The Abominable Dr. Phibes

The Abominable Dr. Phibes
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRobert Fuest
Written by
  • James Whiton
  • William Goldstein
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyNorman Warwick
Edited byTristam Cones
Music byBasil Kirchin
Production
company
Distributed byAnglo-EMI Film Distributors (UK)
Release date
  • April 1971 (1971-04) (UK)
Running time
94 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1.5 million[1] or $1,827,000[2]

The Abominable Dr. Phibes is a 1971 British comedy horror film directed by Robert Fuest, and written by James Whiton and William Goldstein.[3][4] It stars Vincent Price in the title role, Dr. Anton Phibes, who blames the medical team that attended to his wife's surgery four years earlier, for her death and sets out to exact vengeance on each one.[5] He is inspired in his murder spree by the Ten Plagues of Egypt from the Old Testament.[6] The film co-stars Joseph Cotten, Hugh Griffith, Terry-Thomas, Virginia North, with an uncredited Caroline Munro appearing as Phibes's wife.[7]

The film was produced by the U.K. branch of American International Pictures, and was released by Anglo-EMI Film Distributors in April 1971. It initially received mixed reviews from critics, but has gone on to garner a cult following, with critics singling out Price's performance, the film's dark humour, and its Art Deco production design.[4] A 2013 Time Out London poll ranked the film in the Top 100 Horror Films of All Time.[8]

The film was followed by a direct sequel, Dr. Phibes Rises Again, released the following year.

  1. ^ Parish, James Robert; Whitney, Steven (1974). Vincent Price Unmasked. New York: Drake Publishers. p. 131. ISBN 978-0-87749-667-0.
  2. ^ Donahue, Suzanne Mary (1987). American Film Distribution: The Changing Marketplace. Ann Arbor, Michigan: UMI Research Press. p. 301. ISBN 978-0-8357-1776-2. Note: Figures are for distributor rentals in the United States and Canada.
  3. ^ "The Abominable Dr. Phibes". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  4. ^ a b Weber, Eric. "The Abominable Dr. Phibes". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on 17 December 2007. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  5. ^ "The Abominable Doctor Phibes (1970)". British Horror Films. Archived from the original on 6 November 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  6. ^ Firsching, Robert. "The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) – Robert Fuest | Review". AllMovie. Archived from the original on 15 November 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  7. ^ "The Abominable Dr. Phibes". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).