Dr. Phibes Rises Again

Plot synopsis:
The story begins by recapping the events of the previous film, following Dr. Anton Phibes' murderous quest for vengeance against the doctors he blamed for the death of his wife, Victoria. Phibes eluded capture by placing himself in suspended animation in a sarcophagus he shares with the body of his wife, where he would remain until the moon had entered into a specific alignment with the planets. Three years later, the conjunction occurs, and Phibes rises from his sarcophagus. Summoning his silent assistant Vulnavia (Valli Kemp, replacing Virginia North), Phibes prepares to take Victoria to Egypt; there, in a hidden temple, flows the River of Life, promising resurrection for Victoria and eternal life for the two of them. Rising from his basement, Phibes discovers that his house has been demolished, and a safe containing a papyrus scroll, showing the way to the River of Life, is now empty.
Phibes knows of only one person who could be seeking the same goal: Darius Biederbeck (Robert Quarry), a man who has lived for centuries through the use of a special elixir. After translating the papyrus, Biederbeck prepares to travel to Egypt to find the River of Life for himself and his lover Diana (Fiona Lewis). Phibes and Vulnavia enter Biederbeck's house, kill his manservant and reclaim the papyrus, then leave for Southampton to take a boat to Egypt. Biederbeck travels with Diana and his assistant Ambrose (Hugh Griffith) on the same boat; Ambrose is killed by Phibes when he discovers Victoria's body in the hold, and his body is stuffed in a giant bottle and thrown overboard. Inspector Trout (Peter Jeffrey) discovers Ambrose's body when the bottle washes ashore near Southampton. He and Superintendent Waverley (John Cater) question Lombardo (Terry-Thomas), the shipping agent for the boat; upon hearing the descriptions of the tall woman (Vulnavia) and a clockwork band being brought aboard, they realize that Phibes has returned.
Trout and Waverley pursue Phibes to Egypt, catching up to Biederbeck's archaeological party near a mountain with the hidden temple. Phibes, having set up residence inside the temple, hides Victoria's body in the hidden compartment of an empty sarcophagus. He also finds the silver key that opens the gates to the river. Phibes kills each of Biederbeck's men using methods inspired by Egyptian mythology: one man is killed by a hawk, another is stung to death by scorpions. Biederbeck's team eventually breaks into the temple and takes the sarcophagus, and Biederbeck discovers the key. Phibes uses a giant fan to simulate a wind storm, while Vulnavia enters the tent with the sarcophagus and crushes the man watching over it in a giant screw press. Though the sarcophagus is retaken and Victoria's body is safe, Phibes discovers the key is gone.
Biederbeck is unmoved by the murders and insists on finding the River of Life. He sends Diana with the last remaining team member, Hackett (Gerald Sim), back to England. Hackett leaves his truck to investigate a battalion of British troops, but finds they are really more of Phibes' clockwork men. When he returns to the truck, Diana is gone and he is sand-blasted to death, his truck crashing into Biederbeck's tent. Realizing Phibes must have taken Diana, Biederbeck confronts him. Phibes demands the key in exchange for Diana's life. Unable to break her free of Phibes' trap, Biederbeck surrenders the key and apparently gives up his quest. Phibes unlocks the gates to the river and takes Victoria's coffin through. And in through apparent secret passage way, he summons Vulnavia to join them.
Biederbeck instantly changes his mind and begs Phibes to take him. His pleas are ignored, all unbeknownst to Diana and the officers who see this. She attempts to comfort her lover, who unknown to her, begins to age rapidly. Its unknown if Biederbeck dies or just looks down in defeat as Phibes sings "Over the Rainbow" as he fades from sight.

Tags: comedy, revenge, cult, dark, murder

Review:
Some feel that this sequel to 1970's The Abominable Dr. Phibes surpassed the original film with its all-out camp elan, wild-and-woolly murder sequences (it's hard to imagine anything more skin-crawlingly gruesome than the Scorpion Throne sequence in this film), exquisite Deco Egyptienne sets and scenery-chewing performances by such stellar talents as Hugh Griffith, Terry-Thomas (a priceless cameo), Beryl Reid and Peter Jeffrey.
The original film achieved cult classic status through a magnificent performance from Vincent Price as the vengeful doctor of the title, and an over the top, absurd, camp styling that set it apart from most other films in it's field.
The sequel sees Dr Phibes 'rise again' upon the moon aligning itself in a certain way (or something) and travelling to Egypt to find a river that will grant him and his neither living, nor completely dead beloved, immortality.
However, things aren't so simple because the scrolls that lead the way to the river have been stolen and Phibes has a contender; someone that needs to find the river just as much as he does out there in Egypt with him.What's basically missing from this film is assurance.
