GL84 Following a strange rash of deaths, a police inspector realizes that the deaths were all of the men were in the employment of a doctor who let a distinguished professor's wife die in their care and sets out to stop him from continuing his plan of revenge against them.This here is a classic by any means of the word, and easily one of Price's best films. Among those reasons is the films' reason for being as perhaps one of Vincent Price's best-known roles, and for good reason. This is mainly due to the humanity Price brings to the role as he is a far more human killer and we feel for him more than we would some faceless killer in other films modeled after this one that it could've degenerated into. With Price known mostly for playing the maniacal villain with a sense of humor, this one takes the past films up a notch with it being over-the-top campy. This is mainly due to Price hamming it up in a more serious performance instead of his usual joke-cracking, but he even gets into it a little with some pretty funny sequences at times, from him directing the band of mechanical objects to him waxing lyrical to the audience of inanimate objects with hilarious lines of dialog. There are others, from a ballroom dancing sequence to the interplay with the police officers which steals the comedy from most of the film. Even without it being campy, there are some pretty genuinely creepy scenes due to the method of death in the film. It is quite original the way the killing is done in here, and basing them in the order of the plagues of Ancient Egypt is a brilliant stroke of originality. That allows for some ingenious and flexible deaths, as they aren't restrained to the usual axe and knife deaths with the rather creative setups throughout here that truly show his genius in full- force. The fact that this is also a very fast moving film is another great factor, as the film never really seems to be slow or dull, and something is always happening. We happen upon the first murder at the very opening of the film, and the film doesn't really slow down leading into the grand finale that attempts to recreate the exact setup that sent him on the rampage in the first place. There are only a few relatively unimportant things to bring up here. The first is also one of it's greatest strengths in the camp factor. Even though it makes the film more fun if it's camp, the seriousness of some of the events makes it seem a little out-of-place. The deaths are played seriously while the rest of the film is played for laughs, and the difference tone is quite apparent in some cases. The other factor is Phibes himself. One of Price's best instruments is his voice, and here he has it modified by a special instrument attached to his throat. Without the fluctuating tones he uses in his other roles, that great instrument isn't as effective here. Otherwise, there isn't much wrong here.Today's Rating/PG-13: Violence.

utgard14 Classic horror film starring Vincent Price as a man seeking revenge on the doctors he holds responsible for his beloved wife's death. One after another, he stalks and kills each man in a manner patterned after the ten biblical plagues of Egypt. It's a wonderfully inventive and darkly comic film that arguably stands as the high point of the AIP horror stable (certainly the best of their '70s output). Well-directed with a clever script, beautiful sets, and a great cast that includes Price in one of his best roles, the great Joseph Cotten as one of the would-be victims, Virginia North as the lovely Vulnavia, and Peter Jeffrey as the police inspector who gets many of the film's funniest moments. It's a must-see for fans of Price or fans of the many fine horror films released by American International back in the day.

calvinnme ...because the comedy must be funny yet the horror must be, well, horrible! This film manages to do both. The art designer was somewhat confused because although most of the fashions and all of the autos are 1920's vintage, some of the houses are decorated in early 70s style. The story is actually taking place in the 1920s.The storyline opens with inspector Trout of Scotland Yard noticing that two surgeons have very recently died in odd ways - one killed by bats, another by bees. His boss basically tells him - poppycock! Don't waste your time on this. But then a third is killed by strangulation via a mask at a costume ball and he is sure something is up. His assistant finds the link between the three - Dr. Vasalius (Joseph Cotton). They visit him, and even while they are there a fourth doctor dies, also a former associate of Vasalius. Vasalius finds the link between the five of them in his case history files. They all worked on one case together -that of Victoria Phibes, who died on the operating table. Could it be her husband doing all of this? No, he died in a fiery auto crash in Switzerland racing to get back to England when he heard of his wife's illness. With no children and no surviving relatives, everybody is stumped.Well, the audience sees who is doing this all along. It is Vincent Price in a diabolically campy performance as Dr. Phibes, out to avenge his wife's death. He is mute throughout the film - well, that is, his lips never move. He is assisted by someone else who is completely mute. Although she is never called by name anywhere she is credited as Vulnavia and given big credits as "Introducing Virginia North". Funny thing is, this was her last credited acting role! Vulnavia's fashion sense is one reason I was confused about the time period. She looks like a model circa 1970. Well, she actually WAS a fashion model circa 1970. Vulnavia is a beautiful girl who never speaks and seems to follow Phibes' every command even without him telling her what to do, all this for a bizarre recluse obsessed with his dead wife. The question never answered is WHY?Well, there are lots of questions here, just don't let them get in the way of the fun because the outrageous impossibility of Phibes succeeding and the passivity of his victims, some of whom just sit and stare at him while he kills them in odd ways when just running away would thwart his plans, are part of the reason that this is a comedy. Then there is poor inspector Trout whose assistants are named Bass, Carp, and Bream. So this is being played as a farce right down to the names of the cops out to solve the murder.You can watch it late at night or alone. It won't actually scare you, but you might feel like a bad person for laughing just a bit. Especially at the end when you finally get to hear Vulnavia's voice - screaming. Highly recommended.

