Blu-ray

Like some kind of camp 1970s precursor to the Saw franchise, The Abominable Dr. Phibes stars Vincent Price as the titular Phantom of the Opera-like ghoul out for revenge on the doctors he blames for the death of his wife. To this end he concocts a series of ingenious and spectacular murders patterned on the ten plagues of Egypt from the Old Testament. Sequel Dr. Phibes Rises Again finds Price's twisted genius rising from the grave and heading to Egypt to track down the location of the 'River of Life', which holds the secret of restoring his late wife.

Weird and witty, these two cult classics make an interesting antidote to the malicious, cruel shockers Hollywood seems to favour today.

Picture: Both of Arrow's AVC 1.85:1 1080p encodes look surprisingly strong, exhibiting plenty of pixel detail and vibrant colours. And while the opening minutes of the sequel still look rather ropey, the huge improvement immediately afterwards shows that this is an issue with the original elements rather than a lack of care in the restoration itself. Overall, these HD presentations are solid, fan-pleasing efforts.
Picture rating: 4/5

Audio: Both films arrive on Blu-ray with LPCM 2.0 dual-mono presentations of their original soundtracks. As you might expect, dynamic range is rather limited in both, but otherwise they're about as good as you could hope for in their handling of the dialogue and score (particularly Basil Kirchin's memorable compositions for the first movie).
Audio rating: 3.5/5

Extras: The Abominable Dr. Phibes is graced with a commentary from director Robert Fuest and film historian Marcus Hearn; a second commentary by writer William Goldstein and his son Damon; an interview with comedy troupe 'The League of Gentlemen' about their love of the films ;and the trailer.

Meanwhile, Dr. Phibes Rises Again offers up a commentary by film critic Tim Lucas, an interview with Victoria Price, an interview with Vincent Price biographer David Del Valle and the trailer.

Limited to just 3,000 copies, the double-pack also includes a lavish 100-page book – although the layout of the photos used to illustrate this otherwise excellent volume is a bit thoughtless.
Extras rating: 3.5/5

We say: A suitably fabulous limited edition Blu-ray set for one of Vincent Price's most memorable creations

The Complete Dr. Phibes, Arrow Video, Region B BD, £35 Approx
HCC VERDICT: 4/5