
Quotes:
Dr. Phibes: I have no faith in your profession. After my crash I was told I would never speak again. But as you can see and hear, I have used my knowledge of music and acoustics to recreate my voice!
Dr. Vesalius: You don't need to remind me of your ingenuity Doctor Phibes.
more
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
The Darktown Strutters' Ball more

FAQ

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13 out of 13 people found the following comment useful.
An ingenious horror classic, 22 December 2004
9/10
Author: The_Void from Beverley Hills, England

The Abominable Dr Phibes has achieved quite a cult status among horror fans, and for good reason; as this is one of the finest pieces of camp horror ever produced. The villain at the centre of the film - Dr Phibes - is one of horror cinema's true villainous masterpieces. Unlike many of the not very well thought out villains that we see all too much of today, Dr Phibes is well-rounded concoction of evil. He has his reasons for killing - revenge, his killings certainly aren't boring by any stretch of the imagination and even the man himself IS horror, as he's a horrifically scarred madman that can only talk through use of a microphone connected to his throat. He surrounds himself with horrid looking camp items and has no care whatsoever for his fellow man. However, despite all these bad points that the man has - we are still able to care for his plight somewhat. Phibes isn't someone that just kills for the fun of it; he's distraught over the loss of his beloved, which puts the audience in a strange situation as we have decide whether or not there is a human being beyond this malicious facade. This madman is played by Vincent Price - who else? Price was born for this role and he makes it his own. Price embeds himself on your mind with this performance and it's impossible to imagine anyone else playing Dr Phibes; and that is a sign of a great actor. Price has played many roles in the style of this character, but this is his best and I'd even go as far as to say that this is the quintessential Price performance.

The plot of The Abominable Dr Phibes follows the man of the title as he gets revenge on the doctors that he believes killed his wife after she was fatally injured in a tragic car accident (the same accident that got Phibes his own injuries). However, Phibes doesn't want to get his revenge by any normal means. Guns, knives, axes etc are alien to this man, as he decides to take his revenge in the style of the ten deadly plagues of Egypt. The deaths scenes are ingenious to say the least, with the death in the style of the seventh plague being a particular highlight, which is sure to delight everyone that sees it. The film isn't entirely serious, and is keen to make fun of it's delicious plot. Peter Jeffrey, who plays the bumbling Inspector Trout who is assigned to the case is the source of most of the comedy and steals every scene he's in. The comedy in the film is hilarious and provides a nice breather from macabre horror.

The Abominable Dr Phibes is most notable for it's extreme camp style and has been touted as the campest film ever made by some critics. There is a very good reason for this assessment, as anyone that views it will be able to clearly see; but The Abominable Dr Phibes is more than just a camp horror film. Beyond it's horrors, it's a heart-warming tale of how a man deals with losing a loved one and is actually quite touching because of this. Well, maybe not touching; but the theme of loss is definitely there!

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PHIBES series and sequel info sidterror
I'm all for a remake. Chimera-5
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INSPECTOR PRETORIOUS phibesfilms
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