The Abominable Dr. Phibes

The Abominable Dr. Phibes
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRobert Fuest
Written by
  • James Whiton
  • William Goldstein
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyNorman Warwick
Edited byTristam Cones
Music byBasil Kirchin
Production
company
Distributed byMGM-EMI Distributors
Release date
  • April 1971 (1971-04)
Running time
94 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£300,000
Box office$1.5 million, $1,827,000 or $3 million

The Abominable Dr. Phibes is a 1971 British comedy horror film directed by Robert Fuest, and written by James Whiton and William Goldstein. It stars Vincent Price in the title role, Dr. Anton Phibes, who blames the medical team that attended to his wife's surgery four years earlier, for her death and sets out to exact vengeance on each one. He is inspired in his murder spree by the Ten Plagues of Egypt from the Old Testament, although the Ten Plagues in the film's Old Testament considerably differ from those in the real world Old Testament. The film co-stars Joseph Cotten, Hugh Griffith, Terry-Thomas, Virginia North, with an uncredited Caroline Munro appearing as Phibes's wife.

The film was produced by the UK branch of American International Pictures, and was released by MGM-EMI Distributors in April 1971. It initially received mixed reviews from critics, but has gone on to garner a cult following, with critics singling out Price's performance, the film's dark humour, and its Art Deco production design. A 2015 Time Out London poll ranked the film in the Top 100 Horror Films of All Time.

The film was followed by a direct sequel, Dr. Phibes Rises Again, released the following year.