Cheap House of Wax (DVD) (André De Toth, Michael Curtiz) Price

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Customer Reviews of House of Wax

Just So So
House of Wax is a remake of Mystery of the Wax Museum, filmed twenty years earlier in 1933. The storyline of House of Wax and many of the characters, though they have different names, are quite faithfully recreated in this 1953 remake of what was at the time considered a vintage thriller. Filmed in 3D, but fortunately the traditional in your face gags often associated with 3D films are used sparingly or this film would have just become dumb. All in all it is a good film with arguably a great story, but as is so often a flaw in films of the 1950s they tend to lack a certain flair, or artistic spark. At this time, film had been around for over fifty years and in my opinion some filmmakers had forgotten that film was once art and not just a way of telling stories. Unfortunately House of Wax falls into that category... it lost its twinkle. There is none of the atmosphere of the original, none of the creepy dark corners or quirky characters. The sets are staged and oomphless, and the acting just so, enough to get the story told but without the passion of an earlier age when film was still new and exciting. It reads like a book from start to finish with the 'shock' ending feeling almost obvious to the viewer. <
>If this review sounds a little harsh for the three stars I have given it, I will tell you now its saving grace is the one and only gem of this film; Vincent Price. His performance as the sad, mad, crippled artist who lost everything he created and so loved, is rendered delicately and passionately on screen, pushing through his dispassionate surroundings and co-actors as a shining glint of an era gone. <
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>Fortunatly however, this purchase was not without its benefit. On this disc I discovered a true masterpiece; included is the 1933 original Mystery of the Wax Museum. A greater movie by far, easily deserving five stars. Please see my review of Mystery of the Wax Museum, the VHS version.

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Suspenseful and well-made
In turn of the 20th century New York, wax artist Henry Jarrod (played by Vincent Price) is more than happy running his wax museum, displaying tastefully done historical portrayals. However, when his greedy partner torches the museum to cash in on an insurance policy, Jarrod is maimed, and his hands too damaged to create new masterpieces. When he opens a new wax museum, the public marvels at how lifelike his new exhibits are...how terribly lifelike. [B&W, created in 1953, with a running time of 1:30 minutes.] <
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>My fourteen-year-old daughter has recently discovered horror movies, and I wanted to show her something from the golden age of Hollywood. OK, this is not a mad-slasher movie with lots of blood. Instead, this is a suspenseful and well-made movie that can be watched by the whole family. (As added cheesecake, there is a Can Can dance scene thrown in. I don't care what the hero says, in the era when women were covered from neck to toe, that dance hall would have been shocking!) <
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>I really liked Vincent Price's portrayal of the main character - it certainly is easy to see why he was considered the king of horror in his day. Also, I was pleasantly surprised to see that one of the characters was a young Charles Bronson (then Charles Buchinsky)! So, overall, let me just say that I really liked this movie, and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to see some early horror!

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just a good old fashioned horror flick
Loved it,this is what good old fashioned horror films is all about.Vincent Price is as usual at his best,the more unusual the storyline the better he is. <
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>Of course Hollywood remade it recently,making it a vehicle for the people who were in it rather than trying to make a good movie.So my advice to any one who has seen the recent one and hated it,is that film starred Paris Hilton,this one stars Vincent Price.That says it all,come into this movie with an open mind and believe me you will not be dissapointed.