Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) | |
| Director(s) | Michael Curtiz |
| Producer(s) | Henry Blanke, Hal B. Wallis |
| Top Genres | Horror, Mystery, Thriller/Suspense |
| Top Topics | Pre-Code Cinema |
Featured Cast:
Mystery of the Wax Museum Overview:
Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) was a Horror - Mystery Film directed by Michael Curtiz and produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke.
BlogHub Articles:
The Mystery of the Wax Museum
By Barry P. on Oct 7, 2025 From Cinematic Catharsis(1933) Directed by Michael Curtiz; Written by Don Mullaly and Carl Erickson; Based on “The Wax Works,” by Charles Belden; Starring: Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Glenda Farrell, Frank McHugh, Allen Vincent and Gavin Gordon; Available on Blu-ray and DVD Rating: **** “…It was kin... Read full article
On Blu-ray: A Magnificent Restoration of the Two-Strip Horror Flick The Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933)
By KC on Jun 17, 2020 From Classic MoviesMy introduction to the pre-code horror flick Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) came from the book that provided most of my early film education, 500 Great Films, by Daniel and Susan Cohen. The brief passage dedicated to the movie revealed that it was lost for twenty-five years and over that time, ... Read full article
MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM On Blu-ray From Warner Archive
By Dan Day, Jr. on May 16, 2020 From The Hitless Wonder Movie BlogOne of my favorite classic movies is the 1933 MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM. I first saw it on TV as a young teenager back in the mid-1980s, and I've been fascinated by it ever since. The combination of Gothic horror and Depression-era urban American attitude, the otherworldly look of the two-strip Tech... Read full article
Pre-Code Corner: Doctor X and Mystery of the Wax Museum
By Kim Luperi on Mar 3, 2018 From Classic Movie Hub BlogWarner Brothers Horror, In Living (Two) Color: Doctor X and Mystery of the Wax Museum As part of their career retrospective Michael Curtiz: A Life in Film, the UCLA Film and Television Archive recently screened a superb pre-Code triple feature: Doctor X (1932), Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933), and... Read full article
Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) vs. House of Wax (1953)
on Oct 6, 2014 From Journeys in Classic FilmA 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
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Quotes from
Jim: I used to be married to one.
Florence: Then it came to life and divorced you, I know all about that.
Charlotte Duncan: You fiend.
Ivan Igor: My Marie Antoinette you must not say that to me.
Charlotte Duncan: You fiend.
Ivan Igor: My dear, why are you so pitifully afraid?
Joe Worth: [talking about their financial situation] I don't hope to impress you, but I've got to tell you we haven't a farthing.
Ivan Igor: That is unfortunate.
Joe Worth: You're right it's unfortunate, 15,000 pounds it's cost me and you say it's unfortunate as though I've spilled soup on my vest.
Ivan Igor: Your money may have been very well invested you never know, something important may come of all this.
Joe Worth: Something important has got to come of all this, you know the rent on this place isn't paid?
Ivan Igor: Is that a fact?
Joe Worth: No I'm lying to amuse myself.
Joe Worth: I've got an idea that will get us out of all this, you and I have absolutely no money but we have got this
[hands Ivan the fire insurance]
Joe Worth: .
Ivan Igor: Fire insurance? Is this your idea of humor my friend?
Joe Worth: Yes fire insurance, that's our way out.
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Facts about
This film was produced before the Production Code. When it was re-made only 20 years later, as House of Wax, all references to drug use were removed and a character was changed from a junkie to an alcoholic.
The wax figures look like real people because they ARE real people. The original plan was to use actual wax figures, but they melted under the heat of the lights used at the time to film two-strip Technicolor.
read more facts about Mystery of the Wax Museum...