However, these death scenes almost appear superfluous to the plot, and appear to only be there to continue what the original started, as Phibes probably could have gotten where he wanted to go without thembut I'm not one to complain about a film that sees a man trapped in a giant gold scorpion while being eaten to death by live ones, and another man killed via a sharp spike shooting out of the telephone, so whether they're needed or not; they're nice.
The film also features, like the original did, a lovely camp feeling; but it's never on the same level as it was in 'The Abominable'.
Perhaps it's the move to Egypt and the low quality of the set's (as opposed to the grand and lavish ones of the original) what's done it.As mentioned, Vincent Price returns to take up one of the roles that have helped cement him in the minds of his fans - Dr Phibes himself.
Robert Fuest returns to the director's chair, as you'd probably expect; but the most notable performance in the film (other than Price) comes from Peter Jeffrey, in the role of the inept Scotland Yard inspector - Inspector Trout.
I'd even go as far as to say that Jeffrey is just as important a part of these two movies as Vincent Price is.Overall, this film isn't nearly as good as 'The Abominable Dr Phibes', but fans of the original will find lots to like and despite the fact that it's a lesser film and has many flaws; I love this kind of stuff so it gets a big thumbs up from me..
Of course this is an almost unnecessary re-working of the first movie but it is great for those like myself who can't get enough of Vincent Price's Phibes.The British cast is very stiff here and the almost chanting 'Harvard Univeristy drama teacher' voice of American actor Vincent Price (when he is thinking/transmitting to Vulnavia as opposed to the stark tone when he uses his electromechanical speaking apparatus) provides grandeur and menace.
I agree with most of the comments that state that the deaths are less imaginative than in the first movie but I like this fact that this sequel was made only two years after the original - the look and feel are similar even if some of the lushness is missing.I like the two policemen acting as a semi working-class, people with a common sense and humor, counterbalance to the Gothic "Phantom of the Opera style" Phibes.
I like the way they have given up trying to catch Phibes and these of course are the two we can identify with, yet there is too little material here and some of the scenes with the policemen look like a family gathering from the first movie and of course as in so many sequels: the acting becomes a little too self aware.
The villain, his hoping-to-be wife and his henchmen are all very dull characters so this is basically a Vincent Price/Peter Jeffrey movie with wasted but welcome guest appearances from Terry-Thomas and Peter Cushing.
Both wonderful actors with careers mostly made of making the most of bad material.The 1970s version of late 1920s British Art Deco (since the Paris-fair that introduced the Art Deco style was held in 1925, I'd say it should be rather early 1930s but the cars look more late 20s in both movies) plus the theatrical, magical, Gothic, deep menace of the price-less (pun not intended) Phibes as only Price could have played makes this very low budget film a little treasure, even if it's basically only for those, like me, who can't get enough of the magical world of the wonderfully abominable Dr. Phibes..
Vincent Price's performance was good (as per usual) and Robert Quarry did well as Biderbeck (Dr. Phibes' foe in this film).
As anyone who has seen the original can guess, there's a lot of really elaborate deaths and more of Vincent Price talking through a machine plugged into his neck.The film picks up with a brief recap of the original (Phibes out to kill the doctors who where operating on his wife when she died).
Phibes has a plan this time to find a secret river of life in Egypt that comes to a pharaoh's tomb once every 2000 years so he can bring his wife back to life and have eternal life.
Dr. Phibes returns (even though we DISTINCTLY saw him kill himself in the last movie!) and this time he is a little less focused on revenge and devotes most of his energy to resurrecting his long dead wife.
It manages to mix horror (Doctor Phibes, Robert Quarry's character(Whose name I forgot)), adventure (The whole expedition in egypt was done before "Raiders Of The Lost Ark), comedy (Just look at Waverly, Trout and the cameo by Terry-Thomas), and Music (Vulnavia's entrance and exit, and more) to create a wonderful masterpiece.
The plot involves Vincent Price's character Dr. Phibes pursuing the elixir of life in Egypt, followed by an explorer with a secret as well as the bumbling police officers Trout and Waverly.
After watching the sublime THE ABOMINABLE DR PHIBES, I wanted to see the sequel and hoped that it would be as good and as original as the first flick.
Three years after his last rampage, Dr. Anton Phibes is resurrected and seeks a map to Egypt that will give his wife life again, and discovering the truth about the mystical map alerts an old group of nemesis of his resurrection who race to Egypt to stop the madman's plans.It isn't the out-and-out classic the first one was, but this is still a great film regardless.
Seeing Price return to the role is a great deal of fun and the amount of screen time the film gives him causes that.
