cult film freak: CHARLES BRONSON SERVES VINCENT PRICE IN 'HOUSE OF WAX'

Written by James M. Tate / 7/04/2021 / No comments / 3D , andre de toth , body count , carolyn jones , charles bronson , cult , exploitation , fifties , horror , phyllis kirk , vincent price

CHARLES BRONSON SERVES VINCENT PRICE IN 'HOUSE OF WAX'

7/04/2021 | No comment

Bronson carries HOUSE OF WAX Year: 1953 Rates: ***1/2

The best part of HOUSE OF WAX is the drawn-out prologue setting up how Vincent Price adores his dramatically historical wax creations ranging from Joan of Arc to John Wilkes Booth to his prize, Marie Antoinette...

As he goes on and on about each piece and how much time and dedication was put in, the fire set by his greedy antagonist partner is not only heartbreaking but feels like the end of a brilliantly beautiful short film in itself: Which doesn't mean the rest of director André De Toth's visually stunning 3D classic completely falls short...

Although Price's transformation from a sophisticated artist into a crippled mask-wearing madman is a bit clumsy, and somewhat confusing, jammed with uninteresting would-be male heroes yet is eventually reignited by de Toth's previous year's CRIME WAVE ingenue Phyllis Kirk, missing her missing roommate Carolyn Jones... who ends up in wax and she could be next. But the most intense character is played by Charles Bronson in his character-actor days, also from CRIME WAVE, here as a borderline psychotic mute servant Igor, and not surprising, given his now legendary prowess — with Price on the sidelines he alone takes the action mantle; a genre that WAX molds into after the colorfully Gothic-horror catapult. But hey, it's 3D... where movement is a must.

House of Wax artwork featuring Phyllis Kirk

Vincent Price and Charles Bronson in HOUSE OF WAX

Vincent Price in HOUSE OF WAX

Phyllis Kirk in HOUSE OF WAX

Vincent Price in HOUSE OF WAX giving Phyllis Kirk head

Charles Bronson in HOUSE OF WAX

Charles Bronson & Phyllis Kirk in Andrew de Toth's CRIME WAVE & HOUSE OF WAX

Carolyn Jones and Phyllis Kirk in HOUSE OF WAX

Share This Post :

Tags : 3D , andre de toth , body count , carolyn jones , charles bronson , cult , exploitation , fifties , horror , phyllis kirk , vincent price

James M. Tate

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

FAVORITES SHORTLIST

1)OTLEY 2)HELL IS A CITY 3)ROBBERY 4)THE FEARMAKERS 5)CANYON PASSAGE 6)VIOLENT SATURDAY 7)HOT CARS 8)JUNGLE STREET 9)THE CROWDED SKY 10)THE ROARING TWENTIES 11) ANATOMY OF A MURDER 12)SHARKS' TREASURE 13)SWEENEY TWO 14)RAIDERS FROM BENEATH THE SEA 15)HARDCORE 16)THE SYSTEM 17)WHITE HEAT 18)AL CAPONE 19)HIDDEN FEAR 20)FALLEN ANGEL 21)JOURNEY INTO FEAR 22)CURSE OF THE DEMON 23)ASH WEDNESDAY 24)THE BREAK 25)AIR PATROL 26)THE STONE KILLER 27)EASY LIVING 28)WILLIAM CONRAD'S BRAINSTORM 29)FRENZY 30)THE MAN FROM LARAMIE 1)DANA ANDREWS 2)JAMES CAGNEY 3)STANLEY BAKER 4)MARLON BRANDO 5)CHARLES BRONSON1)VIRGINIA MAYO 2)SUE LYON 3)GENE TIERNEY 4)MERRY ANDERS 5)FAYE DUNAWAY DIRECTORS 1)JACQUES TOURNEUR 2)RICHARD FLEISCHER 3)STANLEY KUBRICK 4)ORSON WELLES 5)OTTO PREMINGER 6)JOHN LANDIS 7)JOHN GUILLERMAN 8)VAL GUEST 9)JOHN CARPENTER 10)MICHAEL WINNER