WARNING: This Review May Contain Spoilers
Now, this article was supposed to comparing the 1953 and 2005 versions of House of Wax. However, I have since found out that the 1953 version isn’t actually the original film as there was The Mystery of the Wax Museum made back in the 1930s which the Vincent Price film was a remake of. Also, the 2005 version is loosely based on the 1953 film – and when I say loosely…it is EXTREMELY loosely.
Opening Scene
Now, I’m not going to say that the opening scenes of the 1933 and 1953 versions are completely different but there are definite changes. For example, Vincent Price’s Jarrod mentions to Burke that he is expecting visitors, including a potential new investor – however in the original film, the visit from Galatalin is a complete surprise. Along with this, there is actually no discussion of money in the original film until the arrival of Joe Worth, Igor’s partner. Instead Galatalin wants to present the works publicly, like an art exhibition. I wanted to talk about the fire and the fight separately but where there was not real difference between the two scenes it was not worth doing so. In both cases, our lead character (either Igor or Jarrod) fights with their partner (Worth/Burke) because of their desire to burn down the museum for the insurance money.
Modus Operandum
The interesting thing about the original film is that following the opening scene, the character of Worth seems to disappear into obscurity. Instead of being killed first like in the 1953 remake, we see him in small scenes here and there interacting with Professor Darcy, seemingly not really having any impact on the story until his body is revealed at the end of the film. Instead, the first death we hear about is that of Joan Gale (annoyingly it was obvious she was going to be the new Joan of Arc). Interestingly, we actually don’t see this death unlike the murder of Burke in the 1953 film. Joan Gale’s death is also the only one that features in the original film compared to the two deaths (that we witness) in the remake.
While on the subject of Joan Gale, it seems that the way Cathy Gray is killed in the remake is similar to that of Gale’s as she is drugged as well.
Breaking of the Fourth Wall
I honestly thought this was a more modern tool but clearly it was also used in the 1950s. When the Wax Museum reopens in House of Wax, Jarrod hires a man to draw people through the doors and his way of doing so is with a paddle and ball. As part of his act, he looks straight down the camera and address a member of the viewing audience noting that he is aiming for the popcorn and not their tonsils.
Revenge Takes Time
This is the one thing that is unclear with the remake, and that is the time that passes between the fire in the Wax Museum and the death of Matthew Burke as part of Jarrod’s revenge. Because of the mention of the insurance, we assume that it doesn’t take very long as I’m sure this wouldn’t take 10 years for them to pay out. However, in the original film, it is clearly stated at that the film begins in 1921 and then fast-forwards to New Year’s Eve 1933 after the fire has taken place.
The Investigation
Now, for the horrific undertone of these films – these are technically mysteries rather than horror films (unlike the 2005 version). In the original film, the main investigation regarding the disappearance of Joan’s body is undertaken by Florence Dempsey, a reporter, whereas in the remake – it is the police, who are looking into the deaths and vanishings of Matthew Burke and Cathy Gray along with Cathy’s inquisitive roommate Sue Allen, who later nearly falls foul of our antagonist Jarrod. However, in both cases it is the police that rescue the films’ damsels in distress, the vision of Marie Antoinette, Charlotte Duncan/Sue Allen.
Homage to the Original
So, this will be the place I will actually talk about the modern remake because this is really the only place it fits. I could obviously be wrong and these aren’t genuine references but the fact that one of the brothers is called Vincent, this may be a homage to the fact that, as already mentioned, Vincent Price played the main antagonist in the 1953 version of House of Wax. Also, in weird kind of way, the fight between Bo and Nick as the Wax Museum burns down towards the end of the film, could be a homage to the opening scenes and fight between Professor Jarrod and Matthew Burke in the earlier version.
Now, bringing this back to the films in question – it is possible that Charles Bronson’s character of Igor in the 1953 House of Wax is a tribute to our lead character of Ivan Igor in The Mystery of the Wax Museum.
In Conclusion
I’ll be honest, I found this article rather hard to write because in most places, the films are extremely similar. I enjoyed both, however because the original felt oddly rushed in my opinion – lacking the pursuit of Charlotte Duncan compared to that of Sue Allen in the remake being part of this, I must say I prefer the 1953 remake. Now it’s very rare you’ll hear me say that I prefer a remake but you also need to take into account when this was made and the fact that it’s usually modern remakes I dislike.
