MOVIE: The Complete Dr. Phibes (1971/72)

The Abominable Dr. Phibes (UK/US 1971, 94m)

Dr. Phibes Rises Again (UK/US 1972, 89m)

Both from American International Pictures

Original certificate: X, currently rated 15


In this double bill, Dr Anton Phibes (Vincent Price) starts off by seeking revenge on the medical professionals he holds responsible for the death of his wife (an uncredited Caroline Munro). Aided by his accomplice Vulnavia (Virginia North/Valli Kemp), he starts to bump them off in murders based on the Ten Plagues Of Egypt. Is chief surgeon Dr. Versalius (Joseph Cotten) being saved for last?

In the second installment, Phibes heads to Egypt in search of the secret of eternal life itself! Can he get there before rival Darrus Beiderbeck (Robert Quarry), and wipe out his expeditionary team?


Make no mistake, the Dr. Phibes films are quite unlike anything else in British horror, or elsewhere on planet Earth come to think of it. They both draw from their star's past (think House Of Wax, The Mad Magician) whilst also providing a dry run for his tour-de-force Theatre Of Blood. However, that latter masterpiece still seems decidedly earthbound in comparison with this pair, both ably helmed by Robert Fuest.

Sure, they both require massive suspensions of disbelief at times, but then it could be argued that they inhabit their own universe anyway, a strange netherworld which feeds 1920's England through an art-deco filter and embraces the dying embers of the swinging UK captured in The Avengers. There's certainly more than a touch of that series (on which Fuest worked) in the style and execution of the doctor's diabolical plans, not to mention the look and feel of the productions as a whole.

It all provides a most unusual setting for the murders, ranging from animal attacks to deaths by mechanical contraptions. You can't help but wonder what influence they may have had on the Saw movies, whose whole raison d'etre isn't exactly a million miles away from this pair.

Price is excellent as usual, but this is actually quite a different performance from him. The doctor is unable to use his mouth, speaking through an amplification device, and Vincent acts the part entirely mute, overdubbing his lines later. The effect is quite disarming, adding a surreal dash to proceedings.

This is a fine duo of gruesome, yet laugh-packed films which feature sterling support from some of Britain's finest talents. If not quite the absolute pinnacle of Price's career, they're not far off and rank with his finest works.



Blu-Ray Notes: One of Arrow's most elaborate efforts, with two custom card cases and a beautifully rendered book, housed inside a textured case reproducing the first film's famous poster art.  There are commentaries from director Fuest, creator William Goldstein and film historian Tim Lucas spread across the set, recollections from Price's daughter Victoria, plus thoughts on the film from The League Of Gentlemen. The book is a real treat, full of new writing on the films, their music and the story of American International's short lived but notable UK branch, whilst Tim Burton shares his appreciation and Caroline Munro reveals exactly why she was uncredited...

The HD transfer does show up the low budget nature of the films, but in a rather endearing way, the set design making a virtue out of necessity. Vincent Price fans are being spoilt indeed. You really need this, but be quick - this edition is limited to 3,000! Comedy Of Terrors and The Haunted Palace are promised next...

Trailer - The Abominable Dr. Phibes:

Trailer - Dr Phibes Rises Again:

MOVIE: The Pit And The Pendulum (1961)

Click image for a larger view

US 1961, 80m, American International/Alta Vista

Blu-Ray: Arrow Films (UK), Cert 12

When he hears of the death of his sister (Barbara Steele), Francis Bernard ventures to a remote castle in Spain, where she had made home with her husband Nicolas Medina (Vincent Price). Struggling to gain information on his sister's demise from either Medina, his sister Catherine or the family physician, Francis begins to suspect that she may have been buried alive. Then strange occurrences begin to take place, as Nicolas' fragile sanity begins to disintegrate...


After the massive success of the previous year's The Fall Of The House Of Usher, it was inevitable that AIP would want more, and Price was reunited with director Roger Corman for another Poe adaptation. Taking the template set by its predecessor, the film is considerably wider in scope, both in its settings and the more elaborate sets. It also utilises some painted matte work both in its interiors and exteriors which still stands up astonishingly well, especially considering the age of the film and its relatively small budget.

