FAQ

House of Wax is a remake of the 1933 film Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) which was based on an unpublished short story, 'The Wax Works', by American screenwriter Charles S. Belden. American writer and actor Crane Wilbur wrote the screenplay. A second remake, also titled House of Wax (2005) was released in 2005.

After his Wax Museum in New York City is maliciously burnt to the ground for the insurance money by his financial partner, sculptor Professor Henry Jarrod (Vincent Price), now wheelchair bound, begins to rebuild it. Only this time he uses human bodies, dipping them in wax to create lifelike figures. He becomes captivated by Sue Allen (Phyllis Kirk), girlfriend of his protege Scott Andrews (Paul Picerni) and sees her as the model for his Marie Antoinette display. Meanwhile, his Joan of Arc display, featuring a figure that looks a lot like Sue's roommate Cathy Gray (Carolyn Jones), whose body has disappeared from the morgue, arouses Sue's suspicions.

While lookig for Scott at the museum, Sue investigates the figure of Joan of Arc and finds Cathy's blonde hair under the dark wig. Intent upon making Sue his Marie Antoinette, Jarrod prepares her body for the wax treatment in which a vat of boiling wax will be poured over her. Scott comes looking for Sue but is stopped by Igor (Charles Bronson) who places him in the guillotine. Meanwhile, Sgt Shane (Dabbs Greer) and the police arrive. They free Scott from the guillotine and proceed to knock Jarrod into the 450° vat of hot wax. Scott pulls Sue away just before the machinery explodes, spilling hot wax all over. In the final scene, Scott and Sue meet in Detective Brennan's (Frank Lovejoy) office. Brennan offers a wax bust of herself to Sue, but she refuses it. He then shows them a wax bust of Igor and says, "By the time this guy gets out of Sing Sing, this head will grow a long beard."