Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933)

Women of FLESH become WAX in his hands... women of wax become flesh!

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Release Date: Feb 18, 1933
Rated: N/A | Runtime: 77 Mins | Language: English
Director: Michael Curtiz
Stars: Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Glenda Farrell, Frank McHugh, Allen Vincent, Gavin Gordon, Edwin Maxwell

Summary

Sculptor Ivan Igor struggles in vain to prevent his partner from burning his wax museum, and his "children". Years later, Igor starts a new museum in New York, but his maimed hands confine him to directing lesser artists. People begin disappearing; Igor takes a sinister interest in Charlotte, fiancée of his assistant Ralph, but arouses the suspicions of roommate, wisecracking reporter Florence.

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What to Expect

Mystery of the Wax Museum starts off in London in 1921. It's about an artist who moved to The Swinging City to model wax sculptures, all was going well until his business partner got upset that the wax museum wasn't making enough money. He barked that people in those days we're more interested in being entertained by figures such as Jack the Ripper, The Mad Butcher and The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. So he pitches an insurance fraud scheme that involves burning the entire place to the ground. Needless to say, the artist is against the plan. The two fight. The artist loses. The bulk of the movie picks up 12 years later.

This quirky classic starts off fast and dives head first into a web of character development, but unfortunately starts to drag at around the halfway point. But I think it's mostly because it's just not the movie I expected it to be. It's not suspenseful whatsoever and the mystery aspect was pretty weak. The hunt for clues starts to Read more...

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Genres

Movie Review: Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) Review

Critic Reviews:

Mystery of the Wax Museum differs from the usual 30s horror film because its central theme isn’t scientific progress but artistic fulfillment.

– Pre-Code.com

Despite some problems in the film's early moments, Mystery of the Wax Museum's good points far outweigh it's bad points and make for an intriguing and worthwhile watch.

– Classic-Horror.com

Although titled as a mystery, there’s not much mystery to be had. It’s pretty clear from the beginning that Atwill is behind any deadly deeds taking place, but that doesn’t detract from the sheer enjoyment in watching his performance, becoming increasingly deranged and obsessive as the film progresses.

– Spooky Isles