Made in Wax

FROZEN INTO ZOMBIES
DOOMED TO UNSPEAKABLE HORRORS . . .

There’s just something cool about movies set in wax museums. Perhaps it’s that uncanny valley effect of the lifelike yet still disturbing figures, or maybe it’s that so many wax museums specialize in horror and gore. Whatever the reason, I really dig them, and studios obviously agree with me, as they’ve made great settings for films through the years. I decided to watch one of these this weekend, the 1969 schlocker from Crown International, Nightmare in Wax.

 Now, before I get started, let me make one thing clear. This is in no way what would be considered a “good” film. It’s cheap, poorly paced, and trashy. Story-wise, it’s basically a rip-off of the much better House of Wax (starring Vincent Price). But I gotta admit, the trashy aesthetic of this film is 100% in my wheelhouse.

It stars Cameron Mitchell, who is one of my favorite actors. He was in a ton of cheap and low-budget pictures but always delivered, despite the quality of material he was given. He stars in this one as Vincent Renard, the proprietor of a wax museum who is a former Hollywood special effects artist. We eventually learn that he was permanently (and intentionally) maimed by the head of the studio he worked for and blinded in one eye, which is why he wears an eye patch. Recently, star actors of the studio have come up missing. Guess you can see where this one’s going! The police investigate Vincent and have a few questions, especially as he’s created lifelike figures of each of the actors who have come up missing. We eventually learn Vincent has a unique method for creating such realistic work involving hypnotism and a secret serum that turns people into catatonic zombies for his dioramas.

I love that Cameron’s character is named Vincent in this one. It’s a neat little nod to Vincent Price that had to be intentional. It is also appropriate that he has an eye patch, as the director of House of Wax, Andre De Toth, was blind in one eye and wore a patch as well. This was written by Rex Carlton, the writer and producer of The Brain that Wouldn’t Die. This one has a touch of that same sleaze feel to it that Brain has. It was directed by Bud Townsend, who also directed Terror at the Red Wolf Inn in 1972.

 

Despite its low-budget, cheap sets, and poor pacing, I think Nightmare in Wax is still fun and worth a watch. It would be nice if there was a remastered version out there somewhere—this could be just the type of film someone like Arrow or Vinegar Syndrome should restore. I think it would improve a lot from being cleaned up, both audio and video-wise.