I Bet You Didn't See... House of Wax

Vincent Price is the very definition of ‘Iconic’. His eloquent, classical voice that can fit both hero and villain, his presence on screen and his delivery of character is amazing.

The thing about Vincent Price is that he isn’t a method actor. He isn’t your Andy Serkis or Tom Hardy, where they are a completely different person when they play their roles. Vincent Price is Vincent Price. But you love him for it.

So, what about House of Wax?

I love how this scene changes the building, in order for an escape!

This is the story of Professor Harry Jarrod (Price), a genius wax sculptor who loves and talks to his sculptures of historical figures. Betrayed by his business partner, he soon becomes unable to sculpt again. In his madness, he hires some assistants to help him with his new method of sculpting models.

Meanwhile, there is a series of murders and disappearances going on. A young lady, Sue Allen (Kirk), loses her friend in the murders, and finds herself being asked to model for Jarrod as part of his new museum. However, there is something uncanny about that place and Sue is struggling with.

Sue (Kirk) finds herself chased by a stranger through foggy streets - wonderful cinematography and set production!

House of Wax is your classic 1950’s horror film but seems to have someone a little more creative at the wheel. While it sticks to the defined expectations of the era, there are a few moments of creativity that shifts from the norm of the time.

In the initial fight scene between Jarrod and his business partner, an item is thrown at Jarrod. This ends up coming at the camera and flying past it. We also have a scene outside the museum where a man with paddle balls (balls on elastic attached to paddles) who bounces the at passers-by, as well as at the audience watching. Why would they do that? You won’t believe it – this was one of the first 3D films!

3D films had been experimental ideas until the early 1950s, tending not to last very long, but there were a number of them. In the space of two years (1952 to 1954), there were over 50 made, including House of Wax, It Came From Outer Space (both 1953), Creature from the Black Lagoon and Dial M for Murder (both 1954), which are arguably the biggest ones made. Technicalities of how the 3D effects were made are too much to go into (see here for an official explanation) but, needless to say, it was something of a sensation. In House of Wax, Jarrod’s partner throws a weapon at the audience, and the audience are spoken to by the paddle-man, who mentions about aiming at a bag of popcorn, and his ball comes at us. It is an unusual thing to see, given that you are not likely going to be wearing our modern-day 3D glasses when you sit down with this film.

Charles Bronson (centre) as Igor, in his early career. TV had served him well and he would soon rise fast.

While mildly predictable, House of Wax is a fun and classic film. Vincent Price is fantastic as always; the prosthetics are amazing for the time (although very dated by our standards) and the stunts are outrageously ridiculous! The fight scenes through that era were all the same, flipping people over the back and crashing through the bannisters, without much injury. We also see how someone unconscious moves to help his assailant pick him up!

The film also hosts a few surprising inclusions in the cast.

A 31-year-old Charles Buchinsky plays the deaf-mute Igor in only his fourth credited film role of his career. It would be another year before he was credited as Charles Bronson and four years before his first leading role as the titular Machine-Gun Kelly.

A young Jones (right) flirts with a suitor before becoming the legendary Morticia Addams!

Another member of silver-screen royalty shows her face in House of Wax prior to her royalty status was confirmed. Carolyn Jones plays Cathy. This was a few years before she gained a flurry of nominations and awards towards the end of the 50’s, and over a decade before she became a face everyone knew and still goes hand-in-hand with comedic horror to this day… as Morticia Addams in the 1960’s TV series The Addams Family.

I personally love these old films. They are fun, well made for the era, a good laugh at times by our standards and a great way of seeing how genres have changed over time. For House of Wax, the sets are superbly made, the 3D visuals are an amazing touch and the prosthetics are wonderful! They may look old and out-dated to some, but that is the charm of these films!

And can you ever really go wrong with Vincent Price?

No. No you cannot.

Directed by: Andre De Toth

Based on: The Wax Works by Charles Belden

Starring: Vincent Price, Frank Lovejoy, Phyllis Kirk, Carolyn Jones, Paul Picerni, Charles Bronson

Release Date: April 10, 1953

Rating: 6/10