Caroline Munro Triple Bill! - The Abominable Dr Phibes, Dr Phibes Rises Again, Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter 

THE ABOMINABLE DR PHIBES (1971) was directed by Robert Fuest and written by William Goldstein and James Whiton. Dr Anton Phibes (Vincent Price) is a brilliant scholar and organist who was presumed dead in a 1921 car crash after hearing of the death of his wife Victoria (played by Hammer star Caroline Munro) during surgery. It turns out that Phibes is not dead. He's very much alive - although badly injured and he now wears a prosthetic mask and can only speak through an electrical voice device. Phibes seeks revenge against the doctors he blames for not saving his beloved wife and plans to kill them using the ten plagues of Egypt as his inspiration...

The Abominable Dr Phibes is one of the best cult horror films of the seventies and a fantastically bizarre and stylish experience. Very rarely will you see a modestly budgeted horror film look so fantastic. The art deco designs of Phibes' lair are a lot fun. Phibes has a beautiful mute assistant named Vulnavia (played by Virginia North) who he likes to dance with and a musical band of automata. He is truly one of the most unique and enjoyable horror villains imaginable. Phibes is like a horror supervillain with his theatrics and grand lair. The manner in which he can temporarily repair his face rather anticipates Sam Raimi's Darkman.

The deaths are naturally the main fun of the film and enjoyably inventive. The 'death by frog mask' scene has some striking imagery and I especially like the death by locusts scene too, amusingly improbable as it is. Price makes a great mute villain and proves what a fine charismatic actor he was. One could easily imagine Price making a fine silent film actor even without that wonderful voice. The Phibes films seem to be the template for the similar (if nastier) Theatre of Blood film that Price made in 1973. All these films feature Price as an eccentric, theatrical and unfathomable avenger out on a macabre mission of elaborate skewed justice. All these films also give the Price character a beautiful female assistant (in the case of Theatre of Blood it was obviously Diana Rigg as Lionheart's loyal daughter).

Joseph Cotten is the main actor away from Price as Dr Vesalius and helps the film by playing it fairly straight in the midst of all the camp. Dr Vesalius was supposed to be played by Peter Cushing but, sadly, he had to withdraw when his wife fell ill. The Abominable Dr Phibes would have been even more cultish with Price AND Cushing. Peter Jeffrey plays Inspector Harry Trout on the trail of Phibes and there's a terrific supporting turn by Terry Thomas. His character has all of his blood removed by Dr Phibes and placed in jars! The big showdown scene is interesting as it presents Vesalius with a medical task which involves his son in great danger. The trap that his son is in almost seems to anticipate more modern horror films like the Saw franchise and the Cube movies.

For my money, the funniest supporting performance in the film comes from Aubrey Woods as a jeweller who Inspector Trout visits to learn more about an amulet found at one of the crime scenes. Look out by the way for Dad's Army star John Laurie too. The direction in the film is incredibly inventive and superbly orchestrated, giving scenes a strange dreamlike feel. The music score is very 1920s and only adds to the bizarre aura that hovers over The Abominable Dr Phibes. This is a really fun film with plenty of familiar faces, incredible art direction and sets, lots of striking imagery, amusing death scenes, and a spellbinding performance by Price as the mournful Phibes.

Though he does some awful things, Phibes is a more sympathetic character than Edward Lionheart in Theatre of Blood because he is motivated by his broken heart. You actually feel a bit sorry for him at times. Although to be fair, Lionheart probably does have a slightly better motive in that he is murdering a bunch of snooty critics who mocked his acting. It seems a trifle unfair for Phibes to target doctors because it isn't as if they let Victoria die on purpose! The Abominable Dr Phibes is one of the best cult British horrors of the seventies and makes a great double bill with its sequel - which we shall of course now discuss.

DR PHIBES RISES AGAIN (1972), the sequel to The Abominable Dr Phibes, saw Robert Fuest return to direct. This time, Phibes returns and sets off for Egypt to search for a river of eternal life. Darius Biederbeck (Robert Quarry), who has been prolonging his life with an elixir, is also after the same goal and sets off with his team. As you may imagine, with Dr Phibes at large, Biederbeck's team are going to meet some very untimely and elaborate deaths...

Dr Phibes Rises Again is essentially more of the same and - happily - that's exactly what we want. This sequel is not quite on a par with the original but it is a lot of fun. Vincent Price once again rules as the completely mad Phibes and, in his ghoulish white face make-up, gives (if possible) an even more entertainingly bonkers performance than he did in the first film. The deaths are once again amusingly inventive with scorpions, sandblasting, and someone crushed by a giant screw-press. There are some great actors in minor roles here. You get cameos by Peter Cushing, Terry Thomas (playing a different character from the first film) and Beryl Reid. Valli Kemp replaces Virginia North as Vulnavia and her doll like beauty makes her perfect casting.

