Peppered into the mix is a delightfully dry gallows humor, witty asides that seem anachronistic for the time and place and make the viewer feel complicit with the filmmakers – it’s all a show, an exhibit of horrors and horrific behaviour. No talking heads standing around describing events, this is a ‘show, don’t tell’ tale, always moving forward towards its thrilling conclusion. The film has an economy to its storytelling that is beguiling to watch. From here on out we’re dealing with: infernos, disfigurations, hangings, unrequited passions, nosy cops, smart women, new and extreme methods of ‘body waxing’, roofies, shameless 3D yo-yoing, guillotines, and Charles Bronson as a mute named Igor.Ī lot of activity to fit into 90 minutes, and House of Wax doesn’t waste a second. Burke is looking to be bought out sooner, however, and this is where things head south. Jarrod, sensing Burke’s dissatisfaction, agrees to meet with investor Sidney Wallace (Paul Cavanaugh), who’s interested in partnering upon return from a trip overseas. However, his business partner, Matthew Burke (Roy Roberts – Chinatown), thinks the museum would do better with more macabre exhibits. His focus (and passion) is loving recreations of great historical figures such as Cleopatra and Joan of Arc, John Wilkes Booth, and his masterpiece, Marie Antoinette. What they achieved with House of Wax was not only a massive success (almost 24 million US including later re-releases), but a timeless ode to retribution and madness that hasn’t lost a bit of its shivery charm.Ī story if you will: Behold Professor Henry Jarrod (Vincent Price), a gifted sculptor and proprietor of a semi successful wax museum in 1890’s New York. By this point, the major studios were desperate to get people back to the movies, as that new and nasty little box called television halved theatre attendance. Released in April of ’53, House of Wax was a pricey venture (1 million US to produce), but one that Warner Bros. was willing to bank on after the smash 3D success of Bwana Devil (1952), an independent production. And with House of Wax (1953), Warner Bros. created not only the first color major studio 3D film, but one of the finest horror films of the 50’s, period. Long before it turned into the latest service fee added onto the bill of your movie going experience, 3D was a fun (and new) twist for film lovers. Whether you’re all for 3D, or have reserved a special place in hell for those awkward glasses, it would seem that it is here to stay.
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