
News has broken that British filmmaker Robert Fuest has passed away at the age of 84. Fuest, best known as the director The Abominable Dr. Phibes and Dr. Phibes Rises Again, was active in the film and television industry until 1990.
After a stint in the Royal Air Force, Fuest would try his hand as an artist, teacher, and copywriter before becoming an art director on the 1961 spy series The Avengers. He would later parlay his position into feature filmmaking with Just Like A Woman in 1967. The opportunity to direct several episodes of the The Avengers followed in 1968.

The director would return to genre in 1971 with The Abominable Dr. Phibes, a classic of surrealist horror. In it, the titular Dr. Anton Phibes (Vincent Price) would take revenge on a group of doctors he believes let his wife die following a devastating car accident. With murder plans inspired by the ten plagues of Egypt, Phibes bumps them off in elaborate, agonizing set-pieces. Phibes and it's sequel, Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972) have been celebrated for their opulent art deco set designs, black sense of humor, and eye popping use of color. Of Fuest's brief filmography, these are his most celebrated films, influencing Price's own follow-up, Theatre of Blood, as well as the wildly popular Saw series (for more information, see the video review by James Rolfe, below).


Despite a relatively small filmography, Fuest's legacy has been secured among science fiction and horror lovers the world over. Our deepest condolences go out to his friends, family, and associates. May he rest in peace.
Extra Tidbit: Hammer horror starlet Caroline Munro (Captain Cronos: Vampire Hunter, below) makes an uncredited appearance as Phibes' wife in The Abominable Dr. Phibes.

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