Back in the 60s and 70s, in the little Wisconsin town where I grew up, there was a movie house called The Midway Theater. They called it that, I think, because it was almost midway down the main thoroughfare called Water Street. Actually, the original name was "A Little To The Right Of Midway Theater," since we were mostly Germans in town and liked things to be exact but a few of the less rigid Scandinavians among us said we should be a bit flexible. Anyway, one of the great joys of growing up in a small town was the freedom you could have, even as a little kid. It was easy to jump on a bike or just stroll with a group of friends downtown to see a matinee for a buck. This was, after all, Wisconsin, so that meant you actually had to brink a buck...six-point or seven-point, at least. Okay, that's not true. What is true, is that I spent many a happy Saturday afternoon in that theater watching movies...bad, good and so-so. They showed a lot of Jerry Lewis movies which I enjoyed. Although it was always more fun to watch those at home with my brother, Craig, because, without even realizing it, he would perfectly mimic every facial expression Jerry Lewis made on screen. In later years, Craig would start to impersonate the facial looks of Meryl Streep, but that was just weird.

In a slightly earlier age, Saturday matinee kids looked forward to westerns and some science fiction. We had horror flicks! Now, I'm not talking about the extra-gory stuff that passes for "entertainment" now. I mean a slightly more genteel scare-a-rama. The series of frightening films I remember best starred the great Vincent Price as Dr. Phibes. In my head it seems like there was a new Dr. Phibes classic every year but, in doing the vast amount of research necessary for this almost daily bloggerania...yes, I do lots of research...I really need a staff!...I discovered there were only two such films made: The Abominable Dr. Phibes and Dr. Phibes Rises Again. There were supposed to be some others like The Brides of Phibes and The Seven Fates of Phibes but they never got made. I'm still waiting for Dr. Phibes-The Musical...ON ICE! The basic story of Dr. Phibes, a world class organist and Biblical scholar, is that he was supposedly killed in a car accident rushing to the side of his ill wife who, consequently, died on the operating table. Phibes exacts vengeance on the attending surgeons with the Ten Plagues of Egypt from the Old Testament.

Well, the other day as I was looking through the TV listings hoping to find as many educational programs as possible...you're not buying that, are you?...I noticed that The Abominable Dr. Phibes was going to be on the air. I set the DVR deal to tape it. I guess it is not really "taping" anymore but that's what I'm calling it. Some dads want to take their young son to a favorite fishing hole or a storied baseball field. I wanted to share Dr. Phibes with my youngest son, Harrison. Vincent Price was a magnificent actor in all kinds of movies. He was particularly important in bringing lots of Edgar Allen Poe stories to the screen. Some of you may remember him from Hollywood Squares or as the model for the Sesame Street Muppet Vincent Twice Vincent Twice. But, for me, he will always be Dr. Phibes.

So, Friday night, Harrison and I settled in to watch the movie. It was a bit slower paced than I remembered but still creepy from the get-go. (Coincidently, that is the exact phrase my in-laws use to describe me: slow and creepy.) I kept telling Harrison that there was one scene that still bothered me some 30 years later and I wanted to see if he could pick it out. Now, Harrison has watched a lot of old movies with me over the years and is a very patient viewer. He does not need constant action and movement and noise in his cinematic choices. So, he was fine with how Dr. Phibes was unfolding. The British inspectors have some hilarious repartee in between Dr. Phibes' administering of plagues. It wasn't long before the scene that has haunted me since I was younger than Harrison, appeared. Harrison called it. SPOILER ALERT! If you plan on watching the movie at some point based on this sorta-kinda review, STOP reading NOW. Also, if you have any good sense and value your time, STOP READING NOW! Okay, here's the way it plays out: One of the surgeons is a pilot. He gets into his little plane and takes off. While airborne, a herd of mice...a flock? A gaggle? A team? A pod? Anyway, a bunch of mice and rats climb over the back of the guy's seat and start their own in-flight meal. Meanwhile, Dr. Phibes watches from a nearby field as the plane careens into the countryside. It is disturbing. To this day, I look behind me when I fly or, for that matter, get into a car. Also, I don't fully trust all the cute little animated mice of our society. You never know what their true intentions are.

I'm not going to give away any other plot points or scary stuff...it might make for a good Halloween Party movie. But, I will tell you that Harrison loved it. I was still frightened by it and, truth be told, my wife hated it. To be fair, she was reading a magazine more than watching the movie and I really don't think you can mix Dr. Phibes with an article entitled "18 Ways To Know If Your Husband Is A Giant Loser!"