Search - House of Wax on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 5/10/2019...

This movie reminds you of how great of an actor Vincent Price is and how his unique voice completely worked with this plotline. The special effects were pretty great in this considering how old the movie it. A must watch for Vincent fans and if you are a fan of Charles Bronson, who is a young Igor! Avoid the Mystery of the Wax Museum. House of Wax was closely based on that original but the original was really boring with poor acting, poor video transfer and a boring presentation of the plotline. The remake was awesome!

House of Wax (1953)

Tom Van Etteger | 04/02/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"An incredibly good movie. Vincent Price at his best. Unlike a lot of horror movies during the 30s, 40s, 50s, and even the 60s this movie is not cheesy. A classic (it's even a remake from an earlier great classic movie [1933's Mystery of the Wax Museum], which is included in this version). A good buy for the one interested in old, creepy horror classics."

House of Wax

Carl Manes | 03/09/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Vincent Price delivers his first starring role within the Horror genre as Prof. Henry Jarrod, a crippled but talented wax museum sculptor who was scarred by a greedy business partner years earlier. Jarrod continues his work in a brand new exhibit, but when his recent additions begin bearing striking resemblances to bodies that have gone missing from the morgue, the police decide to settle in on the wayward wax museum! HOUSE OF WAX represents one of Price's finest performances, and while he still hams it up as only Price can, he is not as over the top or eccentric as he would become in later roles. What stands out more than anything else here is the incredible set design and props, ranging from the cold, fog strewn streets of the chase sequences to the lavishly dressed museum and its sinister boiler room. In the most startling and atmospheric sequence, the suspicious Sue Allen sneaks into the wax museum after hours, where all of the creations appear to follow her with their eyes as she sneaks around the darkened exhibits and shadowy corridors. The scene ends with the brilliant reveal of the killer as she struggles to escape, which serves as the defining moment in the film. While HOUSE OF WAX has plenty going for it, it is not without its faults. The uneven tone mixes straight horror with many goofy moments in both the acting and plot, but the most distracting elements are the unnecessary filler scenes that were added to exploit the gimmicky 3-D filming experience (most notably the paddle ball barker and can-can dancers). Outside of these minor quibbles, the film stands out as an excellent Gothic Horror classic that is staple viewing for all genre fans!



-Carl Manes

I Like Horror Movies"

Vincent Price's first horror film

Joker | Michigan | 10/13/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This 1953 color movie was originally released as a 3D movie, something very popular in the 1950s. The storyline is basically this: It is early twentieth century New York, and a wax sculptor named Henry Jarrod (Vincent Price) refuses to give in to his financial partner's wishes for better wax exhibits to boost profits for the museum. In reliation, this business partner, Matthew Burke (Roy Roberts) sets fire to the museum which destroys all of Jarrod's life's work. However, Jarrod survives the fire and is badly burned as a result. Jarrod disguises his facial burns with a wax mask he has made to appear normal looking. His goal is to open a new museum called House Of Wax and restock it with actual people who are his murder victims, but covered with wax. He does all of this because the fire that disfigured him and destroyed his life's work has made him become a madman. In the end, it is he who is a victim of his own wax trap.



This movie also stars Carolyn Jones (The Addams Family, Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, and Marsha Queen Of Diamonds from the 1960s Batman TV series) as murder victim Cathy Gray. It also stars Phyllis Kirk as Gray's suspicious friend Sue Allen (who notices that all the waxworks are wax-coated murder victims of Jarrod), and Charles Bronson, who plays a deaf-mute sculptor.



The acting and the movie in general is a little campy, yet spooky at the same time. All in all, it is a good movie that was the first horror movie of Vincent Price's career. This DVD also comes with the 1933 color film that inspired the 1953 remake, Mystery Of The Wax Museum, starring Lionel Atwill and Fay Wray (King Kong 1933). I like Mystery Of The Wax Museum just as much as House Of Wax. I definitely recommend this double feature DVD."