Mystery Of The Wax Museum (1933) ***1/2 [Warner Archive Double Feature Pt. 1]
Along with Doctor X (1932), Mystery Of The Wax Museum (1933) was the last of two dramatic fiction films (both directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Lionel Atwill and Fay Wray) made using the two-color Technicolor process. Because this method omits a blue filter, it gives the images a phantasmagorically lime green look that provides a wonderfully otherworldly atmosphere to MOTWM (which is gorgeously restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive and The Film Foundation on Warner Archive's recent Blu-ray).
Mystery is a minor film—light on plot, short in length (77 mins) and more of a thriller than a horror movie—but the cinematography, historical context (it was thought to be a lost film for decades and badly damaged when discovered), and the influence it has had on films that followed are all reasons why it's worth visiting and revisiting. In fact, I enjoyed and appreciated Wax Museum more on "Take 2" than when I first watched it nine years ago.
The performances in MOTWM aren't award-worthy, but Atwill makes a pretty good deranged artist and Wray looks strikingly beautiful whilst wearing incredibly appealing costumes. Glenda Farrell steals the show as a "quintessential wisecracking newspaper reporter"—she perfectly delivers superbly snappy dialogue. The film's makeup effects may not be considered gruesome by today's standards but they're still very enjoyable. The art direction by Anton Grot—a unique mix of Art Deco and German Expressionism —is a sight to behold and undoubtedly one of the film's biggest draws.
You can find my Michael Curtiz Feature Films Ranked list here.
Mystery is a minor film—light on plot, short in length (77 mins) and more of a thriller than a horror movie—but the cinematography, historical context (it was thought to be a lost film for decades and badly damaged when discovered), and the influence it has had on films that followed are all reasons why it's worth visiting and revisiting. In fact, I enjoyed and appreciated Wax Museum more on "Take 2" than when I first watched it nine years ago.
The performances in MOTWM aren't award-worthy, but Atwill makes a pretty good deranged artist and Wray looks strikingly beautiful whilst wearing incredibly appealing costumes. Glenda Farrell steals the show as a "quintessential wisecracking newspaper reporter"—she perfectly delivers superbly snappy dialogue. The film's makeup effects may not be considered gruesome by today's standards but they're still very enjoyable. The art direction by Anton Grot—a unique mix of Art Deco and German Expressionism —is a sight to behold and undoubtedly one of the film's biggest draws.
You can find my Michael Curtiz Feature Films Ranked list here.
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