Watch horror Movies for free with Amazon Prime

The Abominable Dr. Phibes

1971
8
Director: 
Robert Fuest

SYNOPSIS: 

A group of surgeons had operated on the beloved wife of Dr. Phibes, abandoning her in the operating room because she was believed to be dead. Driven mad by grief, the man prepares a fatal recipe to carry out his revenge.

REVIEW: 

The Abominable Dr. Phibes, directed by Robert Fuest, is a jewel of British horror cinema that combines gothic, grotesque and black humor in a fascinating and macabre mix. Played by a charismatic Vincent Price, the film tells the story of the eccentric and brilliant Dr. Anton Phibes' revenge against the doctors he believes are responsible for his wife's death.

The plot develops as a series of murders inspired by the plagues of Egypt, an idea as ingenious as it is disturbing, which gives life to visually surprising sequences. The baroque aesthetic, with rich sets and saturated colors, creates a dreamlike and surreal atmosphere that recalls expressionist cinema and art deco. Making it all the more fascinating is the soundtrack, which alternates organ music with jazz motifs, contributing to the sinister elegance of the film.

Vincent Price, despite acting almost exclusively with the expressiveness of his face, gives one of his most memorable performances. His Dr. Phibes is a tragic villain, both frightening and melancholic, who inspires a strange form of empathy despite his brutality.

A one-of-a-kind film, The Abominable Dr. Phibes is a perfect example of auteur horror, capable of mixing cruelty and irony with an extraordinary aesthetic taste. A must-see for lovers of cult cinema.

SIMILAR MOVIES REVIEWS

OTHER MOVIES REVIEWS

The Blair Witch Project

The Blair Witch Project

1999

The Horror! The Horror! It's everywhere this summer. Look at the fear on the face of gorgeous Catherine Zeta-Jones in The Haunting, a $75 million scarefest from Twister director Jan De Bont in which Zeta-Jones' lesbian designs on Lili Taylor pale next to the hideous designs that a haunted New England mansion has on both of them. Or check out The Deep Blue Sea, with Cliff-hanger director Renny Harlin pulling every trick an $80 million budget can buy to put Samuel L. Jackson, Thomas Jane and Saffron Burrows at the mercy of merciless, supersize sharks. Screenwriter David E.... Read More

Clown the movie

Clown

2014

Hating clowns is pretty much a religious observance in Western culture. No one really needs to explain, ‘I hate clowns’, and no one ever seems to be indifferent to them, let alone like the things, save for women of a certain age who are into naff figurines; it’s weird, though, that so many people have an opinion on something they haven’t ever seen first-hand in their original environment. I don’t know many people who’ve even been to the circus or ever had clowns turn up to entertain them at parties, or if they have, it’s certainly not frequent and/or traumatic enough to... Read More

Breaking at The Edge

Breaking at The Edge

2013

Breaking at the Edge is a 2013 horror film that’s actually more creepy than scary. Two brothers kill their half sister in order to inherit their wealthy estranged father’s estate.  And when the younger brother’s pregnant wife finds out, they plot to kill her too. 2 out of 10 stars.  What I didn’t like was the truly bad acting by the Brazilian actress and the “ghost” of Sara Randolph.  We’ve come a lot further than this.  The rest of the cast wasn’t much better.  Bad casting can really ruin a film. Ian and Bianca Wood are expecting a baby.... Read More

Vanishing on 7th Street

Vanishing on 7th Street

2010

Even a solid cast (for the most part) and a few eerie moments cannot save this unoriginal thriller from its own generic silliness. Tack onto it an ending that is creepier than the movie as a whole, only because of what it implies. The characters are cliche and do foolish things. There never really is an explanation which would have been good, at least in regard to why the days were suddenly shorter. There were some cool effects (the plane) but again, these weren't strong enough to save this flimsy film.  The movie really miss some suspance. Scenes develop... Read More

Under The Bed

Under The Bed

2012

You get a lot of horror movies that are based around the same central antagonist (more or less): vampires, serial killers, ghosts and zombies. Lots and lots of zombies. But beyond that, and something that makes horror so great, is a plethora of other sub-categories that people know and love. For instance I have a few a friends who are just crazy about scarecrow horror. Sharks, clowns, animals. All ripe for the picking. And this go round, we get the severely under-utilized boogeyman. The boogeyman seems like a no brainer when it comes to horror. Monster who lives in the... Read More