FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Lachlan Coulson This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Fatma Suarez The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Bumpy Chip It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

e_k_cinephile I was amazed at the originality and intelligence of the story of this film. I am totally sure that this film inspired "Se7en", with the killer following a religious symbolism in his chain of murders and saving the last symbol for himself. It is also obvious that "the key hidden in the chest" scene inspired "Saw". The religious symbolism in the film leads to original murder styles that are visually interesting. And then there is the charisma of Vincent Price, perfect for his role. Seeing a never-speaking, female assistant was also original. Joseph Cotten provides a great counterpart to Price. The scenes with the police officers provide well-dosed humour to the film. A must-see cult film.

GL84 Following a strange rash of deaths, a police inspector realizes that the deaths were all of the men were in the employment of a doctor who let a distinguished professor's wife die in their care and sets out to stop him from continuing his plan of revenge against them.This here is a classic by any means of the word, and easily one of Price's best films. Among those reasons is the films' reason for being as perhaps one of Vincent Price's best-known roles, and for good reason. This is mainly due to the humanity Price brings to the role as he is a far more human killer and we feel for him more than we would some faceless killer in other films modeled after this one that it could've degenerated into. With Price known mostly for playing the maniacal villain with a sense of humor, this one takes the past films up a notch with it being over-the-top campy. This is mainly due to Price hamming it up in a more serious performance instead of his usual joke-cracking, but he even gets into it a little with some pretty funny sequences at times, from him directing the band of mechanical objects to him waxing lyrical to the audience of inanimate objects with hilarious lines of dialog. There are others, from a ballroom dancing sequence to the interplay with the police officers which steals the comedy from most of the film. Even without it being campy, there are some pretty genuinely creepy scenes due to the method of death in the film. It is quite original the way the killing is done in here, and basing them in the order of the plagues of Ancient Egypt is a brilliant stroke of originality. That allows for some ingenious and flexible deaths, as they aren't restrained to the usual axe and knife deaths with the rather creative setups throughout here that truly show his genius in full- force. The fact that this is also a very fast moving film is another great factor, as the film never really seems to be slow or dull, and something is always happening. We happen upon the first murder at the very opening of the film, and the film doesn't really slow down leading into the grand finale that attempts to recreate the exact setup that sent him on the rampage in the first place. There are only a few relatively unimportant things to bring up here. The first is also one of it's greatest strengths in the camp factor. Even though it makes the film more fun if it's camp, the seriousness of some of the events makes it seem a little out-of-place. The deaths are played seriously while the rest of the film is played for laughs, and the difference tone is quite apparent in some cases. The other factor is Phibes himself. One of Price's best instruments is his voice, and here he has it modified by a special instrument attached to his throat. Without the fluctuating tones he uses in his other roles, that great instrument isn't as effective here. Otherwise, there isn't much wrong here.Today's Rating/PG-13: Violence.

Basse Nasstrom Much like many evenings before, I felt the lacking of a great feature film to engage my prefrontal cortex. And since my go-to tends to be horror and horror only, I decided to change things up a little bit with a Horror/Comedy. Usually I try to stay away from this rather ambiguous mix of genres, but since I've got a weak spot for 70's horror, I gave it a shot. And boy, am I glad I did.From the very beginning there is something about the setting of the scene and the tension clouding up the room in its own silent way that reminded me of "The Holy Mountain", by the great Alejandro Jodorowsky. A somewhat strange comparison you might think, but it doesn't strike me as strange at all; maybe it was a favorable way for directors to approach the arts in the 70's. Whatever the common denominator might be, the opening scene presented, in my opinion, an undertone of similar vibes as that of "The Holy Mountain"; which is a good thing, of course. Overall, the film isn't all that scary, I must say. But that doesn't take away the fact that it is a great film. And also I wonder how scary a horror/comedy can get without it being a straight up horror film. Anyhow, even if it doesn't make my hair stand up on end it is still a great horror story. The film is an impeccable mix of the two genres; it's predominantly horror, with the occasional (and well placed) joke making an entrance when you least expect it.The comic elements sneak up from behind and grab you by surprise. At times, the jokes enter on such uninvited note that it really catches you off guard and make you burst into laughter. It is really my type of humor - black comedy. Compared to today's black comedy, it might appear somewhat modest, naturally; although how modest it might seem today, I'm sure that it was all but in the 70's. Overall, "The Abominable Dr. Phibes" is a film worth your while. If you enjoy a solid 1970's horror flick and at the same time don't mind the occasional laughter, you can't go wrong with this one. Even if you tend to avoid horror/comedy films, like me, I recommend that you give this one a go - it's timeless.

utgard14 Classic horror film starring Vincent Price as a man seeking revenge on the doctors he holds responsible for his beloved wife's death. One after another, he stalks and kills each man in a manner patterned after the ten biblical plagues of Egypt. It's a wonderfully inventive and darkly comic film that arguably stands as the high point of the AIP horror stable (certainly the best of their '70s output). Well-directed with a clever script, beautiful sets, and a great cast that includes Price in one of his best roles, the great Joseph Cotten as one of the would-be victims, Virginia North as the lovely Vulnavia, and Peter Jeffrey as the police inspector who gets many of the film's funniest moments. It's a must-see for fans of Price or fans of the many fine horror films released by American International back in the day.