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Movies / On DVD / House of Wax
House of Wax

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House of Wax (1953)

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Reviews Counted:31

Fresh:29

Rotten:2

Average Rating:7.2/10

Consensus: House of Wax is a 3-D horror delight that combines the atmospheric eerieness of the wax museum with the always chilling presence of Vincent Price.

Runtime: 2 hrs 45 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Synopsis: André de Toth's remake of MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM is one of the first and best 3-D (stereoscopic) feature films, an alternative technology (like Cinemascope, Cinerama) used by 1950s directors... André de Toth's remake of MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM is one of the first and best 3-D (stereoscopic) feature films, an alternative technology (like Cinemascope, Cinerama) used by 1950s directors attempting to compete with the new threat of television. Professor Jarrod (Vincent Price) is a devoted wax figure sculptor for his museum in 1910s NYC. When his financial partner, Sidney Wallace (Paul Cavanagh), demands more sensational exhibits to increase profits, Jarrod refuses. The vengeful Wallace torches the museum, leaving Jarrod for dead. Miraculously, Jarrod survives (though his hands and legs are rendered useless) and builds a new House of Wax with help from threatening deaf-mute sculptor, Igor (Charles Bronson). The museum's popular "Chamber of Horrors" showcases recent crimes like the murder of Wallace, a victim of a cloaked, disfigured killer along with his fiancée, Cathy (Carolyn Jones). When Cathy's friend, Sue (Phyllis Kirk), visits the museum she makes a discovery that leads to the horrifying truth behind the House of Wax. With gasp inducing (and tongue-in-cheek) 3-D scenes like the museum fire, paddleball man, and can-can girls, de Toth creates an atmospheric film which stands up as a horror classic in 2-D as well. [More]

Starring: Vincent Price, Frank Lovejoy, Phyllis Kirk, Carolyn Jones

Starring: Vincent Price, Frank Lovejoy, Phyllis Kirk, Carolyn Jones, Charles Bronson, Paul Picerni, Roy Roberts, Angela Clarke, Paul Cavanagh, Dabbs Greer

Director: Andre De Toth

Director: Andre De Toth
Screenwriter: Crane Wilbur, Charles S. Belden
Producer: Bryan Foy
Composer: David Buttolph

[See More Credits]

Reviews for House of Wax

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

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

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
09/24/07
David Parkinson
David Parkinson
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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 Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Tom Milne
Tom Milne
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Despite Price's presence this is little more than a footnote in American horror cinema.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment 1 Comment
03/16/04
Jamie Russell
Jamie Russell
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Oh-so-delightfully creepy.

comment Comment
11/23/08
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

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

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
10/07/08
Variety Staff
Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

Full Review Source: ESplatter | comment Comment
07/23/08
Steve Biodrowski
Steve Biodrowski
ESplatter

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 Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
09/24/07
TV Guide's Movie Guide

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 entertaining of the gimmick 3-Ds.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
09/24/07
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader

No review available.

comment Comment
08/17/06
Lori Hoffman
Lori Hoffman
Atlantic City Weekly

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

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment 1 Comment
03/25/06
Bosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

Full Review Source: Lessons of Darkness | comment Comment
06/25/05
Nick Schager
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness

No review available.

comment Comment
06/22/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Vincent Price is truly creepy, hammy and eerie in this role.

Full Review Source: About.com | comment Comment
05/24/05
Staci Layne Wilson
Staci Layne Wilson
About.com

House of Wax is not particularly scary or suspenseful, but it is a lot of fun and effectively creates an atmosphere of dread using bright colors and shadows.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/16/05
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

No review available.

comment Comment
03/26/05
Jonathan R. Perry
Jonathan R. Perry
Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas)

No review available.

comment Comment
03/08/05
Mark Palermo
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Arguably the best of all 3-D movies.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
02/20/05
David Cornelius
David Cornelius
eFilmCritic.com

No review available.

comment Comment
07/26/04
Robert Roten
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope

No review available.

comment Comment
01/29/04
Nicolas Lacroix
Nicolas Lacroix
EnPrimeur.ca

No review available.

comment Comment
11/07/03
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
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