Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972)

Dr. Phibes (Vincent Price) returns with a plan to revive his departed Victoria (Caroline Munro) that involves Egypt and the River of Life. Unfortunately he discovers that his mansion was destroyed and his precious Egyptian papyrus stolen. So, he recalls faithful assistant Vulnavia and heads to Egypt. Voice-over narration retcons the first film so that this one could happen.

Did you want more Phibes? Because you got more Phibes. Lots of him. You even have his lair, replete with organ and clockwork musicians, slightly dressed up to appear like it’s inside an Egyptian tomb. And Phibes now has a nemesis but they share very little screen time. They mostly follow parallel stories that converge in the end.

Valli Kemp substitutes in for the pregnant Virginia North as Vulnavia, and if it were more than a while since you saw the first film, you might not notice. Let’s for a moment appreciate the name Vulnavia. So evocative. Caroline Munro returns as Victoria, again uncredited. She spends most of her time in a box. Peter Cushing and Terry-Thomas make cameos.

The way Phibes repeatedly says her name (and Victoria’s) was both irritating and opens the question as to the nature of their relationship. Studio in-fighting caused scenes to be deleted, which required Price to record additional dialog to explain the story (even though he wasn’t hooked up to his Victrola).

Dr. Phibes Rises Again is dragged down by the added exposition. This and the lack of someone for Phibes to directly interact with spoils the film's better moments. And the principal conflict just isn’t as compelling. It has the bones of a worthy sequel, but still a half step below. AMRU 3.