The Abominable Dr. Phibes

"Love means never having to say you're ugly."

1971 1h 35m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 347

HorrorComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After a team of surgeons botches his beloved wife's operation, the distraught Dr. Phibes unleashes a score of Old-Testament atrocities on his enemies.

“Love means never having to say you're ugly.”

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Cast

Vincent Price
Dr. Anton Phibes
Joseph Cotten
Dr. Vesalius
Hugh Griffith
Rabbi
Terry-Thomas
Dr. Longstreet
Virginia North
Vulnavia
Peter Jeffrey
Inspector Trout
Derek Godfrey
Crow
Norman Jones
Sgt. Schenley

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert Fuest
Writers: William Goldstein, James Whiton
Languages: English, Hebrew
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

55 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Hebrew.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Dr. Phibes Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Robert Fuest, shot by Norman Warwick. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Basil Kirchin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Tristam Cones shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Vincent Price and Joseph Cotten and Hugh Griffith carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Love means never having to say you're ugly.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert Fuest directs. Norman Warwick behind the camera. Basil Kirchin scores. Tristam Cones cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English, Hebrew.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

155 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Hebrew.
3Part of the "Dr. Phibes Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Robert Fuest, shot by Norman Warwick. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Basil Kirchin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Tristam Cones shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Vincent Price and Joseph Cotten and Hugh Griffith carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Love means never having to say you're ugly.".
9IMDB entry: tt0066740 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 19 themes, including "mask", "life and death", "wife", "loss of loved one".
11Released under 17 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Norman Warwick
Original score: Basil Kirchin
Editing: Tristam Cones
Makeup / hair: Bernadette Ibbetson
Runtime: 95 min · 1h 35m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $1,827,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)

Part of

Dr. Phibes Collection

In 1925, Anton Phibes, a horribly disfigured genius, supposedly killed in a car crash, is convinced that his beloved wife died a victim of incompetent doctors, and begins elaborate plans to kill them.