The Abominable Dr. Phibes/Dr. Phibes Rises Again (DVD, 2005)

The original Dr. Phibes was a little masterpiece, with Phibes committing the most bizarre murders in film history. The sequel followes the same theme, with some of the scenes so creepy it is hard to watch. But while the original was set in a spooky old house that contained life-size mannequins that played cryptic music and a huge organ played by Phibes himself, the sequel was mostly set in an Egyptian cave in the middle of the desert. This was not a good choice for a set. Phibes shows up in Egypt first, of course, dragging along his dead wife he hopes to reincarnate. A crazy so-called doctor and his wife show up next, camping outside the cave where Phibes is. The doctor is attempting to catch Phibes and steal his secret of eternal life. Then come more bad guys, to help the second doctor, then come the two detectives in a CAR driving across the desert! Come on, all these folks meeting up at one location in the middle of nowhere is impossible to believe, especially when they don't run away when they all start getting sadistically murdered. (What would you do if you saw you're fellow traveler eaten alive by huge beetles)? Nevertheless, if you enjoyed the first Phibes movie, you probably would like this one too.

Larry L