
Doctors are being murdered in bizarre manners - bats, bees, a killer frog mask, etc. - which represent the nine Biblical plagues of Egypt. The crimes are orchestrated by an organ-playing, demented madman (from his home base, replete with a clockwork orchestra and help from a beautiful, mute assistant). Detectives are stumped until they find that all the slain doctors once assisted a Dr. Vesalius on an unsuccessful operation involving the wife of organist Dr. Phibes, killed in... (Full plot summary below)
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Doctors are being murdered in bizarre manners - bats, bees, a killer frog mask, etc. - which represent the nine Biblical plagues of Egypt. The crimes are orchestrated by an organ-playing, demented madman (from his home base, replete with a clockwork orchestra and help from a beautiful, mute assistant). Detectives are stumped until they find that all the slain doctors once assisted a Dr. Vesalius on an unsuccessful operation involving the wife of organist Dr. Phibes, killed in a car crash upon learning of his wife's death. He couldn't be the culprit, could he?
Leave your thoughts about The Abominable Dr. Phibes.
| Creative LoafingMatt BrunsonThere's camp to spare -- check out the doc's house band -- but there's also plenty of innovation on display, to say nothing of ample amounts of effective humor. |
| VarietyVariety StaffAnachronistic period horror musical camp fantasy is a fair description, loaded with comedic gore of the type that packs theatres and drives child psychologists up the walls. |
| Chico Enterprise-RecordLuanne BrownThis one gave me nightmares when I first saw it in 1972. Okay, so I'm a whimp but the creepy camp is cool. |
| Antagony & EcstasyTim BraytonArguably the single greatest AIP release made without Roger Corman on hand as either producer or director... One of Price's signature roles. |
| CinePassionFernando F. CroceA sardonic wink, back at The Phantom of the Opera and ahead toward Phantom of the Paradise, with The Avengers as structure and plenty of Franju in the mix. |
| Radio TimesAlan JonesFull of gaudy Art Deco excess, surprise charm and sardonic violence, this deadpan send-up is a classy fright delight. |
| Time OutGeoff AndrewOften amusing, occasionally sickening, always impressive for the imaginative Art Deco sets, it's pretty flatly directed. |
| Chicago ReaderDave KehrA former art director, Fuest gives the film a preposterously lush, Ken Russell-ish look. Highly enjoyable. |
| The DissolveKeith PhippsFuest plays up the 1930s-by-way-of-the-1970s set design, but any atmosphere gets lost in scene after scene that's lighted like a TV show. |
| User ReviewJames Lrevenge is a dish best served by vincent price. |