Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972)

Dr. Phibes Rises Again is the kind of sequel that understands its own delicious absurdity and leans into it with style—part macabre comedy, part candy-colored nightmare, and always in on the joke. Vincent Price returns like a grand maestro of mayhem, playing Phibes with such elegant, deadpan conviction that even the most outlandish moments feel oddly classy. The film trades in inventive, blackly comic set pieces and lush visual design, turning Egypt into a theatrical playground where wit and wickedness share the spotlight, while the supporting cast adds just enough grounding to keep the fun from floating away. If you prefer your horror straight-faced and grim, this may be too camp for your taste—but if you’re open to a gleefully twisted ride, it’s a charmingly sinister treat.

Dr. Phibes Rises Again wants to recapture the first film’s gleefully macabre, art-deco camp by sending Vincent Price’s elegant madman on an Egypt-set quest for resurrection. The problem is it feels like a sequel made because someone thought they should, not because the story demanded it: the plot meanders, the momentum sputters, and the set pieces rarely reach that “how on earth did they think of that?” inventiveness. If you’re coming for sharper wit, tighter pacing, and truly imaginative kills, you may find this a dusty retread with less sparkle than its reputation suggests. Still, Price remains deliciously watchable, and if you’re already a Phibes devotee who enjoys oddball gothic atmosphere more than narrative logic, it can be a mildly amusing curio rather than a must-see.