House of Wax Overview:

House of Wax (1953) was a Crime - Horror Film directed by Andre De Toth and produced by Bryan Foy and Joe Dreier.

House of Wax was inducted into the National Film Registry in 2014.

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House of Wax (1953)

By Beatrice on Oct 23, 2015 From Flickers in Time

House of Wax Directed by Andre de Toth Written by Crane Wilbur from a story by Charles Belden 1953/USA Brian Foy Productions/Warner Bros. Repeat viewing?/Netflix rental This is a practically perfect example of the ’50’s horror genre with 3-D and Vincent Price to add to the fun. Profes... Read full article


Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) vs. House of Wax (1953)

on Oct 6, 2014 From Journeys in Classic Film

A double dose of wax museums kickstar this week’s Halloween reviews?as I compare and contrast Mystery of the Wax Museum with its remake, House of Wax. (We’re going to pretend the 2005 remake doesn’t exist.) Mystery and House are practically the same movie, albeit the latter boasts ... Read full article


HOUSE OF WAX – Special Screening!

By Richard on May 6, 2013 From Classic Horror Campaign

House Of Wax was released in 1953 and was a remake of an earlier 1933 comedy horror entitled Mystery Of The Wax Museum.?Set in New York in the early 20th century, Vincent Price is wax sculptor Professor Henry Jarrod. He and his business partner, Matthew Burke (Roy Roberts) own a museum and Burke tri... Read full article


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Quotes from

Prof. Henry Jarrod: People say they can see my Marie Antoinette breath, that her breast rises and falls , look at her eyes they follow you where ever you go.
Bruce Allison: You know her eyes do follow you.
Prof. Henry Jarrod: They're made of glass mores the pity, the exact size and color of the originals, they're inserted from inside by way of the hollow neck before the head is attached to the body
[looking at the figure of marie antoinette]
Prof. Henry Jarrod: forgive me my dear for discussing your intimate secrets, forgive me gentlemen I lose myself at times.
Sidney Wallace: Professor if people knew what you had inside these walls you couldn't accomodate the crowds, what you need here is exploitation more advertising.
Bruce Allison: Thats what I've been telling him.
Prof. Henry Jarrod: I'm afraid my partner wouldn't agree, he's not happy here he wants to invest in something else, mr. wallace would you care to become a partner in this venture would you buy him out?
Sidney Wallace: I just might take you up on that if my lawyers approve and the price is right.
Prof. Henry Jarrod: With your help I could do wonders and I'd make any sacrifice.
Sidney Wallace: Unfortunately I'm leaving for egypt I'm financing some excavations there, however I'll be back in three months and I'll be glad to discuss it then.


Prof. Henry Jarrod: I'm afraid that the visit of a such distinguished critic may cause my children to become conceited. To you they are wax, but to me their creator, they live and breathe.


Lt. Tom Brennan: You know, Shane, by the time this guy gets out of Sing Sing, this head will grow a long beard.


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Facts about

The scene where Paul Picerni is rescued from the guillotine by Frank Lovejoy seconds before the blade came down was filmed in one take, using a real guillotine blade. Picerni and director André De Toth got into a heated argument when Picerni, on advice from the film's stuntmen, refused to do the scene as too dangerous (a prop man was to hold up the blade off camera and tell the actors when he dropped it so they could yank Picerni away). De Toth threw him off the picture, but several days later, on orders from studio head Jack L. Warner, De Toth recalled him, and had the prop department modify the guillotine to make it less dangerous. After examining the guillotine, Picerni said he would do one take and no more, which is exactly what happened.
The alcoholic sculptor was a heroin addict in the original version of the film, Mystery of the Wax Museum, but that had to be changed for the remake because the Production Code forbade any mention of drug addiction. (Ironically, a character played by Vincent Price had got away with confessing to drug addiction in Dragonwyck, made seven years before "House of Wax.")
The name of Vincent Price's character was changed to Henry Jarrod from Ivan Igor to avoid alienating Russian viewers.
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National Film Registry

House of Wax

Released 1953
Inducted 2014
(Sound)




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Also directed by André De Toth




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