Plot: What’s it about?
Professor Henry Jarrod (Vincent Price) has sculpted countless exhibits in his wax museum, which he runs with his partner. But when his partner proposes to burn down the museum in order to collect the insurance claims, Jarrod is shocked. The museum might not be popular, but he loves his creations and it would crush him to see his work demolished. The fire begins however, as his partner decides to move on with the plan without Jarrod’s agreement, which spurns a fight between the two on the spot. Even as the exhibits burn and melt, the two men have it out and in the end, Jarrod is left to perish within the flames. He manages to survive the ordeal, but his hands have severe burns and as a result, he is unable to sculpt any new creations. He opens a new wax museum however, one loaded with incredible and realistic exhibits. He has an assistant to work on some of the sculptures, but others just seem to appear on showcase. The new exhibits are so realistic, people pour in to see Jarrod’s work and soon enough, demand grows for more exhibits. At the same time, bodies begin to disappear from the morgue, which alarms Jarrod’s assistant. He also notices that Jarrod watches his girlfriend often, as if eyeing her to become the next exhibit. But what will become of Jarrod and his infamous house of wax?
An undisputed classic of terror, House of Wax is a great movie and the first 3-D movie produced by a major studio. Of course, this disc only offers the film in a flat presentation and that is sure to disappoint fans, but House of Wax is still a blast to watch. The lack of 3-D does add some camp, especially in the scenes obviously filmed for visual effect, but that just means added entertainment value. Yes, I would love to have House of Wax in its original version, but I’d rather have this flat release than none at all. This eerie chiller is one of the first times Vincent Price (House on Haunted Hill, The Raven) dabbled in horror cinema and if nothing else, his presence alone is reason enough to watch House of Wax. After all, Price would become of the genre’s most famous players, but its obvious he was a natural from the start. He had already shown his immense dramatic skills, but his true knack was the macabre side of cinema. As House of Wax is an old school horror movie, it uses atmosphere to spook its audience, as opposed to cheap shocks, violence, or out and out gore content. The formula works well, as Price’s sinister performance and the museum’s eerie atmosphere provide ample chills. This is a film no horror fan can be without and with the inclusion of the classic Mystery of the Wax Museum, this disc is more than worthwhile. So even if you’re a casual genre fan, House of Wax is highly recommended.
Video: How does it look?
House of Wax is presented in full frame, as intended. I had some reservations about this visual effort, but in the end, Warner has given us a solid presentation. The age of the material and the nature of the 3-D process have taken a toll on the source elements, but the print here still looks more than acceptable. A small amount of nicks and scuffs can be seen, but grain is the main issue and sometimes softens the visuals. So contrast is often a little lighter than I would like, but black levels still come off as effective. I found the colors to be bold and rich here, with much better depth and saturation than expected. So while some flaws are evident, this is a good-looking treatment and fans should be pleased.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio here is presented in 2.0 surround, which replicates the special Warner Sonic 3-D soundtrack used in theatrical presentations. I found this to be a decent effort, but some kind of restoration work was in order. A lot of hiss and unwanted noise can be heard in this track, which never overpowers the audio, but can become an annoyance. Aside from that, no real problems surface and this soundtrack has more life than expected. The front channels are well used to enhance the dialogue and more basic elements, while the surrounds kick in at times to add to the eerie atmosphere. So while Warner should have done some noise reduction, this still proves to be an acceptable presentation. This disc also includes French and Spanish language tracks, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Bahasa, and Thai, which is a whole lot of subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a special newsreel from the movie’s premiere, as well as the film’s theatrical trailer. But if you flip the disc over, you’ll find one of the best supplements ever included on a DVD to date. Warner has tacked on the 1933 chiller Mystery of the Wax Museum, the film that inspired House of Wax. This is also an excellent movie, which stars Fay Wray (King Kong) and was directed by Michael Curtiz (Casablanca). You simply couldn’t ask for a better supplement than this, so kudos to Warner for its inclusion.
