A Prescription for Terror and a Special 45th Anniversary Song- courtesy of "The Abominable Dr. Phibes"- Tonight!

Tonight on MeTV- we present Vincent Price in possibly his most memorable role of the 1970s-as a man thought to be dead who is not only alive, but on a mission- to get revenge on the physicians who failed to save his wife’s life- by killing them off one by one! There are equal measures of dark hilarity and horror in the campy classic from 1971- “The Abominable Dr. Phibes”!

It begins when the police are called in on a strange murder case- a surgeon has died in his London bedroom under mysterious circumstances. This death reminds one officer of a recent similar incident- another doctor’s demise caused by equally odd circumstances. Could these deaths be related?

We get some insight into the answer- as we see a mysterious figure- seen playing the organ in an underground lair, aided by a silent but beautiful partner. He finishes his private concert, and sets out on the prowl, obviously up to no good! We see firsthand proof of this, as he visits a fancy-dress ball, and uses an unusual mask to claim his next victim!

The police, led by the venerable Inspector Trout, learn that these victims were all surgeons who had worked as a team under one Dr. Vesalius- on a case in which they tried, in vain, to save the life of Victoria Phibes, wife of concert organist Anton Phibes. Her husband himself died in a car crash rushing to the hospital when she was being operated on. But- if Phibes is dead- who might be killing off the doctors involved? Vesalius reveals that there were four other doctors and a nurse who also were involved in the failed operation- and Trout thinks they too may be in danger!

Trout does some research on an amulet discovered at the scene of one of the murders- and finds it has a connection to the biblical Ten Plagues of the Pharaohs. Could the murderer be theming each of his killings to one of the plagues? In view of what’s happening, Trout has the uneasy suspicion that Anton Phibes may not be dead! A visit to the Phibes burial tomb provides even more possible proof- and the race is on to protect the remaining medical personnel, and Vesalius himself- in a race against time and the biblical curses being visited upon them in vengeance!

This film is a real favorite of many fans of Mr. Price- both for his creepy victim-by-victim assaults, and for the dark sense of humor throughout the film. A warning- there may be a few moments that are a little too horrific for some viewers! We’ll introduce you to the cast members, including the distinguished actor Joseph Cotten, Peter Jeffrey, famed British comedy actor Terry-Thomas, and Virginia North, as well as a famous genre actress who does not move at all in this movie! We’ll also give some trivia about the production, plus a vintage visit to Dr. Phibes’ waiting room, a sinister soft drink commercial, and- premiering tonight- an all-new song by Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon- his follow-up to the “Svengoolie Stomp”. Created in honor of my 45th anniversary- it’s “Hey Svengoolie!” featuring cameo appearances by some Sven fans you might just recognize!  Our friends at Yikesgeist have an exclusive sneak peek at who you might see during the video tonight!

“The Abominable Dr. Phibes” airs tonight at 8 pm eastern/pacific, 7 central time. Live-Tweeting happens, as always, on Twitter during the broadcast- and MeTV invites you to join in, and to use the hashtag #svengoolie. Chicago area viewers can get an encore of Boris Karloff’s chilling classic “The Mummy” this morning on our main local station, WCIU “The U” at 11 am.

Our Sven 45th anniversary box continues to sell very briskly- as do the newly released Sven holiday sweaters! Decorated with pictures of myself, Nostalgiaferatoo, Gwengoolie, and the Imp-these are definitely favorites for the holidays- along with a special collection of Sven holiday items. Now is the time to get a jump on stocking up on holiday gifts for the Sven fans in your life- so, check out the MeTV Mall store!

There still are just a few tickets available for the “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” film with the musical soundtrack played live by the Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra at Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre tonight. ( Sorry, the pre-event meet and greet has sold out).Please check under the “appearances” tab here on our website for more information- and also info about my visit to the Ed Debevic’s birthday celebration in Chicago next weekend!

And, remember -tonight, please be on time for your appointment with the doctor on MeTV!