MovieChat Forums > The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) Discussion > My Dr.Phibes Remake Plan

My Dr.Phibes Remake Plan

posted 19 years ago by glemay25
37 replies | jump to latest

My idea for a remake involves Phibes and Vulnaria (this time a mysterious Asian
girl) hiding out in old abandoned movie set. Phibes plans to bring her dead wife back by relying on an old alchemy book. The book contains a forumla that
will ressurect the dead by collecting body parts from victums murdered in bizzare/gruesome/ritualistic ways. A group of kids ends up stranded at the movie
set (which was some old silent horror movie set). Phibes and Vulnaria kill each
kid in some sort of weird/bloody method. In between murders Phibes and Vulnaria
celebrate by playing old silent movies and creepy music while dancing and wearing old movie costumes. One girl survives the murders and attacks the murderers for revenge. She burns the movie lot and kills Vulnaria after a cat fight from hell. Phibes escapes and realizing his formula is incomplete drinks a
poison and puts himself and his wife's corspse in a chamber hidden below the set. As a tribute to the orginial a creepy version of "Over The Rainbow" plays
as the film ends.
I have kept true to the classic in some ways (Vulnaria being mute and Phibes
hiding a scared face under make-up) but also changed some things to add something new and fresh. Instead of theology and music, This Phibes is intested
in Medievel alchemey and silent movies (still a little inerested in music)
I have a cast in mind

1. Dr.Phibes-Crispin Glover. He will play Phibes as a former Medievel history
professor with a love for the arts esp film and music. Glover will be perfect

2. Vulnaria- Im sorry I dont know her name but the actress that played GoGo
in Kill Bill vol 1.

3. The Heorine-Thora Birch. For awhile she was my first choice for Vulnaria.
But I thought it would be awesome for Thora to be a tough female (ex.Ghost
World) good guy who kicks GoGo's a** for killing her boyfriend

Any feedback on my imaginary remake of Dr.Phibes? I feel it adds some new things
while retaining the orginial's spirit.Any thoughts on my cast too?

I think I have come up with a great way to remake this horror classic

[–] JackFrostSA 19 years ago

Why remake something that's already perfect? Sounds like your idea is more homage than remake, anyway.

[–] glemay25 19 years ago

Well almost every horror film thats so much as being worthwhile is being remade.
My remake idea is different in alot of ways. Instead of killing doctors for revenge Phibes is killing kids trapped on a horror movie set to complete a magic/alchemy experiment to resurect his wife. My version of Vulnaria is
Asian (kinda bring some creepy Audition vibes). Crispin Glover is perhaps
the one actor that can play Phibes almost as good as Vincent Price.
I do agree with you that the orginial is perfect. Im just saying something like
my idea would make it a good remake.

[–] tubularbelle2003 19 years ago

The film is pointless. At the end of Dr Phibes Rises Again he found the underground river where he took Victoria to bring her back to life. They lived happily ever after.

The Long Walk stops every year, just once.

[–] glemay25 19 years ago

This is a remake of the first Phibes movie. You are refering to the sequel which
is almost as good as the orginial. I loved both of them but if done the right way a remake would be awesome esp with Glover, Birch, and GoGo (I need to look
up that actress's name lol) in it.

[–] camronlevanger 19 years ago

I think it sounds like pretty cool movie idea you have. I think it stands well on it's own, it doesn't need to be a remake.

[–] glemay25 19 years ago

thanks i appreciate the postive feedback

[–] salvin 19 years ago

Who needs a remake?!

[–] texianof1836 19 years ago

I'm too busy vomiting to type, sorry.

[–] heyheyheythatswhatisay 17 years ago

quote I need to look
up that actress's name lol

Ever heard of imdb.com? You should check it out sometime, it's awesome!

Sometimes people pick the weirdest stuff to be outraged about. I assume that this is a just a parlor game, but even a terrible remake of Dr. Phibes isn't going to do anything to undermine the classic. Not one frame will be touched, and more, not less, people will be movied to see the original because of a remake. And we could always use us a little more Crispin Glover.

However, I think Ian McKellen should do "Theater of Blood".

(Incidentally, when you think about it it, "Theater of Blood" was a sort of Dr. Phibes remake, no?)

[–] jarman33 17 years ago

It wouldn't work. Part of the charm of the Dr.Phibes movies is that they also have a great deal of fun poking a finger in the eye of authority figures (the cops). WE live in an era that would not be permited. We have regressed so badly in that regard as we blindly follow anyone in power. Also if a remake was to be done a Hollywood studio would really screw it up! It would HAVE to be British.

[–] heyheyheythatswhatisay 17 years ago

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] vermin2005 19 years ago

For the love of god, if you have a drop of decency in you, you will scrap any idea for the remake of what is allready perfect.

Insubordination Rules!

[–] peterkarlsson79 18 years ago

It's alright to play with the thought, but I hate the whole word: "Remake"! "Texas Chainsaw Massacre", "War of the worlds", "The house of vax" (THAT WAS AWFUL, Mr Price rotates in his grave), and "Wicker man". It's like you rewrote some of the classic books.