That this is a road movie allows for greater and more elaborate deaths, which is a great advantage as instead of guessing when Phibes would attack here it's a where and with what, and that gives the film a little extra suspense.
Three years later, when the moon aligns itself with the planets in a way not seen for a thousand years, Phibes (Vincent Price) rises again, and this time he is in search of the elusive River of Life, which promises resurrection for Victoria and immortality for the two of them.
Discovering that a sacred scroll containing the map to the River of Life has been stolen by the equally demented Darrus Biederbeck (Robert Quarry), Phibes, along with his beautiful assistant Vulnavia (Valli Kemp), heads to Egypt where the tomb is hidden, murdering anyone who dares stand in his way.With director Robert Fuest returning for the sequel, there's a real sense of continuity to the film, especially when a few actors - their characters slain in the first - occasionally pop up as for cameos that play out like small comic vignettes.
Watching Price gleefully butcher a group of hapless doctors in a variety of inventive and preposterous ways in the first instalment was an absolute delight, but Phibes's battle-of-wits with his nemesis here doesn't offer quite the same amount of opportunities for inventive set-pieces.Anyone searching for a bit of tongue-in-cheek horror will certainly get a bit of relief though, as Biederback's team find themselves the poor saps to be routinely offed, this time inspired by Egyptian mythology such a scorpions and a hawk.
At the end, it feels like the story of Dr. Phibes is not quite finished, with American International Pictures' planned sequel unfortunately never coming to fruition..
Like the first film, the sets and costuming are elaborate, the deaths are bizarre, the humor is quirky and Vincent Price is great.Worth watching...
Vincent Price returns as Dr. Anton Phibes, who is awakened from his three-year slumber by a carefully planned alignment of the stars that brings him back to life, only to be angered that his house was demolished, and the sacred scrolls of life he needs to resurrect his dead wife were stolen.
This one had all the charm, all the kills, all the comedy, and everything you could possibly want from a Phibes film.I'm surprised the director Robert Fuest didn't get bigger, because the directing here was top-notch.The comedy is more obvious in this movie than the first and it's actually REALLY funny!
The movie kicks off with Dr. Phibes rising from his rest to play the organ and head on over to Egypt seeking scrolls to resurrect his dead wife.
Peter Cushing appears for 20 or 30 seconds so the fans of Cushing's have no reason either to watch "The return of Phibes".I don't know what to point out of this film...
I like the Vincent Price Classics: Theatre of Blood and The abominable Dr. Phibes.
Yes, here we are back at Mauldin Square, where Anton Phibes, having pre-arranged his own resurrection, awakens from his hidden tomb where he lay with his beloved Victoria (again played by Caroline Munro), with his sights set on a new adventure: a trip to Egypt to discover the River of Life, a secret source of restorative power that also bestows immortality on those who discover it, as a blessing for himself, but more importantly a way to bring his wife back to life once more.Here's where the story gets a little dicey (and I'd have to agree somewhat with the nay- sayers at this point).
As for Phibes' faithful (and possibly supernatural?) assistant, Vulnavia is played this time by Australian beauty queen Valli Kemp (subbing for a suddenly very pregnant Virginia North.) Another point of contention is a walk-on by Peter Cushing as the captain of the ship Phibes and Biederbeck take to Egypt.Even though it might seem like a waste of great talent (one can only imagine what the movie would've been like if Cushing had played Biederbeck instead!), these kind of appearances were not unusual for any of the horror greats during this time period.
PHIBES RISES AGAIN is not the champagne of horror sequels by a long shot, but nearly any excuse to watch Vincent Price having fun at work is good enough for me, and if you're a like-minded fan, you'll probably feel the same..
As are the sequels to most movies, 'Dr. Phibes Rises Again' does not equal the original 'The Abominable Dr. Phibes'.
Dr. Phibes comes up with other strange, original ways of killing, although there really isn't any reasoning behind the methods this time.
Although this movie could be watched without seeing the original, it is highly recommended that you see 'The Abominable Dr. Phibes' first.
The original PHIBES movie was a surprise success for AIP, so they quickly rushed out a sequel the following year.
Alas, like many horror sequels, the movie repeats many of the same patterns and characters from the original, but with little of the same success and charm.
Phibes does, indeed, rise again despite the first movie making it seem like he was content to go to his death with his wife.
