"A brass unicorn has been catapulted across a London street and impaled an eminent surgeon. Words fail me, gentlemen."
I was prepared for this one to be a bit odd. I was not prepared enough. I’m kind of ashamed to say it, but I’ve only seen three other Vincent Price films – Last Man on Earth, Witchfinder General, and Masque of the Red Death. ...Phibes was unlike any of those films. It has the garish color palette of Masque, but that’s where the similarities end. This really felt like two separate films that only come together in the end. For half of the running time, it’s a dry British comedy/police procedural. The other half is like watching a villain-centric episode of the ‘60s Batman television show (especially when it comes to Phibes’ various methods of offing his quarry – one could easily assign each murder to one of the rogues’ gallery). It’s a pretty slight film, but moves along on its humor and self-aware campiness. Cool sets, more gruesome makeup at the end than I expected, and tongue firmly in cheek. I wonder if the sequel is worth investigating.
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