The Pit And The Pendulum does occasionally feel like the same painting on a bigger canvas, perhaps lacking some of the poetic quality of the previous film to boot, but that's probably nitpicking. It's beautifully shot and framed, economically paced, with another powerhouse performance from Vincent Price. This is an American genre classic, deserving of a place in any serious horror collection, and the torture chamber climax provides one of horror's defining images of the period, as the cover art amply illustrates...



Blu-Ray Notes: Another first class presentation from Arrow Films. It looks stunning. Extras include a brand new 45-minute making-of documentary with contributions from Roger Corman, Barbara Steele and Price's daughter, Victoria amongst others.

A very welcome bonus is the 1970 TV special, An Evening Of Edgar Allen Poe, in which Price performs four solo renderings of the author's tales in front of a live audience. This is a unique opportunity to catch Price at full throttle in a one-man performance. Sadly, it only appears to exist in a slightly fuzzy film transfer from the original videotaped recording, but the fact that it exists at all is reason for celebration. 

Fascinating commentaries from Roger Corman and Tim Lucas, extra footage of actress Luana Anders to pad out the TV version of the film, as well as booklet notes from Jonathan Rigby make this release truly definitive. If you're a fan of Vincent, you really need this Blu-Ray in your collection, and the steelbook edition is the one to go for.

Original Theatrical Trailer:

MOVIE: Deranged (1974)

aka Deranged: Confessions Of A Necrophile 

A seemingly innocuous farmer isn't quite the same after his possessive mother's death. He takes to first robbing graves, then committing murder to obtain parts to keep mother's body looking at its best...


Although named Ezra Cobb in the film, there's no doubting the true inspiration here. Deranged is arguably the nearest the cinema got to the truth behind Ed Gein's crimes (at least until the eponymously titled biopic of 2000). The alternative title isn't entirely apt, as Gein wasn't believed to have experimented with Necrophilia, but that wasn't the kind of thing to stop American International's marketing department...

Very atmospheric in places, it's quite disconcerting to have the action broken up as a narrator occasionally breaks the fourth wall and addresses the audience directly. There are one or two particularly gross moments, but the rest of the film is surprisingly restrained. Familiar character actor Roberts Blossom is very effective in the lead.

Deranged got overshadowed by another Gein-inspired film the same year, namely The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Deranged takes a different tack to its rival, coming across like a particularly out-there Crimewatch reconstruction. That's not to say it's a great movie by any means, but it is quite effective in its own way. Worth a look.



BLU-RAY NOTES: Whichever way you look at it, this movie looks grotty. But then, that's probably the point, and the transfer on the Arrow Films release makes the most of the muted colour palette and the grainy stock. Considering the tiny budget, it looks quite impressive. Tom Savini's commentary is most enjoyable, as he reflects on his early career as well as the film (this was his second make-up credit). There are also interviews with Scott Spiegel and Laurence R. Harvey, the original trailer, and a booklet containing an archive interview with producer Bob Clark.





Canada/USA 1974 - Karr International Pictures/American International

84 Minutes

Certificate - 18 (UK, originally X for edited version), Not Rated (USA)

Blu-Ray/DVD: Arrow Films (UK), MGM (USA - DVD only at time of writing)

Original Theatrical Trailer:

MOVIE: The Fall Of The House Of Usher (1960)

The Fall Of The House Of Usher aka House Of Usher

US 1960, 80m, American International Pictures/Alta Vista

Blu-Ray: Arrow Films (UK) - Cert 15


Seeking the hand in marriage of his lost love Madeline Usher (Myrna Fahey), Philip Winthrop (Mark Damon) arrives at the isolated ancestral home of the Usher family. After getting past the house servant Bristol (Harry Ellerbe), Philip is given short shrift by Madeline's brother Roderick (Vincent Price), who warns him that he must leave the house immediately. When Philip refuses to do so, even after Roderick tries to explain at least in part the Usher family curse, things are further complicated when Madeline appears and sees her beloved. Meanwhile, the house appears to be crumbling away...

