"House of Wax" hit theatres in 1953, right in the middle of the 3-D craze. Bafflingly, for this 3-D project Warner Brothers chose director André De Toth, who was blind in one eye, thus unable to fully appreciate his own film's visuals. It seems to have worked out, though, since the movie is today considered a minor classic.
The movie is a remake of the 1933 Michael Curtiz film "Mystery of the Wax Museum", which is itself notable as an early use of the Technicolor process. The story concerns a gifted sculptor (Vincent Price) whose prized creations are lost when his business partner sets his studio ablaze for the insurance money. Left to perish in the fire, the sculptor narrowly escapes but is hideously scarred by the ordeal (both mentally and physically). Soon, he opens a new wax museum to instant success but his methods are called into question by an inquisitive young woman.
The inimitable Vincent Price deserves a lot of the credit for the film's success. He lends a touch of class to the proceedings, though he does ham it up from time to time as well. The rest of the cast is no better than adequate, with Carolyn Jones contributing a particularly irritating performance. But, hey, at least the movie's got a young Charles Bronson in a supporting role.
The film's 3-D effects mostly amount to gimmickry. The needless insertion of scenes that serve merely to showcase these effects end up hurting a script that wasn't that great to begin with. That being said, the film does achieve a sense of eeriness at times and the story is satisfying in the end.
Ultimately, "House of Wax" is worth watching though it's by no means perfect. The film deserves to be remembered both for its content and its status as a curio of a bygone era in filmmaking.
The movie is a remake of the 1933 Michael Curtiz film "Mystery of the Wax Museum", which is itself notable as an early use of the Technicolor process. The story concerns a gifted sculptor (Vincent Price) whose prized creations are lost when his business partner sets his studio ablaze for the insurance money. Left to perish in the fire, the sculptor narrowly escapes but is hideously scarred by the ordeal (both mentally and physically). Soon, he opens a new wax museum to instant success but his methods are called into question by an inquisitive young woman.
The inimitable Vincent Price deserves a lot of the credit for the film's success. He lends a touch of class to the proceedings, though he does ham it up from time to time as well. The rest of the cast is no better than adequate, with Carolyn Jones contributing a particularly irritating performance. But, hey, at least the movie's got a young Charles Bronson in a supporting role.
The film's 3-D effects mostly amount to gimmickry. The needless insertion of scenes that serve merely to showcase these effects end up hurting a script that wasn't that great to begin with. That being said, the film does achieve a sense of eeriness at times and the story is satisfying in the end.
Ultimately, "House of Wax" is worth watching though it's by no means perfect. The film deserves to be remembered both for its content and its status as a curio of a bygone era in filmmaking.