Caroline Munro returns to play Phibes' late wife Victoria (who Phibes plans to live with for eternity if they can find this famed life preserving river). Look out for a young John Thaw in the cast too. Peter Jeffrey also returns as the not entirely competent policeman Inspector Trout. If anything, this sequel is even crazier than the first film with the art deco designs, Phibes' clockwork band, the bizarre score, and general aura of complete insanity. Despite the camp trappings and preposterous nature of the film it walks a very fine line in never actually falling apart. The actors never play down to the material and the production values are wonderful given the budget.

Robert Quarry (of Count Yorga fame) makes for a solid addition to the cast too, as a sort of rival to Phibes. Biederbeck has stolen the scrolls from Phibes' demolished house and thus taken himself on a path to Egypt. The reputation of this film is slightly confusing because some regard it to be a very inferior cheap sequel. Others (in the minority) like it better than the first film. I'm in the middle myself in that I find Dr Phibes Rises Again to be a perfectly acceptable addition which more or less gives you what you got from the first film. The first film was probably more creative when it comes to the deaths and I'd agree that the original is the better film overall but it isn't as if Dr Phibes Rises Again is a patently inferior sequel. It still has Vincent Price as Phibes, famous guest stars, and plenty of murders. Taken on its own terms this film is still fun.

One flaw in this sequel is that you can see they didn't have the biggest budget in the world when the action moves to Egypt and it all feels very studio bound. The pyramid stuff is very good though. Dr Phibes Rises Again is a fun companion piece to the original film and once again makes the most of Vincent Price and the absolutely insane nature of the world Phibes has created for himself. There were plans for a third Phibes film but sadly these never came to fruition. A Phibes trilogy would have been great but the two films they did make are ample compensation and can be watched over and over again as a fun double bill.

CAPTAIN KRONOS - VAMPIRE HUNTER (1974) was written and directed by Brian Clemens. This is a slightly unusual departure for Hammer in that it is a vampire horror film but also a swashbuckler. Hammer didn't really go in for swashbucklers so this film is quite novel in the Hammer library. The film is a lot of fun and although it got a muted reception when it came out, Kronos is now regarded to be something of a cult classic. The story follows the adventures of Captain Kronos (Horst Janson), a professional vampire hunter, as he hunts down bloodsuckers. His assistant is the hunchback Professor Hieronymus Grost (John Cater). You could say that Captain Kronos is sort of like a period version of that Marvel character Blade! If you have any pesky vampire trouble then Captain Kronos is the man to call.

Unlike traditional vampire films, Captain Kronos takes a fairly unique approach to the genre. Instead of relying on the usual vampire folklore, the film presents vampires as a diverse group, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Captain Kronos employs various methods to combat the vampires, including sunlight, sacred swords, and other traditional vampire-hunting techniques. Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter is very entertaining and an atypical sort of entry for Hammer. By the early 1970s, Hammer films were starting to be deemed a bit old-fashioned and twee (especially in the wake of American horror films like Night of the Living Dead, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Exorcist) so you can see Hammer trying some new things around this time - like kung fu, transplanting Dracula into the present day, and being a bit more risque.

Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter is something different because it is a swashbuckling action film in addition to being a horror picture. It's a shame really that this film never got a sequel because a Captain Kronos franchise would have been a lot of fun. Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter had its release delayed for two years (it was made in 1972 but only saw the light of day in 1974) and was given zero marketing. No wonder it bombed - which is a shame. Horst Janson is quite good as the charismatic and enigmatic Captain Kronos, certainly looking the part of a dashing hero. Supporting actors, lke John Cater as the knowledgeable Professor Grost, add some depth and personality to the plot, and there's a wonderfully nasty turn by Ian Hendry as a thug named Terro.

There is also a nice role for Hammer legend Caroline Munro as Carla, the Gypsy girl who Kronos rescues. They of course become lovers in the end. There won't be any pipe and slippers for Kronos though because a vampire hunter's work is never done. The captain won't be settling down with Carla. He's like Bill Bixby in The Incredible Hulk or that dog in The Littlest Hobo. He has to keep moving on. The cinematography in the film effectively captures the eerie atmosphere of the narrative, painting a gloomy yet cosy picture of the Gothic landscape. The fight scenes, in particular, have some decent choreography and innovative camera work, injecting energy and tension into the movie. There's a lot of nifty sword play from Kronos.

The makeup and special effects, given the era in which the film was made, are commendable and effectively contribute to the overall ambiance. One of Captain Kronos' biggest strengths lies in its ability to break free from the clichés that often plague vampire movies. The film ingeniously sidesteps the conventional lore and mythology by introducing new ideas and perspectives regarding vampires and their vulnerabilities. Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter is an enjoyable romp on the whole and something different from the usual Hammer vampire fare. Kronos deserves its status as a cult film and is a very entertaining vampre horror swashbuckler.

- Jake

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