Review of House of Wax (1953) by Peter H — 17 Jun 2010

Ok this is one of the best remakes I have ever seen , HOUSE OF WAX is a remake of the classic MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSUEM but as far as remakes go this one captures the orginals plot perectly but at the same time adds something else to this already existing story. The things that make this remake different from the orginal are its basic time setting , in Mystery the time peirod range from london in 1921 to New York city in 1933 but in this film it takes the setting right back to the turn of the 20th centery in NYC . Presonally this alone works much better than the orginals setting due to the gas lamp era feel of duller tones of colour which looks fantastic in colour.

As ive said it slightly differs from the orginal and the plot is no execption. This time about 70% of orginal plot line exist, in this movies case it explores the sculpteres passion for his work also it makes very good use of that myseterious deformed murder. Anyway the plot yet again start off with the sculpture Jarrods beloved wax musem ( inculing his prized wax sculpture of Marie Anonette) being bruned by his bussiness partner for the sake of insurance money but this time the fire and fight secene is longer and more dramatic to view. The plot also in this version looks at the bussiness parnter enjoying his wicked spoils of war after he declars to his fiancee Cathy Gary that Jarrod was killed in the fire. Then with out warning a mysterious man with a deformed face later hangs him in his aparments elevator shaft which to the police is declared a sucided. The plot then jumps to cathy and her room mate Sue Allen disscusing about her fiancces death ,which oddly enougth she is showing any gief for more like silly school girl laughter about the incdenet. later that night the deformed murder kills Cathy and Sue allen walks in on it, in all good movies she gets chased by the murder but manages to escape and finds reffuge at her parnters home. As the rest of the movie unfolds we then find out Jarred is still alive but crippled and can no longer sculpt due to his hands being rendered uselless and that he is opening a new wax musem called HOUSE OF WAX. And like in the orginal Sue allen spots the figure of joan of arc resembless someone she knows ,Her murdered room mate Cathy which starts to make her suspect somethning anit qutie right.

The one thing like about this film has got to be Vincent Price's pereformance as Jarred. Every senece he is in is just fantasic and depending on where the story is going with this character he just exectues it perfectly. My favortie bit of dialouge he delivers happens at just before the bussiness parnter torches his beloved wax figures , "no these are my friends , I kill you if try" that alones summs up what this character is capable of. Infact this was the preformance that crowened him the new master of the marcabe in hollywood. Infact he was the last great horror film star to ever come out of hollywood and thankfully this chilling role made all this possible.

The one thing that makes this movie more special than making Vincent Price the last great master of the horror film was the fact it was one of the first 3D movies. And it becomes quite clear this is a 3D movie after viewing it in 2D with the famous paddle ball scence. This has nothing to do with the plot but its just awesome to look at in all its enjoyable campyness, hell it even turns of that dark atmosphere for a few mintues. On a peronal note that ranks along side the fire in the start as some of my favortie moments in this film. The one thing I would like to do would see this film in 3D anlong with another classic 3D horror film from the 50's CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON ,that would be something to see rather than some mindless modern 3D films (don't worry this exculeds AVATAR which in my book is a recent masterpice). Anyway HOUSE OF WAX is brilliant as a classic horror film and its a brilliant remake of the classic MYSTERY OF THE WAX WORKS MUSUEM, one of the Best remakes ever. 100/100 its on the same level as the orginal.