Fans of Italian horror are well acquainted with the name of
Lucio Fulci. His work is legendary and the films he made are still highly
praised by all. Before he passed away he began work on a film based on the same
story used years before to make the film HOUSE OF WAX with Dario Argento
producing. Unfortunately he died before shooting began but left behind the
framework of what he intended to do. Argento brought in special effects
coordinator Sergio Stivaletti to direct when this happened. While he used much
of the pre-production work, Stivaletti instead chose to make the film more
effects oriented. While the film might have turned out differently had Fulci
lived, it remains a horror film that touches all bases and needs to be
discovered by those who missed it when released.
The film opens with the murder of a couple by a madman who
uses a steel glove to rip out the heart of one of his victims. When the police
inspector arrives he discovers a witness to the murders, Sonia the young
daughter of the couple who was hiding beneath the bed.
Fast forward 12 years to Rome where a new wax museum is
opening. The claim to fame for this museum is their chamber of horrors, said to
be so frightening that no one will spend the night there. A reporter takes up
this challenge only to be found the next morning having died of fright.
The next day Sonia (Romina Mondello) shows up at the museum
to seek a job as a seamstress, a skill she learned from her mother. Against the
suggestions of his assistant Alex (Umberto Balli) the owner, Boris Volkoff
(Robert Hossein) hires her. While leaving the museum that day she’s
photographed by a reporter named Andrea (Riccardo Longhi) who is investigating
the death of his colleague. It doesn’t take long before the two are a couple.
While this is transpiring the inspector who found Sonia is
now investigating the current murder. He begins to suspect something is up when
the display there featuring the death of her mother and father shows the killer
wielding a metal glove, something that the police never revealed in the
newspapers. It isn’t long before the murderer finds him in his hotel room and
dispenses with the inspector.
The clues as to who the murderer is and how they are
connected with Sonia’s past mount slowly but steadily. What makes the film
effective is that nothing is completely given away and those clues direct you
to the killer but others who might be the killer as well. That makes for a
satisfying mystery as well as a great horror story.
I can vaguely recall this film being released on either tape
of disc but not much was said at the time and I never heard about it again
after. Severin is releasing the film now and they’ve done a remarkable job. But
it’s not just their releasing it that brings a smile to my face, it’s the fact
that the movie is so darn good. I was stunned and surprised at how much I
enjoyed it. I wanted to watch it all over again when it finished and that
hasn’t happened in some time.
There are so many movies that do the proverbial lose
something in translation but this film doesn’t suffer from that at all. What we
are presented with is a straightforward horror story that works on all levels.
It isn’t too simplistic and at the same time not overly involved. It has that
prefect combination of items that makes it work on all levels.
If it weren’t enough that Severin has released this film
they’ve done another amazing job here. To begin with the presentation is a 4k
scan from the original negative supervised by Stivaletti himself. It also
features a ton of extras including an audio commentary track featuring
Stivaletti and Michelangelo Stivaletti, BEYOND FULCI which features interviews
with Argento, Stivaletti, producer Giuseppe Columbo, production designer
Massimo Geleng, actress Gabriella Giorgelli and filmmaker Claudio Fragasso, THE
CHAMBER OF HORROS with interviews including Argento, Stivaletti, Columbo,
Geleng, and Gabriella Giorgelli, LIVING DOLLS interviews with Argento,
Stivaletti, Columbo and Giorgelli, THE MYSTERIES OF THE WAX MUSEUM an interview
with Stivaletti, THE WAXWORKS SYMPHONY an interview with soundtrack composer
Maurizio Abeni, THE GRAND OPENING interviews with Argento, Stivaletti and
Columbo, WAX UNMASKED an interview with film writer Alan Jones, THE CHAMBER OF
HORRORS with interviews with Argento and Stivaletti, 3 vintage featurettes on
the making of the film, reversible artwork, a double sided slipcover art by
Austin Hinderliter and a bonus CD featuring the soundtrack of the film. If the
movie itself didn’t make this worth picking up the extras alone are worth it!
Don’t let this movie pass you by. Like I said, for me it was
a pleasant surprise, a horror film I somehow missed along the way and don’t
want other horror fans to miss now that they opportunity is here. Pick this one
up. My guess is you’ll be like me, ready to watch it a second time once the
final credits roll.
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