[
HOUSE OF WAX opens
in Cleveland on Friday October 18th exclusively at the Capitol Theatre for a one week
run.]
Review by Bob Ignizio
These days it seems like every other movie released is in 3D, but
back in 1953 it was still a rarity. That was the year that
HOUSE
OF WAX was released to
theaters. It was the first major studio film in color to be shot in
3D, and as an added bonus the sound was in stereo. And the funny
thing is, director Andre De Toth was blind in one eye, and therefore
couldn't see things in 3D. Then again, maybe that's part of why HOUSE
OF WAX still holds up fairly
well. Instead of focusing on his film's gimmick, De Toth concentrated
on telling a good horror tale.
The plot of the film is the
stuff of lurid pulp horror all the way. Professor Henry Jarrod
(Price) is a sculptor of wax figures with considerable skill. Much to
the chagrin of his business partner Burke (Roy Roberts), however, he
refuses to put a chamber of horrors in his wax museum. Jarrod would
much rather capture beauty, perhaps best exemplified by his figure of
Marie Antoinette. Looking to make a quick buck, Burke decides to
torch the place for the insurance money. Jarrod tries to stop him and
winds up dying in the conflagration. Or so it seems.
