Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972)

The vengeful doctor rises again, seeking the Scrolls of Life in an attempt to resurrect his deceased wife.

Director:

Robert Fuest

Writers:

Robert Fuest, Robert Blees

Stars:

Vincent Price, Robert Quarry, Valli Kemp

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Vincent Price	...	Dr. Anton Phibes
Robert Quarry	...	Darrus Biederbeck
Valli Kemp	...	Vulnavia
Hugh Griffith	...	Harry Ambrose
John Thaw	...	Shavers
Keith Buckley	...	Stewart
Lewis Fiander	...	Baker
Gerald Sim	...	Hackett
Milton Reid	...	Manservant - Cheng
Peter Jeffrey	...	Inspecter Trout
John Cater	...	Superintendent Waverley
Peter Cushing	...	Captain
Beryl Reid	...	Miss Ambrose
Terry-Thomas	...	Lombardo
Fiona Lewis	...	Diana Trowbridge

Storyline

The moon rises at a predestined angle and awakens the sleeping Dr. Phibes three years later. To his dismay, he finds his house has been demolished and his papyrus scrolls stolen, the scrolls he needs to find the Pharoah's Tomb in Egypt, where the River of Life flows. After identifying the source of the papyrus theft, he packs and leaves for Egypt with his assistant Vulnavia, still intent upon awakening his dead wife Victoria. The parties responsible for the theft of Phibes' scrolls suffer an attrition problem as Inspector Trout chases him across the world.

---

Plot Keywords:

egypt | tomb | telephone rigged to kill | mad scientist | sarcophagus | 

---

Taglines:

Flesh crawls! Blood curdles! Phibes lives!

---

Genres:

Comedy | Horror

---

Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

MGM Studios [United States]

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

July 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Rückkehr des Dr. Phibes

Filming Locations:

Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

American International Pictures (AIP)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Frankie Howerd was asked to be in this project.

---

Goofs

When Ambrose looks at Victoria in her glass coffin, she is visibly moving.

---

Quotes

Trout: We could search the mountain...
Waverly: Trout, one needs a warrant to search. You should know that by now.
Trout: I am aware, sir, but...
Waverly: We can't just storm into someone else's mountain. This isn't Hyde Park, you know.

---

Crazy Credits

Once more the cast credits are split into several sections: the protagonists, the girl, the law, the victims and interested parties.

---

Alternate Versions

In later prints and in the video version a scene featuring Vincent Price singing "Over the rainbow" is removed, supposedly for copyright reasons. The DVD release of 2001 restores the Vincent Price-sung "Over The Rainbow".

---

Connections

Featured in Svengoolie: Dr. Phibes Rises Again (2009)

---

Soundtracks

Tayside
(uncredited)
Music by Robert Murphy
Published by Studio G

User Reviews

Dr. Phibes Fiercely Rules with Superb Style and Suave Savoir-Faire

Some feel that this sequel to 1970's The Abominable Dr. Phibes surpassed the original film with its all-out camp elan, wild-and-woolly murder sequences (it's hard to imagine anything more skin-crawlingly gruesome than the Scorpion Throne sequence in this film), exquisite Deco Egyptienne sets and scenery-chewing performances by such stellar talents as Hugh Griffith, Terry-Thomas (a priceless cameo), Beryl Reid and Peter Jeffrey. Robert Quarry has probably his best role ever as the perfidious Biederbeck, and Valli Kemp makes a fetchingly arch replacement in the role of Vulnavia originated by Virginia North (Kemp's Vulnavia is more in the vein of Maxfield Parrish, while North was arctically Deco). But it's Vincent Price--"how ironic and how clever!"--who rules this bizarre, darkly comic universe of murders and ancient Egyptian occult wisdom. The score by John Gale is also worthy of considerable praise--one of the great horror scores of the latter 20th Century. When is the CD coming out?

I've seen this movie about 7 times, and every time I always notice some little quip or detail that escaped me on first viewing. For trivia buffs, a third film was planned, which was due to bring Phibes face to face with Hitler. Vincent Price was so incensed at the chopping of the original running time of Rises Again that he refused to have anything to do with the third project, so it was abandoned. Director Robert Fuest worked on the Linda Thorson season of the Avengers (the Takeover episode shows some of the Phibes style), and went on to produce a stylish send-up of one of Michael Moorcock's future-sex fantasias.