DR. PHIBES RISES AGAIN (1972)

(Directed by Robert Feust)

 "It's messier, but just as fun as the original."- Signed by MartialHorror.

Plot: Dr. Phibes, who spent the last movie murdering the doctors who allowed his wife to die, moves to Egypt where he can resurrect his wife...somehow.

Review:

“Dr. Phibes Rises Again” was not going to be an easy movie to make. The ending of “The Abominable Dr. Phibes” was pretty absolute its conclusion, so clearly the only reason this was being made was to make more money. It also reportedly had a turbulent production, which never helps. But when it was released, fans were split down the middle. Many think it's just as good or even better than the original, while many felt it was a pale imitation. The majority of viewers, however, seem to think that it's a worthy sequel, albeit not on the level of quality as the original. But what I love about “Dr Phibes Rises Again” is that it's superiority or inferiority is nearly irrelevant. I love that it strives to be different than its predecessor while bringing back the elements that us fans love. Yet I think it really comes down to what you liked about the original, because it does have some glaring flaws. It should be noted that many do consider it to be a rehash, but if that is the case, then it's the strangest example of 'rehashing' that I've ever seen!

“Dr. Phibes Rises Again” opens with a Voice Over narration about the events of the first film, which I think was a mistake because as soon as this ends, the film overwrites the events of the first film. Dr. Phibes (Vincent Price) didn't die, but lived three years in his tomb, and I'm not sure why he'd bother with that. Even weirder, Vulnavia (Valli Kemp this time) somehow survived getting sprayed with acid with no signs of bodily harm. It made me wonder if she was some sort of celestial angel of death, but apparently the original script suggests she's a robot of some sort. Regardless, it's never explained. The first 5 minutes or so really make for a good representation of the film. You'll often be scratching your head in confusion, but the surreal and experimental camerwork and classical score mixed in with the psychedelic lighting and sets are bound to have a hypnotic effect on you. One thing I failed to mention in my previous review was the score, which is grand. The operatic voices and the booming orchestra are phenomenal and account for a good chunk of this films success. The final rendition of "Somewhere over the Rainbow" continues to stick with me. So the confusion that swelled in my brain was ripped out as my eyes bathed in this films beauty. I think a lot of this film comes down to what you feel about the visual appeal. It distracted me, at least, from the nonsensical script.

 

Dr. Phibes also has a new plan, although this is where things become iffy. The plot is not always easy to follow, mainly because important information is dropped on us a bit too quickly. The actors sometimes have the tendency to rush through their lines. Somehow Dr. Phibes has discovered that he can resurrect his wife within a mountain in Egypt. He jumps ship with a team of archaeologists, headed by Biederbeck ( Robert Quarry), an arrogant and pompous douche who wants the secret to eternal life too. Soon, Dr. Phibes starts killing them, because that's what he does. The film seems to be drawing inspiration from either “The Mummy's Hand” or one of its clones. Phibes is practically the High Priest and the Mummy rolled up in one. Like the film or not, I do admire the random location change. It would be like if Freddy Kruger went to Africa or something for his next movie. Good or bad, at least it's different.

“Dr. Phibes Rises Again” might even be more impressive 'visually' than its predecessor. It has all the same sets as before, but now the film has its Egyptian setting to exploit too, and it exploits it well. Once again, the set design is outlandish and the art design is colorful and gorgeous. Robert Feaust probably knew that there wasn't much to work with in the script, but was determined to not fall behind in terms of his direction. There is something poetic and art-house about the films visuals, which worked their magic on me. The suspense isn't as gripping as it was before. It never matches the brilliant finale, where the doctor had to save his son in a “Saw”-like trap. But there is suspense, so I guess that's enough. The scorpion scene was pretty grueling to watch and is easily the films best kill.

But the script lacks the edgy wit of the first film. It has its moments, but the dialogue is mostly uninspired. It also struggles a bit more with the balance between humor and horror, as the horror scenes are never nail biting and the humor is never that funny. Still, it's not a failure in that regard either. Luckily, Vincent Price gives it his all and turns in another impressive performance, although was it me or did it sound like his voice lost its robotic tone near the end (wouldn't be Price's fault. The sound mixer is to blame there)? I also had to give a lot of respect to Robert Quarry (Biederbeck), who does a shockingly good job as the leading man. I almost felt bad, because apparently AIP was replacing Price with him (wouldn't have worked), so the two ended up clashing a lot on the set. But Quarry nails the role and turns him into a great nemesis for Phibes. Dare I say he even was a better nemesis than Joseph Cotten's doctor? It's funny because early on, it seems like Phibes will be the hero and Biederbeck will be the villain. Phibes just wants to resurrect his wife, but Biederbeck just seems like a full on asshole. However, Phibes begins to kill people rather pointlessly, possibly suggesting that he now enjoys murder. Biederbeck slowly becomes more and more of a hero. It's pretty interesting how both men are handled, although it would've been more interesting to see Phibes as the good guy. Speaking of good guys, WHY THE FUCK DID THEY HAVE PETER CUSHING CAMEO IN THIS FILM!? I was thrilled to see him, but was more dismayed to realize he was only appearing in one scene, and it wasn't even with Price!

Unfortunately, the lack of wit made the more absurd moments more obvious. “The Abominable Dr. Phibes” had plenty of bizarre moments in logic, but it was executed in a way that those gaffs didn't really matter, if they even registered at all. “Dr Phibes Rises Again” asks plenty of questions like “How in the hell did Phibes bring that crushing trap and wind machine to the location without a car?” and “How did he get a full grown man to fit in a (man sized) bottle?”. Because there is little to no campy wit to these sequences, it makes these devices feel lazy. As I said, you will be doing a lot of head scratching while watching this movie. The film at least fixes it's structure, focusing mainly on the two leads and their struggle, but I didn't understand why they felt the need to bring back the inspectors from the first film. They are a pointless addition who come across as tacked on for padding.

Luckily, I felt “Dr Phibes Rises Again” emulated enough of what I liked about “The Abominable Dr. Phibes” to be a success. I liked its stunning and exotic visual style, the acting by its two leads and I love that it somehow manages to be 'different'. One of the key attributes of the original film was that it was different in its execution, even if the story was familiar, and “Dr Phibes Rises Again” manages to continue that theme. It has enough suspense to be edgy, with the scorpion scene being difficult to watch, and the closing scene of Phibes singing “Somewhere over the rainbow” is strangely moving and haunting. But it's stripped of the first films wit and the script is full of holes. Honestly, I think the visuals/situations made the first film good, but the script elevated it to greatness. “Dr. Phibes Rises Again” isn't great thanks to the script, but it is good thanks to the visuals/situations. At the absolute least, it's a worthy sequel.

P.S- Phibes appears unmasked only once, and it's pretty lame this time around.

Violence: Rated R worthy. In some ways it's even grislier than its predecessor, but it's not hardcore either.

Nudity: Two guys watch a woman get undressed in a tent, but you only see her shadows.

Overall: “Dr. Phibes Rises Again” isn't an improvement over the original, but it is a good sequel and is worth watching if you liked the original.

 

3/4 Stars