[–] TheWorkingDead 18 years ago

I'll agree that we've gone remake crazy, and I agree with your list of awful ones(i'd add the Omen), but remember the good:

Invasion of the Body Snatchers(1976 version); could almost be a sequel, but it's still one of the most claustrophobic and paranoid horror films ever.

The Blob, the Fly, The Thing are all excellent, excellent films on their own.

And of course they removed all social context from the originals, but Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead are straightforward, competent horror flicks.

[–] Slade-4 17 years ago

Price's House of Wax was actually a remake of Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) starring Lionel Atwill and Fay Wray. Did we not need Vincent Price's version?

I admit I have mixed feelings on remakes. When it's done right, I enjoy seeing different interpretations of ideas. Sometimes I'll compare versions to see where certain ideas came from.

Since Tim Burton is a Vincent Price fan, I wonder how he'd handle a Dr. Phibes movie. I realize he may not be everyone's favorite, but I like his imagination. Tim Burton worked with Vincent Price twice - including Burton's short "Vincent" narrated by Price. He may feel pressured to make a remake of any of Price's films as good as possible.

Vincent Price did many good movies, but I think Dr. Phibes and Dr. Goldfoot are among the roles that are most unique to him. I wouldn't mind seeing a remake or another sequel of some kind involving either character. However, I think Dr. Phibes has stronger potential.

I'm a fan of the book The Phantom of the Opera. Just think of all of the movies based on that, multiple musicals. ...and there was even a remake of the novel. David Bischoff wrote his own version of the story in the 70s. I've seen and read every version I could get my hands on. Some are good. A few are great. A few awful.

As long as the essence of the characters aren't changed too much, I welcome someone taking a chance on Phibes.

[–] Ddhandarah 17 years ago

Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) and House of Wax are VERY similar. Although the narration of the story changed (as far as I can remember... the original had it told through a wise-cracking newspaper woman's search for a goldmine story and the 195?'s version did not), the look of the characters, the stagings and the plot structure, the order of events are all virtually the same. Vincent Price and Lionel Atwill both play very similar bearded, wheelchair bound, scarred men who have reconstructed their faces and get em peeled or pulled or pounded off. Both are good films.

Interesting note to point out is that both utilized a fad in technology. In 1933's case it was two-strip Technicolor (an early version of Technicolor that had only a green and orangey spectrum to deal with as opposed to cyan, magenta, and yellow like the "natural color" of a few years later.) and the 195?'s film utilized 3D. Because the 1933 film was lost for many years until a very nice copy was found in the 70s or 80s, the 195? film became the star film, the classic one, where the 1933 one became the forgotten original. Also, another point: the 1933 one was Pre-Code so it had lots of drugs and some sexual innuendos that the 195whatever film could and did not have.

My favorite Phantom of the Opera: the 1925 film with Lon Chaney.

The thing with Phibes is that while I'd love to see a reworking of the series, a remake is unnecessary. (and we don't have Vincent Price anymore!!!)

[–] escalera-2 18 years ago

A remake is not necessary. I think the third installment should be made (even with Mr. price gone, Phibes is wearing a mask anyhow) by Tim Burton (he brought Bela Lugosi back to life, if you get my meaning, in "Ed Wood").

There were at least two scripts written for the third movie. Vincent Price had been willing to do it ("..but they'd better hurry!" he said at the time).

[–] scott-colbert 18 years ago

Remakes are for people without an original thought in their head and your idea simply proves that theory.

[–] salvin 18 years ago

Awful, awful, awful idea buddy. And she is named VULNAVIA!

[–] darwindante601 18 years ago

How about a sequel? There were apparently 2 or 3 sequels actually written (one was even by George Romero's company - PHIBES RESURRECTUS) but never made. He's a guy who pumps himself full of formaldyhide ... so it would be fitting that the passage of time between movies would have no effect on him.
Geoffery Rush, who "channeled" Vincent Price for HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL ... would be awesome as Phibes!

[–] glemay25 18 years ago

I always had Crispin Glover in mind for Phibes. I feel hed be perfect for the
character

[–] thecultofhorror 18 years ago

regardless of what encouragement you get....mentioning the word "remake" for a vincent price film immediatley gets angry respsonses.

[–] dead_by_dawn-1 18 years ago

If you were to somehow get this movie made, I will somehow find a way to track you down and kill you slowly. Turning Dr. Phibes into a teen stalker slasher - I puke on your shoes little shaver - I puke on your shoes. Don't you realize talentless Hollywood types troll these boards looking for ideas to steal? And this one - oh they love this one. Just leave the movie alone folks. Leave it alone.

[–] DillengerD 17 years ago

I though about this myself: The reason for doing a remake is to take a intresting concept and move it up to modern standards of filmmaking ( not set in modern times ) I like the art deco sets and would create sets with force perspective and heavy shadows, the organ music " war march of the priests" would play like Captain Nemo's "T&F in D minor" in maybe 2 key scenes.. and take the Biderbeck character along with the elixr of life from the second film and fuse it into this "one" film... I wouldn't take the story to Egypt, but it would remain in 1920's England. The Scotland Yard characters would be softened since they only reacted to action, never really forwarding the story.

-oh, and an all english cast only.

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