House of Wax (3D) - André De Toth - (1953) DVD

HOUSE OF WAX established Vincent Price as a horror film icon. He's never hammy here. He's best when describing gruesome details (like torture or murder) with a slight grin, as if he's building to a punch line. Crane Wilbur's screenplay has well researched details (regarding how wax sculpting works, the effects of chemical burns for example) improves on the 1933 original.

Here Vincent Price plays Henry Jerrod, a wax sculptor whose first try at a wax museum meets the same infernal end as Atwill's museum in the first film. 12 years later, Jerrod opens a new museum. One of his intern sculptors dates a model, Sue who is hounded by a mysterious man with a distorted face. In the original film version, made in 1933, Fay Wray plays a beautiful, but uninteresting damsel in distress. Phyllis Kirk fills Fay Wray's part here, and man, is she even more boring! But don't worry, you have plenty of Vincent to make this DVD worthwhile.

It's easy to find in a bit part, young Charles Bronson (billed here as Charles Buchinsky) as one of Jerrod's s interns. HOUSE OF WAX's most famous element is that it was made in 3-D. The most amusing 3-D moment in HOUSE OF WAX has almost nothing to do with the story. A carnival barker, played with crowd-pleasing energy by Reggie Rymal), constantly whacks a paddle-ball outside the wax museum, while heralding the museum's opening night thrills. He faces the camera (meaning us) and says `You! With the popcorn. Hold still.' and he proceeds to repeatedly whack the ball at the camera. HOUSE OF WAX is a lot of fun, and was a big hit at the time.

3D Movie Type : Field Sequential 3D
This DVD is a 3D Movie. Before buying this movie please see 'Information on 3D movies' for additional information about watching 3D movies and any special requirements you may need.

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