- Director: André De Toth
- Writers: Crane Wilbur, Charles Belden
- Stars: Vincent Price, Frank Lovejoy, Phyllis Kirk
- Run Time: 1 Hour, 28 Minutes
- Link: https://amzn.to/3ujQPxg
Synopsis
We open in a wax museum, there are figures and dioramas everywhere. Some of them look a little too realistic. There’s a sculptor in the back working on a statue; he’s Henry Jarrod.
Matthew comes in to examine the books; he thinks Henry could make a lot more money if they switched to horror themes, like a chamber of horrors, rather than historical themes. Matthew wants a faster return on his investment, and he wants to get out of their partnership. Sidney Wallace, art critic, is considering buying Matthew’s shares, and the two men both need his money.
Sidney is extremely impressed, and Jarrod offers to make him a partner. Sidney’s leaving for Egypt and won’t be back for three months, but he’s very interested.
Matthew doesn’t want to wait. Matthew offers to split $25,000 insurance payment with Jarrod; all they need is an “accidental” fire. Jarrod doesn’t want to hurt his “friends” the wax dummies. Matthew starts to burn the place down right then, and the two men fight. Matthew knocks out Jarrod and sets the whole place ablaze. Matthew leaves Jarrod on top of a burning pile with the gas turned on. The two men fight some more, and Jarrod gets knocked out a second time. Jarrod wakes up and heads for the door, but the gas ignites and explodes.
Some time later, Matthew explains to Cathy, his girlfriend, that his old partner’s body was never found. “If I had been there, I might have saved him,” Matthew explains. The insurance paid it all to him finally, even without a body. He goes to his office, opens up the safe and takes out the cash. There’s a burned man in his office who kills him and takes the money; it’s obviously Jarrod, scarred from his burns.
Cathy and her roommate Sue are two working girls in the big city, trying to make the rent. Sue comes home to find Cathy dead, and Jarrod’s in the room with her. Sue jumps out the window and runs away, and Jarrod pursues her. There’s a chase through the London fog, but she finally escapes him. Later, at the city morgue, Jarrod sneaks in and steal’s Cathy’s corpse. Sue tells the police everything.
Sidney Wallace goes to see Jarrod, who is now in a wheelchair, but looks normal. Jarrod explains that he woke up in a doctor’s house after the fire, but he can’t explain it. He can’t control his hands or legs, and he has a mute assistant, Igor, who can do the physical work for him, and a student worker, Leon. He wants financing for his new creations, showcasing crime and horrors. He’s even got a wax dummy of Matthew, who “hanged himself.” Sidney agrees to the investment.
“The House of Wax” has a grand opening. Jarrod gives a guided tour to the guests, and he demonstrates the various murderers and torture devices. A woman faints at the sight. Sue and her friend Scott come to the museum. Sue notices the Joan of Arc statue, and that it looks exactly like her dead friend Cathy. Jarrod explains that he saw her face in the newspaper and used it on this statue. He mentions that Sue has a face that would be great for his new Marie Antoinette figure.
That night, the burned man is out on the prowl again, this time outside Sue’s window. She sees him, screams, and then decides she dreamed it. Sue remembers noting that one of Joan of Arc’s ears was pierced in the same place as Cathy. Could it be the same girl? Scott offers to take her to his police friend to explain that what she thinks is impossible. Detective Brennon tells her it’s all nonsense, but when she leaves, we see he takes her ideas more seriously than he let on.
The next night, Sue goes back to the museum during open hours and climbs up onto with the Joan of Arc display. Jarrod interrupts, and they talk; he’s got a wax head of Sue in a box, but he wants her to pose for a better one.
The police check out the museum, and several of the wax dummies look like other missing persons. One of the cops knows Leon’s face from somewhere, but can’t place it. Then it hits him; he’s a wanted man. They search Leon’s house and find a gold watch that was given to the missing city attorney.
Sue then comes back after hours to meet Scott, who has been sent on an errand. It’s dark and creepy. She once again climbs on Joan of Arc and pulls off her black wig, revealing Cathy’s golden hair beneath. Jarrod gets up out of the wheelchair and comes after her. He and Igor grab her, and she beats on Jarrod’s face, breaking it off and revealing the burned man beneath.
He puts Sue’s unconscious body on the table and heats the wax. He’s going to coat her dead body in wax and use her as the next Marie Antoinette. Meanwhile, at the police station, Leon comes clean about everything, tell about Jarrod’s true story. Most of the wax figures are dead bodies!
Scott returns to the wax museum and fights Igor. Igor wins, and puts Scott in the guillotine. Just as he’s about to pull the rope and behead Scott, the police burst in and capture Igor. Jarrod runs up the stairs to escape, but is knocked into a massive vat of boiling wax. Brennan pulls Sue’s table away from the equipment before she gets the wax treatment.
Commentary
This was one of the first full-length 3D color films and the first 3D feature with stereoscopic sound. It’s easy to spot some really obvious 3D gimmick shots, especially the man with the paddle-balls and later, the dancing girls. Vincent Price’s makeup was perfect for the day, and his black hat, cloak, and scarred face were iconic.
I don’t think we’re supposed to realize that the burned man is Jarrod, but it’s pretty obvious from the first time you see the burned man who it is.
It’s a classic, and it deserves the term. Really, really, good, and better still, it holds up nicely today.