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

Don't Look Now

1973

A suggestive and deeply layered reinterpretation of a universal fairy tale like Little Red Riding Hood, which finds in its protagonists, Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie, two extraordinary interpreters. However, the director eludes any predefined scheme, escapes conventions and leads the viewer on a labyrinthine, almost subliminal path. What on the surface seems like a parapsychological horror, complete with a hunt for a serial killer, actually turns out to be a work of extraordinary complexity: an investigation into the reworking of grief within a couple, into the... Read More

Magic

1978

A disturbing psychological thriller that mixes horror and tension, with a sinister puppet and a young Anthony Hopkins in one of his most intense performances. To get into the role, the British actor immersed himself in the study of ventriloquism techniques, giving his character a tormented and vulnerable depth. His hypnotic gaze and his ability to convey complex emotions make the performance unforgettable. Behind the camera, Richard Attenborough orchestrates the story with almost surgical precision, enhancing every detail and giving the story an unusual realism for the... Read More

Hush... Hush, sweet Charlotte

1964

It was supposed to be the natural sequel to the cult film "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?", but Joan Crawford backed out, and Robert Aldrich, also a producer, chose Olivia de Havilland as a replacement, giving her a role far from her usual "women in distress". Once again based on a novel by Henry Farrell, the film does not reach the originality and impact of its predecessor, but it remains one of the best products born in the wake of that success. Not only for the remarkable performance of Bette Davis but also for the intricate plot, centered on the psychological duel... Read More

Les Yeux sans visage

1960

Based on the novel of the same name by Jean Redon, this little gem that lasts just over an hour is a fundamental film for the development of modern horror, among all it has inspired John Carpenter's "halloween". The film is poetic but also damn cruel in its elegant black and white, the scene of the surgical operation anticipates today's extreme cinema by a long way, in fact the critics of the time called it vile and gruesome... But the film is above all a horror with strong psychological elements. At the center of the story are the sense of guilt, an unhealthy gratitude... Read More

Lord of Misrule

2023

Bland horror that mixes paganism, thriller and folklore of British popular traditions. The story recalls the 1973 film "The Wicker Man" with Christopher Lee but is much less exciting, due to a watered down script and a perhaps improvised direction even if it must be said that the real and the supernatural mix in an interesting crossover and the atmosphere is fascinating, especially the sequences in the woods during a lunar eclipse. Ultimately a disappointing film but one that is worth watching.