A turning point for Roger Corman, American International Pictures (AIP) and Vincent Price. Whilst it wasn't Price's first horror appearance by any means, The Fall Of The House Of Usher (originally just House Of Usher in the UK) and the Corman-directed Edgar Allen Poe adaptations that followed arguably set the template for the remainder of his career. He's at the top of his game here. Missing his familiar moustache and with his hair died white-blonde, he looks like a man slowly fading away, and he plays Roderick as both sympathetic and loathable.

Myrna Fahey is an able Madeline, able to elicit some genuine chills when it becomes apparent that she may not be as she initially seems, whilst Mark Damon is dashing as the erstwhile hero of the piece. Harry Ellerbe gives sterling support, like an American stand-in for Hammer's Michael Ripper.

Richard Matheson's script pulls off the remarkable feat of turning Edgar Allen Poe's short story into a feature without it feeling padded. It's dialogue heavy but riveting, especially impressive when you consider that the whole film centres around four characters.

The cinematography of Floyd Crosby (father of David, fact fans) and the art direction of Daniel Haller cannot be underestimated in their contribution, not only to this film but the ones which followed in the series. The generally muted colours, emphasising browns, reds and greens would give the series a very distinctive look which has been emulated, if never quite matched. 

The Fall Of The House Of Usher is a watershed of a kind, kick starting a whole style of American gothic cinema, and is as important in that respect as The Curse Of Frankenstein is to the British gothic tradition. It would move AIP's emphasis away from the black-and-white double features which had been their early bread and butter, and marked a clear progression in Corman's work, starting a critical appreciation which would only continue to grow.

The films became more elaborate as the series progressed, but this is the one that set the template. It still looks impressive, and it's quite astonishing that it was shot in 15 days on a small budget. Claustrophobic, at times visually surreal and genuinely eerie. A benchmark film of the genre.

Blu-Ray Notes: One word - ASTONISHING. Arrow Films' HD edition looks and sounds great, the previously mentioned cinematography and art direction are really done justice. The image has been cleaned up respectfully, and any restorative trickery has not been overdone. The original mono soundtrack is rendered with great clarity, and all of its subtleties have been retained. Les Baxter's score sounds superb.

Extras are: Commentary from Roger Corman (from the previous US MGM DVD), Interview with Joe Dante, featurette with Jonathan Rigby discussing the making of the film and a video essay by David Cairns. A limited edition steelbook version reproduces the original UK poster.




Original Theatrical Trailer (the trailer probably hasn't aged as well as the actual film...)

MOVIE: Foxy Brown (1974)

"It Looks Like A Pickle Jar..."

Following my recent review of "Sugar Hill", this is shaping up to be a bit of a 70's black cinema mini-season, as coincidentally this popped through my letterbox as my next rental.

This time, it's Pam Grier taking centre stage. Having become a star the previous year in Jack Hill's "Coffy", she reunited with the same director for this, originally slated to be a sequel before AIP changed their mind and it was hastily rewritten as a separate flick.

As the title character, Grier is trying to help her dope dealer brother Link (Antonio Fargas, of Huggy Bear fame) go straight. It just so happens that her boyfriend Dalton (Terry Carter) is a cop undergoing plastic surgery to avoid being found by the drug pushers he has been pursuing. After falling out with his bosses, Link thinks he has found a way back into their good books when he figures out Dalton's true identity and stitches him up big time. When her man gets knocked off, Foxy decides to deal out some justice of her own...

Posing as a call girl, she works her way into a drugs and prostitution racket run by the suitably bitchy Katherine (Katherine Loder) and her typical early 70's lothario other half Steve (Peter Brown), who it becomes apparent has a wondering eye. Foxy befriends another call girl, Claudia (Juanita Brown, in one of her handful of credits before retiring prematurely from the screen in 1977), and attempts to help her get her life back on track before sowing the seeds of her targets' demise.

There follows some top notch revenge moments, a sequence where Foxy is held captive in a dingy cabin (like a trashy version of The Perils Of Pauline), and the setting-up of drug running pilot Hays (the ubiquitous Sid Haig) before Foxy gets her final revenge by... well, all I'll say is you be laughing and grimacing at the same time.

