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Vincent Price, Frank Lovejoy, Phyllis Kirk, Carolyn Jones, Paul Picerni ... see more see more... , Charles Buchinsky , Oliver Blake , Paul Cavanagh , Angela Clarke , Frank Ferguson , Dabbs Greer , Mary Lou Holloway , Jack Kenney , Lyle Latell , Jack Mower , Eddie Parks , Grandon Rhodes , Roy Roberts , Riza Royce , Reggie Rymal , Philip Tonge , Ruth Warren , Trude Wyler , Ned Young , Richard Benjamin , Leo Curley , Ruth Whitney

This simplified (but lavish) remake of the 1933 melodrama The Mystery of the Wax Museum was the most financially successful 3-D production of the 1950s. In his first full-fledged "horror" role, Vincen... read more read more...t Price plays Prof. Henry Jarrod, the owner of a wax museum, whose partner, Matthew Burke (Roy Roberts), intends to burn the place down for the insurance money. When Jarrod tries to prevent Burke from torching the museum, he himself is trapped in the conflagration. Years pass: though now confined to a wheelchair, Jarrod manages to open up a new museum in New York, boasting the most incredibly lifelike wax statues ever seen. At the same time, a masked prowler has been stalking the city, murdering people and then stealing their bodies from the mortuary. One of the victims is Jarrod's old nemesis Burke; another is Cathy Gray (Carolyn Jones), the roommate of art student Sue Allen (Phyllis Kirk). On a visit to the wax museum, Sue can't help but notice that the wax likeness of Joan of Arc is a dead ringer for her deceased friend Cathy -- while the courtly Jarrod declares joyously that Sue is the living image of Marie Antoinette. Guess where this is going to wind up? Frank Lovejoy and Paul Picerni co-star as the nominal heroes, while Charles Bronson -- still billed as Charles Buchinsky -- is a menacing presence as Jarrod's deaf-mute chief sculptor (appropriately named "Igor"). No opportunity to show off the 3-D process is wasted during House of Wax; the most memorable stereoscopic moments are provided by garrulous "paddle-ball man" Reggie Rymal. Ironically, Andre De Toth, the film's director, had only one good eye, and had to constantly ask his cast and crew if the various 3-D effects had come off properly. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Flixster Users

69% liked it

39,844 ratings

Critics

94% liked it

32 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 28 min.

Directed by: André De Toth

Release Date: April 10, 1953

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DVD Release Date: August 5, 2003

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Flixster Reviews (1,339)

  • FilmFanatik
    March 31, 2012
    FilmFanatik
    House of Wax lives up to its reputation as one of Vincent Price's finest films. The film can also be a contender for an early giallo film story-wise. It seems to have been more of a mainstream success than most horror movies at the time and I'm not quite sure why, although I susp... read moreect Vincent Price's presence had a lot to do with it. The supporting cast does a fine job in their roles, and the actual idea of *SPOILER ALERT* keeping mannequins as wax dummies is very creepy all on its own. I think it's just a combination of things and everything falling into place perfectly to make a great little horror film. It's more about the character than the horror, which is part of what I like about it, and it's also a prelude to what Vincent Price would later do with his character in The Abominable Dr. Phibes. Not that that was seen in his future at the time, but if you've seen both films you cannot miss the similarities. It may be slightly dated, and the remake may have tarnished it slightly and made it seem more conventional than it really is, but it holds up quite well.
  • StarCrossedVoyager
    December 26, 2011
    StarCrossedVoyager
    Such an enjoyable and interesting film which kept me gripped and involved as I tried to figure out the twists and turns as they happened on screen. A brilliant cast which really does the characters justice, especially Price, Gray and Picerni. Definitely watch again.
  • DragonEyeMorrison
    November 15, 2011
    DragonEyeMorrison
    Simple but effective, look for Charles Bronson in a support role.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    June 19, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    The original House Of Wax starring Vincent Price is a masterpiece of horror. The film is a remake of the 1933 film The Mystery Of The Wax Museum and it succeeds in being a classic film all it's own. House Of Wax is a terrifying film that is superbly acted about a wax sculptor who... read more creates wax sculptures using people. With a fairly creepy premise for a film, and with Vincent Price in tow, House Of Wax is an accomplished horror film that remains a classic of the genre. The film is a near flawless masterpiece and its atmosphere is terrifying. Vincent Price is simply phenomenal in his role and it's understandable why he's such a horror icon. Some of the scenes that stuck with me is the nighttime chase sequence and when a character recognizes one of her friends that disappeared a few days earlier in the wax museum as a sculpture. The film is superbly acted and directed. This is one of the essential classic horror films to watch. An enjoyable and atmospheric horror film, House Of Wax is a truly well paced horror film that brings on genuine jolts. If you want to see a true classic of horror, then look no further than House Of Wax. The film is along with other horror greats such as King Kong, The Mummy and The Blob, one of the most enduring classics of the genre. Also worth mentioning in this review is a small part by a very young Charles Bronson. As a Bronson fan, I enjoyed this very much. House Of Wax remains one of best classic horror films ever filmed.
  • skeletonking101
    February 28, 2011
    skeletonking101
    An interesting plot and a very dark movie for the 50s
  • ajv2688
    November 7, 2010
    ajv2688
    I loved this movie because of Price and how creepy the wax figures looked. The story isn't that different from other wax museum horror movies, but with the cast, it's entertaining, and I really enjoyed this movie.
  • 366weirdmovies
    November 1, 2010
    366weirdmovies
    Vincent Price stars as a wax sculptor who survives a fire that destroys his life's work, then, despite his ruined hands and embittered mind, opens a new wax museum featuring a sensationalistic chamber of horrors recreating classic and recent acts of violence. A darn good b-movie... read more with nice acting, action, colorful sets, reliable comic relief and satisfying light chills.
  • YosemiteSamFan
    August 12, 2009
    YosemiteSamFan
    A spectacular story of a wax museum really made of human castings with Vincent Price as the madman.