mclaughlinconnor338 This Film was one of the most intriguing and interesting I have watched in years. I first encountered this movie one slow afternoon, with nothing else to watch. I was hooked about 1 minute into the film, It was that good, and whatever flaws it may have are vastly overshadowed by the positives.I believe that the first thing worth noting is how the film looks, and it looks stunning in all of its eccentric marriage of 1920's Art-Deco and early 70's vibe. This might sound odd on this review, but trust me it looks beautiful (in an odd but compelling way) and only makes this film stand out from the pack of its contemporaries and even films today. Truly marvelous. The story is sublime, and very original for its time. Of course, the idea of a man getting revenge on those who failed him may be a cliché today in many horror style movies (Err, the entire SAW series), but Phibes arguably was the birth of such an idea made over 30 years before the first SAW movie. Unlike in SAW, Phibes actually has clear motives from the get-go, and his reason for revenge is truly touching actually(His Wife died on the operating table and he blames it on the surgeons). I won't give the whole movie away, but I will mention that the methods of revenge are some of the best parts of the movie, using inspiration from the Old Testament to carry out some of the most creative kills ever. The movie's ace card is undeniably the acting/dialogue. The role of Dr. Phibes is played by none other than the one and only Vincent Price, and his performance here (even though all of his dialogue was pre- recorded) proves just how irreplaceable the man truly was. Price went from campy, and actually rather humorous, to warm and sentimental, to ice-cold murderer sometimes in the same scene, handled with aplomb by the master. The facial expressions he pulls of sync perfectly with the solid dialogue pre-recorded (check out the scene where Phibes gives his first lamentation to his dead wife,- "Nine Eternities in Doom!" couldn't have been pulled off better by ANY other actor!. While Price is the greatest acting force here, Terry Thomas and Peter Jeffrey also have likable characters and do solid acting efforts as well. Even Joseph Cotten was not nearly as bad as everyone else says he was. Virginia North as Vulnavia may not have much to do and her character is unexplained, but she sure does look good, and same with Caroline Munro as Victoria Phibes who has even less to do (lie in a coffin), but is easily one of the most stunning actresses in the history of film. The film is not without its flaws though,as sometimes the humor can get too silly for its own good, the pacing can occasionally slow, the sometimes shoddy SFX, and fact that some of the deaths are so OTT they are hard to believe.None of this though affects Phibes' shining credentials. This film cannot really be pigeonholed. It is officially known as a horror film. It is not a horror, but it does contain some genuinely horrific scenes.Sometiems it is called a comedy, though it is not really a comedy, though it does contain truly funny moments. It is even considered a romance movie by some, but i believe it is not a romance either, even though the pain that Phibes feels for his wife comes off as shockingly authentic, and translates well to the attentive viewer. The ending in particular is actually one of the most poignant and emotional in any film. The fact is, Phibes combines the best things about different types of genres, and largely it succeeds. I suggest to anyone sick of the mostly hackneyed garbage that is modern horror movies, to check out this little gem immediately. Better yet, anyone who loves film should see this at least once. You won't be disappointed.