Foxy Brown is arguably not quite as good a flick as the aforementioned Coffy - it's not in quite the same gear (but not far off), and the sheer novelty factor isn't quite as strong second time around, but it's still a solid entertainment, and Foxy is still one of the iconic poster girls of this enjoyable chapter in early 70's cinema. Consider the more recent references to her: Beyonce Knowles' Foxy Cleopatra in Austin Powers: Goldmember, Loretta Devine's Reese watching the film on her security monitors and copying Foxy's moves in Urban Legend, Quentin Tarantino's own rehash of the form with Grier in Jackie Brown... Foxy's a legend.



FOOTNOTE: Thanks to Arrow Films' Blu-Ray release, you can now enjoy Foxy in High Definition! It's a great presentation overall, with a superb transfer image from a nice print. Only minor quibble: the soundtrack level seems somewhat variable, but otherwise a solid set with extras including a commentary from Jack Hill, an interview with Sid Haig and a featurette on early 70's black cinema featuring none other than Fred "The Hammer" Williamson. 

US 1974 - American International Pictures

Certificate: X/18 (UK - It almost made it onto the infamous video nasties list in the 1980's before 2m48s were cut - these cuts have now been waived)

92 minutes

DVD/Blu-ray releases:
Arrow Films (UK)
MGM (US)

Original Trailer

MOVIE: Sugar Hill (1974)

"She's sweet as sugar... with a voodoo army of the undead!"

This is likely to be the best zombie blaxploitation flick you ever see. Admittedly, it's not a field with a vast array of competition, but nonetheless it's an absolute hoot.

We start off with what appears to be a full-on voodoo ritual, accompanied by a funky number called "Supernatural Voodoo Woman". However, it turns out to be just a put-on for the tourists, at an establishment called Club Haiti. The black owner of the club has raised a few hackles with the local white Mafia, headed up by Morgan (Robert Quarry) who decides to have him picked off. So far, so usual. However, Morgan didn't reckon on widow Sugar (Marki Bey) taking over the club. Rather than take her revenge in the usual Coffy/Foxy Brown manner, Sugar instead seeks help from a voodoo priestess to summon Voodoo dude Baron Samedi (Don Pedro Colley).

Thus summoned, Samedi calls on his dead servants to wake up from their slumber in the swamps, and what follows is one of the most bizarre revenge movies committed to celluloid as these zombie henchmen proceed to assist Sugar in some novel methods of dispatching with the guys who did her man wrong.

Wow, I can just imagine them pitching this to Sam Arkoff at AIP...

"So, you say it's like Foxy Brown meets Night Of The Living Dead? How cheaply and quickly can you make it?"

The zombies themselves have a truly original look, covered in dirt and cobwebs and with eyes like silver ping-pong balls (hang on, I think they are ping-pong balls... and sprayed with silver paint...) Marki Bey, meanwhile is sassy and kicks ass in the coolest way possible, whilst Don Pedro Colley knows exactly what sort of crap he's making, and overeggs his performance accordingly. Robert Quarry chews some scenery, whilst being a chauvinistic pig to his superbitch lady Celeste (Betty Ann Rees), who gets some entertaining comeuppance herself. Nobody involved seems to be taking this thing too seriously, but somehow all manage to keep a straight face. Just.

Paul Maslansky (a prolific producer, taking a rare place in the director's seat) seems to be enjoying himself too, and somehow manages to keep this potential mess rolling along nicely to its conclusion - it's a shame he didn't direct more, if you ask me.

So; Mafia hoods, zombies, blaxploitation, a funky theme song, some great one liners, dodgy '70's fashions, a cat fight between Sugar and Celeste, several entertaining deaths and a great "spooky" climax in a swamp - What's not to like? 

Did I mention that I love this movie? You will never see another quite like it.



US 1974 - American International Pictures (who else but AIP would have made this flick?)

Certificate X (UK, original release)

91 minutes

DVD Releases:
ILC (UK - out of print at the time of writing)
MGM (US)

Original theatrical trailer: