The Abominable Dr. Phibes

A doctor (Vincent Price) seeks revenge in the form of biblical plagues on the nine surgeons he holds responsible for his wife’s death.

The Abominable Dr. Phibes is a good black comedy.

Vincent Price is great as the titular Phibes, a living corpse who exists solely to exact revenge on those he holds responsible for his wife’s death. The script by James Whiton and William Goldstein wisely paints Phibes as a driven, misunderstood anti-hero, thus allowing the audience to perversely root for him as he murders his way through the story.

Providing a solid counter-point for the driven, calculating Phibes, is Peter Jeffrey’s Inspector Trout, who muddles through most of the film perpetually one-step behind Phibes and befuddled by his actions. Again, the script wisely paints Trout not as a stupid man, but rather one simply in over his head, without any real support. Thus, the audience is free to like Trout, without feeling too bad when Phibes constantly gets the best of him.

Topping off the two great performances are some great Art Deco sets, and a surprisingly witty script that ages very well.

Granted, The Abominable Dr. Phibes isn’t perfect. Joseph Cotton is somewhat flat as the surgeon drawing the brunt of Phibes’ ire, and the finale runs a little too long, but neither of these quibbles should stop you from giving it a shot.