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Movies / On DVD / The Mystery of the Wax Museum
The Mystery of the Wax Museum

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The Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933)

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Reviews Counted:8

Fresh:8

Rotten:0

Average Rating:7.4/10

Runtime: 77 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Synopsis: When a fire breaks out in a London wax museum, Ivan Igor (Lionel Atwill), the museum's sculptor, becomes horribly disfigured and loses his hands--and all his wax dummies--to the flames. He... When a fire breaks out in a London wax museum, Ivan Igor (Lionel Atwill), the museum's sculptor, becomes horribly disfigured and loses his hands--and all his wax dummies--to the flames. He relocates to New York and begins to populate a new wax museum with disturbingly lifelike creations. Florence Dempsey (Glenda Farrell), a wisecracking reporter hoping to break the case of several possibly related but inexplicable murders, follows the trail of carnage to Igor's museum. As Florence gathers clues, Igor begins to show an ominously intense artistic interest in Florence's roommate, the lovely Charlotte Duncan (Fay Wray). Director Michael Curtiz (CAPTAIN BLOOD) energizes THE MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM with thrilling, shadowy chases, an unusual comic subplot, and a sadistic, edgy tone. Filmed in two-toned Technicolor, the film is stunning to look at. The story was remade in 1953 as a 3-D Vincent Price vehicle entitled HOUSE OF WAX. [More]

Starring: Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Glenda Farrell, Frank McHugh

Starring: Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Glenda Farrell, Frank McHugh, Gavin Gordon, Edwin Maxwell, Holmes Herbert, Arthur Edmond Carewe, Allen Vincent

Director: Michael Curtiz

Director: Michael Curtiz
Producer: Henry Blanke

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Sep 19, 1990

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for The Mystery of the Wax Museum

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1 - 13 (sorted by source)
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
05/24/03
Channel 4 Film
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
01/01/00
Chicago Reader

...the movie's quick-paced dialogue makes it a combination "Front Page" and "Frankenstein," representing two genres picking up steam in the early thirties.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
08/08/03
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

No review available.

comment Comment
06/26/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Mystery of the Wax Museum is not without its drawing cards, but it's nowhere near as fun as its eventual remake.

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
08/04/03
Bill Chambers
Bill Chambers
Film Freak Central

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
07/05/05
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

A swell mix of comedy and creepiness

comment Comment
04/30/03
James Sanford
James Sanford
Kalamazoo Gazette

Classic horror film in two-strip Technicolor. Its companion piece, DOCTOR X, is even better

comment Comment
08/07/02
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
03/25/06
Mordaunt Hall
Mordaunt Hall
New York Times

A fun weirdo classic pulp horror tale from the 1930s.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
10/20/08
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
03/26/09
Variety

Has its share of creeps, but noteworthy for its early 2-strip Technicolor.

comment Comment
02/22/08
Steve Crum
Steve Crum
Video-Reviewmaster.com
 
 
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