producer Samuel Z. Arkoff! (Fuest’s commentary makes clear that Arkoff and Nicholson “weren’t very
much in evidence” during the making of the film, having put Fennell and also their London office li- aison Louis M. “Deke” Heyward in charge.) Such misstatements keep the track perversely entertain- ing, especially when William notes that the moment when Dr. Vesalius knocks Inspector Trout uncon- scious with the telephone, late in the picture, is “the first physical violence in the film” (!) and when he later compliments the Hitchcockian suspense of the “race against the acid helix” sequence by noting with awe, “the audience is looking at their watches.”
One should hope not! One further bonus item, “Dr. Phibes and the Gentlemen” (13m 14s), finds the British TV comedy ensemble The League of Gentle- men paying their respects to a film they credit with helping to define their special blend of horror and comedy in the 1970s.
THE VINCENT PRICE COLLECTION presents THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES with the Fuest/ Hearn commentary and an exclusive extra com- mentary by film historian Justin Humphreys, who impressively staked his claim as the “go-to”
Phibes authority with his in-depth coverage of the film for the 29th issue of Richard Klemensen’s
magazine LITTLE SHOPPE OF HORRORS. Robert Fuest himself was so touched by Humphreys’ de- votion to the films that he made a present to him of his own annotated copy of the original film script before he passed away. In his first audio commen- tary, Humphreys makes an excellent and person- able guide to the film’s plumage and carpentry, always drawing one’s eye to where it needs to be. There are places where he can’t resist gushing about a scene—a piece of décor, a moment or a look, boyishly effusing that these things are great with-
out explaining why—but, overall, it’s a knowledge- able, enjoyable debut. In preparing my own audio commentary for Arrow’s DR. PHIBES RISES AGAIN (which has no counterpart in the film’s presenta- tion on Scream Factory’s VINCENT PRICE COL- LECTION II), I relied a good deal on Humphreys’ primary research and say so on the track. My RISES AGAIN commentary—exclusive to the Arrow set—is openly critical of the film’s shortcom- ings, which were mostly the fault of AIP’s post-pro- duction make-over of the picture, and candid about the on-set tensions caused by AIP’s jockeying of co-star Robert Quarry as the heir apparent to Price, whose contract with the company was ending. There are also two on-camera interviews: “Daughter of Phibes” (13m 11s) features Victoria Price in a warm and well-spoken look back at her father’s career, with no mention of her own excellent biography;
and “The Doctor Will See You Now” (8m 36s)
finds writer David Del Valle (who is identified as Price’s biographer) at his best, speaking with au- thority and feeling about Price, his place in the
horror genre, and the importance of the Phibes films to his career, peppered with some privileged dialogue that passed between him and the actor over the course of their long friendship. Trailers for both films are also included, running 2m 38s and 2m 10s respectively.
A slim 100-page illustrated collector’s booklet rounds out the COMPLETE package, with contri- butions by writers Julian Upton (contributing two articles, one about the series in general and an- other about AIP’s British productions), Martin Jones (about Fuest’s overall body of work), Jus- tin Humphreys (an appreciation of art director Brian Eatwell reprinted from LITTLE SHOPPE OF HORRORS #29) and Jonny Trunk (a reminiscence of composer Basil Kirchen), as well as a memoir
of the Phibes experience by Caroline Munro, Constantine Nasr’s interview with Phibes fan Tim Burton, and a very informative conversation with
former AIP publicist Milton Moritz, conducted by Callum Waddell. The booklet is handsomely de- signed but commits the grievous error of spread- ing some shots across both pages, losing the focal points (faces, etc.) of many images deep in the gutter of the binding. In THE VINCENT PRICE COLLECTION II, DR. PHIBES RISES AGAIN shares a disc with RE- TURN OF THE FLY. In this not-such-strange-bed- fellows context, the shortcomings of both films are emphasized by having them stand separately from the classic films they continue. RISES AGAIN looks and sounds fully comparable to the Arrow presentation, but is moderately brighter. The only bonus materials are the trailer and a beautiful gallery of poster and still images, in- cluding vivid production stills in color (many fea- turing the film’s Vulnavia II, Valli Kemp) and a full set of AIP lobby cards.
All in all, the competition suggested by the Arrow and Scream Factory releases is not really a competition at all, but rather a win/win propo- sition for all devotées of these films and their suavely sinister star. The 1080p revitalization of Vincent Price’s key works in the horror genre has also occasioned his and their celebration in a wealth of recovered archival materials, research and commentaries, essays and conversation by some of the leading historians in the field. There is enough diversity here to satisfy everyone—and when you come out the other end, you’ll love what you have seen and like what you know.
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