House of Wax (1953 film)

House of Wax is a 1953 American horror film starring Vincent Price. Director André De Toth?s remake of Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) 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.

Related Topics:
1953 - American - Horror film - Vincent Price - André De Toth - Mystery of the Wax Museum - 1933 - 3-D - Cinemascope - 1950s - Television

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Professor Henry 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 Gray (Carolyn Jones). When Cathy?s friend, Sue Allen (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. Ironically, de Toth was blind in one eye, so he was unable to see the 3-D effects. MPAA Rating: PG.

Related Topics:
1910s - NYC - Paul Cavanagh - Charles Bronson - Carolyn Jones - Phyllis Kirk - MPAA - PG

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The title was borrowed for an purported remake with Elisha Cuthbert and Chad Michael Murray, released in 2005.

Related Topics:
Remake - Elisha Cuthbert - Chad Michael Murray - 2005

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