Trivia / The Abominable Dr. Phibes

• Completely Different Title:
  • Denmark: The Devil
  • Finland: Vampire's Revenge
  • Germany: The Horror Cabinet of Dr. Phibes
  • Sweden: The Bloodthirsty Avenger
• Deleted Role:
  • William Hartnell had all of his scenes cut from the first movie (which would have been his final role prior to his death, except for one other).
  • A young Joanna Lumley appeared as a laboratory assistant, but her scenes were cut.
• Fake Brit: Joseph Cotten as Dr. Vesalius.
• Looping Lines: Joseph Cotten would grumble on the set that he had to remember and deliver lines, while Vincent Price's were all to be post-dubbed. Price responded, "Yes, but I still know them, Joe." In fact, Price was well-known in Hollywood for his ability to memorize all of the characters' lines in a given production, not just his own.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Peter Cushing as Dr. Vesalius. He turned the role down because of the serious illness of his wife. He got a cameo in the sequel though. And, you know, given that they ended up with Joseph Cotten, it's not a total loss.
  • In the script Phibes was abusive to Vulnavia, eventually stabbing her to death, and then escape his house (which was to catch fire) in a hot air balloon with Victoria's body. It was decided to make Phibes a more sympathetic character, so these sequences were removed.
  • The rat curse was originally intended to take place on a boat. Robert Fuest changed it to inside a plane, as he felt the boat could have been escaped from.
  • Writer William Goldstein has said that Vulnavia was originally meant to be another clockwork device, complete with a wind-up key in her neck. Believing that Phibes needed a more mobile assistant, director Robert Fuest made her human, but retained the blank facial expression and mechanical movements.

---