Although Dr. Phibes Rises Again is set three years after the demented organist's original killing spree, in reality, it was only one year after the first film that this sequel saw the light of day, and one can't help but feel that it was a little too soon: once again, Vincent Price puts in a enjoyable turn as the skull-faced Phibes, but this time around, the movie is less focused, most likely as a result of having been rushed into production, and doesn't allow its star to shine as brightly.The contrived opening to the film sees Phibes resurrected from his tomb (there's some unconvincing mumbo-jumbo about the alignment of the moon to explain away this unlikely occurrence), only to find that his home has been demolished, and that a precious papyrus scroll, necessary to locate the mystical Egyptian river where he can bring his beloved wife Victoria (Caroline Munro) back to life, has been stolen by millionaire Biederbeck (Robert Quarry).After summoning his beautiful loyal aide Vulnavia (the scrumptious Valli Kemp), and retrieving the scroll (killing Biederbeck's manservant in the process), Phibes travels to the land of the Pharoahs, hotly pursued by the miffed millionaire, who needs the river's magical powers to sustain his life, and a pair of policemen, Waverley (John Cater) and Trout (Peter Jeffrey).This shambolic and logic free sequel lurches rather uncomfortably from scene to scene, delivering the bizarre murders and crazy production design one would expect, but never quite matching the atmosphere or originality of the original film.
To confuse matters further, actor Terry Thomas returns, but as a completely different character, Phibe's assistant Vulnavia is back, but played by a different actress, and Peter Cushing and Beryl Reid, the film's biggest names (Price aside), are wasted in throwaway cameos that add nothing to the story.If you loved the first Phibes movie, this one will no doubt feel like a disappointment in comparison, but I reckon it's still worth checking out, if only for Phibe's ingenious traps (which make Jigsaw from the Saw movies look like a rank amateur), and the presence of the delectable Valli Kemp.
Peter Jeffrey is amusing as Inspector Trout, but once again the acting honours go to Vincent Price who has perfect timing and relishes his role quite evidently as Dr Phibes.
This time out the events pick up three years later as the moon perfectly hits on the tomb of Phibes (Vincent Price) who rises from the grave in order to bring his wife back to life.
And, besides that, I think he was way too old for his roles, as well.Anyways - As the story goes - After spending a decade in suspended-animation, Dr. Phibes awakens (with absolutely no muscle atrophy, whatsoever) and heads to the tombs of the Pharaohs in Egypt with his beautiful aide and the perfectly preserved corpse of his long dead wife.It's here that Phibes attempts to resurrect his dearly beloved.In the meantime he goes on a predictable, little killing spree, murdering people, left, right, and center, in the most cleverly thought out ways imaginable.Ho-Hum..
Vincent Price resurrects (pun intended) his role as Dr. Anton Phibes, trying to bring his deceased wife back from the dead...which necessitates killing a bunch of people along the way.
Through 1920s England and Egypt, Phibes pursues this goal, merrily dispatching all those who stand in his way through a truly ingenious catalogue of murderous mayhem.What makes the movie superior to the original is that director, Fuest has used his knowledge of television production (he helmed some excellent 60s 'Avengers' episodes) to create an altogther realistically fantastical world played out in the normal sphere of everyday life.
Dr. Phibes revives himself from his state of "suspended animation" and voyages to Egypt in search of a gateway to eternal life.Following a few flashbacks from events in the first movie, this sequel sets off with almost complete disregard to its parent!A new protagonist is introduced - Darius Biederbeck.
Early in the movie, it is revealed he has taken from Dr. Phibes a papyrus showing the whereabouts of the gateway to eternal life.Vincent Price has a great time playing Dr. Phibes, although the touching moments where he would reminisce over his deceased wife have been massively reduced.
PHIBES RISES AGAIN is a sub-par sequel that will disappoint most fans of the first movie.
Cameos from Peter Cushing, Terry-Thomas (playing a different character who doesn't meet a grizzly end) and Beryl Reid seem pointless.As an artistic looking horror film with much art deco, a wonderful period feel and some brilliant comedy, this succeeds.
However a man named Darius Biederbeck (Robert Quarry) has stolen the map of where the temple is located from Phibes home & sets out on an archaeological expedition to find the temple & the river of life itself, Dr. Phibes doesn't like competition & starts to kill the members of the expedition off one by one in a variety of gruesome ways...This English American co-production was co-written & directed by Robert Fuest, continuing where the original The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) left off the year before Dr. Phibes Rises Again tries to do what any good sequel should & expand on the original while keeping the same elements, to be honest I don't think this works as well as the original at all.
Terry-Thomas returns in a small role despite being killed in the original film while horror legend Peter Cushing also has a small cameo.Dr. Phibes Rises Again is a fun way to pass 90 odd minutes, I don't think it's as good as the original but there you go.
Sure, the film is a lot less original than its predecessor (which is the case with most sequels), but it is nonetheless wonderfully macabre and hilarious, and the great Vincent Price (my favorite actor) is once again brilliant in his role.
Vincent Price is back in the role of Dr. Phibes, and he is, of course, once again brilliant as the vengeful Doctor.