    Tame these days, it must've been a bit shocking to see the elevator hanging scene.

    The fire effects are superb, with all the wax figures melting. When I saw clips, I always thoug... read moreht that was at the end of the film, but it's actually near the beginning of the film.

    If you think about it, wax-coating actual corpses wouldn't actually work, once the decomposing begins. The movie could've used some gorey revealing of the decayed skeletal bodies inside the figurines once they were broken open.

    The plot has some boring police investigations which slows things down in the middle. The story predates Psycho, which may have taken some of its elements from House of Wax.

    Charles Bronson (er Buchinsky) is creepy as the mute assistant Igor; but what a character name!

    Seeing this all in 3-D on a big screen would've been wonderful. I'm curious how the blatant 3-D effects of paddle balls and can-can dancers would've popped out of the screen.
  • pier007
    February 24, 2008
    pier007
    The always cool Vincent Price plays again a vengeful devilish man in this delightful 3-D film.
  • kenstachnik
    September 18, 2007
    kenstachnik
    I got to see this in the theater in it's original 3D presentation.

    I have 2 words for you.

    Paddle Ball

View All House of Wax Reviews

Critic Reviews

October 17, 2011
TIME Magazine

An intermittently gripping shocker. Full Review

Variety Staff
October 7, 2008
Variety Staff, Variety

Casting is competent, Vincent Price is capital as the No. 1 menace. Full Review

Dave Kehr
September 24, 2007
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

The effects are done with playfulness, zest, and some imagination (they range from a barker batting paddleballs in your face to a murderer leaping from the row in front of you), making this the most e... Full Review

Bosley Crowther
March 25, 2006
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

Dimly we foresee movie audiences embalmed in three-dimensional wax and sound. Full Review

Cole Smithey
November 23, 2008
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com

Oh-so-delightfully creepy.

Steve Biodrowski
July 23, 2008
Steve Biodrowski, ESplatter

An extremely effective "unmasking" scene at the climax ... stands as one of the great shock moments in horror cinema. Full Review

September 24, 2007
TV Guide's Movie Guide

House of Wax was stunningly directed by Andre de Toth who used the new 3-D process to its fullest potential without bogging down the narrative with too many 'gee-look-what-I-can-do' tricks. Full Review

David Parkinson
September 24, 2007
David Parkinson, Empire Magazine

A film in which just about every technical and dramatic gambit has been judged to near perfection. Full Review

Tom Milne
February 9, 2006
Tom Milne, Time Out

De Toth brings off one classic sequence with Kirk fleeing through the gaslit streets pursued by a shadowy figure in a billowing cloak. Full Review

Nick Schager
June 25, 2005
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

Price brings a touch of creepy class to this otherwise middling B-level horror story. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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House of Wax Trivia

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