Three years after the events of The Abominable Doctor Phibes, Doctor Anton Phibes (Vincent Price) emerges from suspended animation after a particular planetary alignment. He intends to take his dead wife Victoria (Caroline Munro) to the River of Life in Egypt, but his papyrus map has been stolen by Darrus Biederbeck (Robert Quarry), who has used an elixir to live for centuries. He seeks the river for himself and for his lover Diana Trowbridge (Fiona Lewis).
Phibes and his literally silent partner Vulnavia (Valli Kemp) enter Biederbeck’s house, kill his manservant Cheng (Milton Reid), and take back the papyrus. They leave on a ship from Southampton for Egypt. Biederbeck is on the same ship with Diana and his assistant Harry Ambrose (Hugh Griffith). When Ambrose discovers Victoria’s body in the hold, Phibes kills him, stuffs his body in a huge bottle, and throws him overboard. Scotland Yard Inspector Trent (Peter Jeffery) discovers the bottle and the corpse when they float ashore near Southampton. He and Superintendent Waverley (John Cater) question shipping agent Lombardo (Terry-Thomas). When they hear about Vulnavia, an organ, and a clockwork orchestra on the ship, they realize that Doctor Phibes is back.
Trout and Waverley follow Phibes to Egypt and catch up with Biederbeck’s archaeological party near the Mountain of the Hidden Temple. Phibes is inside and has Victoria’s body in a sarcophagus. He finds the key to the River of Life and begins killing Biederbeck’s men one at a time. The team breaks into the temple and takes the sarcophagus and the key. Phibes crushes the man guarding the sarcophagus and uses a giant fan to simulate a windstorm, drowning out his screams. He takes back the sarcophagus and Victoria’s body. Biederbeck ignores the murders and keeps digging. He sends Diana and a team-member named Hackett (Gerald Sim) back to England. In the desert on the way, Phibes’ clockwork men lure Hackett away from his truck. He finds Diana missing and is sand blasted to death.
Realizing that Phibes has Diana, Biederbeck confronts him. Phibes will have the key, thank you, in exchange for Diana. If not, when the gate is open, the water will drain right through Diana’s trap and she will die. Biederbeck gives him the key. Phibes unlocks the gate and Victoria’s coffin flows out on the River of Life. He summons Vulnavia to join them on the other side. He ignores Biederbeck’s pleas to be taken with them to eternity, and Diana tries to comfort Biederbeck as he ages rapidly and dies.
The film was directed by Robert Furst and produced by Louis M. Heyward. Robert Blees co-wrote with Furst and they argued a lot, so Heyward had to mediate. AIP was grooming Robert Quarry to be Vincent Price’s replacement as Price was becoming expensive (no pun intended). Despite this, Price and Quarry seemed to get along fine, having similar senses of humour. Brian Eatwell created the Art Deco sets and John Gale returned for the music. Carolyn Munro returned as Victoria, though she did nothing but lie in a glass coffin, and Vulnavia returned despite having died in the first movie. But Virginia North was pregnant and the role was filled by Valli Kemp, who was Miss Australia in 1970. There was some editing of the most gruesome death scenes in the US release for a PG rating.
Sequels to be entitled Phibes Resurrectus, The Brides of Phibes, and the Seven Fates of Doctor Phibes never happened. Criticism was mixed. Some thought it was a long way down from the first movie and some thought it better. Unlike the first movie, which kept moving from murder to murder, not giving you time to notice how absurd it was, this one was too slow and mannered for me. Peter Cushing has a small role as a ship’s Captain. Some characters were named after famous bandleaders like Bix Beiderbecke and Guy Lombardo. The mean story is that when Vincent Price saw his supposed replacement singing opera, Robert Quarry said, “Ill bet you didn’t know I could sing, did you?” and Price replied, “Well, I knew you weren’t a fucking actor.” I don’t know if that’s true, but I can hear Price saying it.