THE CLOCKWERK ORCHESTRA is a tribute to Vincent Price and the Dr. Phibes movies, and the music of Wendy Carlos who wrote the first synthesizer album called Switched On Bach, and also played the score to A Clockwork Orange, the sci-fi film by Stanley Kubrick. Vincent Price is one of my all-time favorite actors. In 1971 and 1972 he starred in two movies featuring a horribly disfigured organist driven mad with thoughts of revenge: The Abominable Dr. Phibes and Dr. Phibes Rises Again...

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 — Dr. Anton Phibes

 

Dr. Anton Phibes was a brilliant pipe organist who in 1920 suffered a terrific automobile accident while rushing to be by his ailing wife’s side. Victoria Phibes, unfortunately, died on the surgeon’s table despite the best efforts of the nine doctors and nurses attending her. Dr. Phibes was assumed to have died in the accident; his nearly cremated remains were interred with those of his wife Victoria.

In the mid-twenties, however, the nine medical professionals mysteriously began dying off — killed in horrific ways that emulated the ancient plagues of Egypt. One had his blood drained, another was stung to death by bees (in his library), and yet another was impaled on the horn of a great brass unicorn catapulted across a busy street. Police inspectors at Scotland Yard soon discovered that the tomb of Dr. Anton Phibes contained the body of his chauffeur, and that the tomb of Victoria Regina Phibes was empty. Their suspicions were confirmed — Dr. Phibes did not die in that car accident. Rather he was alive and well, seeking revenge on the doctors and nurses he held responsible for the death of his beloved Victoria.

When the son of the last surviving doctor was abducted in a sick mockery of the curse of the death of the firstborn son, the doctor and the police inspectors traveled to a large house on Muldeen Square in hopes of defeating the mad doctor once and for all. Dr. Visalias managed to save his son, but Dr. Phibes was nowhere to be found.

Unbeknownst to the inspectors, Dr. Phibes had saved the final curse — the curse of darkness — for himself. Through his knowledge of arcane lore and medicine, Dr. Phibes was able to place himself into a state of suspended animation until such time as the stars were right for his next brilliant plan.

Awakening from his slumber, Dr. Phibes traveled to Egypt. There he used the knowledge gleaned from the Egyptian Book of the Dead to search for a mysterious subterranean river. Stymied at a few turns by an archaeological expedition taking place nearby (and killing several of the excavation party members in due turn), Dr. Phibes managed to locate the River of Life, which he believed would return his dear, dead wife to the land of the living. When last seen he was disappearing into the darkness of the underground river, rowing a sarcophagus with Victoria’s remains like a raft into oblivion. Neither he nor Victoria have been seen since. It is unknown if his plan to return her to life was successful.

Dr. Phibes is in his mid-forties, a tall, imposing man with an unkempt mop of salt-and-pepper hair and a graying mustache. His appearance is only a mask, however, for he was badly burned. His true appearance is a horrifying grimace, skull-like and leathery lacking lips, a nose, or ears. It is his ghastly visage that causes those that see him without his mask to suffer the effects of his Frightful Presence feat. Dr. Phibes is unable to speak normally, but has somehow managed to regain the power of speech through an opening on the left side of his neck. He can only speak, however, through the use of a specially designed sound amplifier that he literally inserts into the opening. Dr. Phibes can only eat and drink through a similar opening on the right side of his neck.

Dr. Phibes has a flair for the dramatic, speaking in flowery prose and poetry and making grand gestures. He rarely deals with others personally, preferring instead to send his assistant to do his bidding.(Ken Cromie!)

Dr. Phibes usually considers himself above physical confrontation, but he will engage in melee if hard pressed. His usual tactic, however, is to create a diversion and escape. He is not above putting innocents at risk.

 

Clockwork Musicians: The Clockwork Musicians are among Dr. Phibes’ only harmless inventions. True to their name, they are human-sized clockwork devices designed to play various pieces of music. Large metal disks like those of a music box determine the musical piece played. The Clockwork Musicians are not intelligent and cannot move under their own power.

Vulnavia was Dr. Phibes’ maidservant and assistant in the early and mid-twenties (and perhaps beyond). She is a tall, attractive woman with dark hair and deep brown eyes. Vulnavia doesn’t speak, but it is unclear as to whether this by choice (doubtful), or is due to some infirmity (perhaps) or psychosis (probably). She is a dancer, an artist, a musician, and is fanatically loyal to Dr. Phibes. Very little is known about her and her connection to him, or even if Vulnavia is her real name. She is willing to risk her own safety and even her own life to protect Dr. Phibes and his schemes, and willingly participates in his murders. She never commits the act of murder herself — Dr. Phibes reserves that pleasure for himself — but she does assist him in every way and often acts as a seductress or decoy to give the doctor the advantage.

Since she was left behind in police custody in Egypt, it is unlikely that Vulnavia will appear in any era past the 20’s. , she was last known from her police records as listed in an asylum for the criminally insane in England.