The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)

Inspector Trout has a serious murder mystery in his hands. Someone is killing a series of doctors using elaborate, bizarre methods. Trout quickly discovers that the murders are being based on the ten plagues of Egypt from the Old Testement and it's up to him to find the killer before all ten plaques are finished. But there's another problem, Trout's most likely suspect is already dead...

This is an incredible horror film that easily could have been so much less. There's a standard ritualistic murder-revenge plot, the embittered but determined police detective, and the horrific deaths of innocents, so what makes this stand apart?

Two words: Vincent Price. If you ever found yourself doubting this man's integrity due to one of his lesser roles or the fact he regularly lended his voice to that ill-concived attempt to revive an old franchise called "Scooby-Doo and the 13 Ghosts," this will cure your doubts. It's a real credit to Price's talent and presence that, although he has relatively little dialogue, he still makes a damn good villain and one of the very best roles in his career.

That's not to say the film's success lies solely on him. The movie was directed by Robert Fuest, who also did "The Avengers" TV series, so you can expect elaborate, surreal sets. Dr. Phibes' mansion is creepy, beautiful, and insanely amusing in a comic book superhero way, all at that same time while conveying both malice and a sense of innocence. The murders are genuinely disturbing, if occaisonally requiring a little suspension of disbelief here and there. However, each murder leaves you wondering how Phibes will commit the next one, and it all builds up to a brilliant finale, one that perfectly explains Phibes' twisted sense of justice.

The rest of the cast support Price beautifully, and instead of having Price striving to steal the show, he instead fits in with the rest of the movie very well. My only complaint is that Price's adversary, Inspector Trout, isn't explored as a character that much, but that leads me to one of the most interesting things about this movie. Except Dr. Phibes, none of the characters are really given an in-depth treatment, yet we never feel that we are dealing with anyone but flesh-and-blood characters.

Vincent Price you probably already know...

Joseph Cotton has an interesting filmography, including Soylent Green, La Figlia de Frankenstein (The Daughter of Frankenstein), and Tora! Tora! Tora!

John Cater (Waverley) was also in "I, Claudius" (sorry I seem to be finding quite a few of them) and Kronos.