User reviews

If you ever wondered what House of Wax would look like reimagined as an Italian giallo, you're in luck, because The Wax Mask is exactly that. Sure, there are a few liberties taken here and there, but it's still eerily similar.

A young woman sees her family murdered and, years later, she begins working for a wax museum where there's a set piece that looks an uncanny amount like the crime scene from her childhood. She begins to piece together that the wax exhibits are more than simple sculptures and might have real people underneath them.

As in most Italian films, the dialogue doesn't always translate well to English and there are some sacrifices of logic for cool set pieces, but it's typically an enjoyable ride.

Director Sergio Stivaletti gets to have a great time with The Wax Mask. This film has some great camera work and a few great set pieces. It's never quite to the level of Argento, Bava, or Fulci, but it's far from workmanlike. The gore effects are strong and nasty, but the film does seem to go on and on at times and could benefit from a few minutes being shaved off.

Sergi Stivaletti has primarily been active as a special effects guy for such brilliant directors as Dario Argento and Michele Soavi. Among many other projects he did the amazing special effects for masterpieces like Argento's "Opera" and Soavi's "Dellamorte Dellamore". As a director, Stivaletti aims at reviving the most elegant of Horror sub-genres, the wonderful genre of Gothic Horror cinema (the greatest specimen of which came from Italy in the 1960s). His two directed films "M. D. C. - Maschera Di Cera" (1997) and "I Tre Volti Del Terrore" (2004) are both Gothic tales. I haven't seen "I Tre Volti Del Terrore" so far (but sure will). With "Maschera Di Cera" being the only Stivaletti-directed film I've seen so far, I can say that his attempt to revive Gothic Horror greatness has been a full success. "M. D. C." has very excellent exit criteria to begin with - the film was scripted by Italian Horror deity Lucio Fulci, adapted from story written by Italian Horror deity Dario Argento. Fulci and Argento guarantee greatness, and director Stivaletti truly made the greatest out of it. "M. D. C." is an incredibly creepy and atmospheric, thoroughly suspenseful, gory, beautiful and imaginative wholesome of elegant Gothic terror. While the film adapts the atmospheric greatness of 60s Gothic Horror films, it is also imaginative and inventive, and Stivaletti's talent for effects fits fantastically in the gloomy Gothic ambiance. The film was released only shorty after Lucio Fulci's death in 1996, and is therefore dedicated to the master.

Paris, December 31st 1900: A little girl hiding under her bed witnesses her parents being brutally torn to pieces by a masked, metal-clawed killer. Rome, twelve years later: A man apparently dies of fright when sneaking into a Wax museum by nighttime for a bet. On the day he is found, a beautiful young woman begins to work at the museum, in which artistic genius Boris Volkoff (Robert Hossein) displays gruesome scenes with wax figures. The young beauty is Sonia (Romina Mondello), the girl who had witnessed her parents' murder twelve years earlier. It isn't long before people begin to disappear from the streets of Rome...

Storywise, "Maschera Di Cera" is sort of a Gory Italian 90s version of the Vincent Price classic "House of Wax"; that is not to say, however, that the film has no own ideas. As mentioned above, the film continues the Gothic tradition in a wonderful and imaginative manner. The themes combine a gruesome murder series with mad science (a combination that has often worked wonderfully in the past). The film's the early 20th-century settings, especially the creepy Wax museum create a wonderfully gloomy atmosphere; demented characters, an iron-clawed killer, weird machinery and loads of very well-made gore ensure a wonderful time for any lover of the macabre. The yummy leading actress Romina Mondello must be one of the most gorgeous women who ever blessed the screen with their presence, and her lovable and vulnerable leading character Sonia is easy to be scared for. All cast members deliver good performances, Robert Hossein, Gianni Franco, the creepy-looking Umberto Balli and the ravishing Valery Valmond, who plays a prostitute, are particularly worth mentioning. Besides immense creepiness and suspense, sublime visual elegance, terrific effects and bloody gore, "M. D. C." also offers tasteful female nudity on several occasions, which, of course, is more than welcome. The remotely Giallo-esquire mystery about the killer's identity isn't really a one, but that doesn't really matter since it doesn't even slightly lessen the suspense. The score is fantastic and even intensifies the gloomy atmosphere.

"M. D. C." is a film that proves that great Gothic Horror films can still be made (I'm aware that 13 years have passed since, but the majority of Great Gothic Horror was made in the 60s, 70s and earlier). Sergio Stivaletti must be saluted for creating such a wonderfully gloomy film that must not be missed by my fellow fans of Italian Horror.

Sergio Stivaletti's wax mask is a hard movie to review because it has so many good things about it and so many BAD things also. The good things are...The movie is very visual which is cool, the make-up effects are awesome along with the computer effects, and it has some cool production design(especially the room where people are turned into wax creations). Now whats bad is...Most of the acting is bad especially the main female and good guy characters, the end turns into a weird terminatoresque finale, and some characters are not explained well (what happened to the bald guy with the scar) and the last minute/minute and a half is one of the worst endings i've ever seen.....what can i say i like this movie and yet i dislike it too.....still though it could have been better. But view it for the special effects(makeup and cg) and production design.

Paris December 31, 1900: a grisly mass murder. And then in Rome, 12 years later... a young man accepts a dare to stay overnight in a spooky wax museum. Something not quite right is going on there, but this man's stay is only the beginning.

Written by Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci, two masters who were more known to be at odds than to collaborate. Director of photography, special effects and directing all by Sergio Stivaletti. Dedicated to Lucio Fulci, the Italian horror master.

The film opens with a spectacular moving camera shot, and blood-spattered bodies strewn about. This sets quite a tone, and it's any wonder this film is not better known. Followed by a shot of black-gloved hands, a staple of Argento's work.

The men's hairstyles seem to be quite odd... what I will call the Italian mullet. One of these mullet men named Alex (Umberto Balli) looks like the cross between Bill Maher and Julian Sands. The woman who plays Sonia Lafont (Romina Mondello), though, is not only stylish, but incredibly beautiful in an exotic but innocent way. And somehow they got away with showing a preteen girl topless, which may be okay in Italy, but seems strange not being cut out when dubbed for American audiences.

Obviously, some of the ground here has been covered in other wax museum films -- notably "House of Wax" with Vincent Price, where they seem to have got much inspiration. But there are new surprises, and an excess of gore -- including a robotic hand that rips a heart straight from a chest! Add in some"Crawlspace"-esquire voyeurism, and voila! The film seems to drag on a bit longer than necessary, which is more a pacing issue than anything (it runs a modest 91 minutes). That aside, it is a good addition to the modern Italian horror film, with Sergio Stivaletti proving himself a capable director. I almost want to say on the level of Michele Soavi, but that would be going too far.

"Wax Mask" was OK horror film and some parts of it was pretty creepy. But unfortunately there was lot of scenes that made me giggle. There was lot of parts that was meant to be scary but they ended up just funny. In the good parts the feeling was thrilling though and the plot was actually pretty good and nicely written, still there was some major problems with it. Especially the characters was so... dum... and cliche. Special effects was... hmm... OK, I think, because I have seen worse. But still "Wax Mask" was not a bad movie. It had it great moments... but the there just was too many of not so great moments too.

Well, I am big fan of Argento and Fulci and I admire Stivaletti as FX specialist but this movie has nothing of Argento or Fulci... I must admit that gore effect are pretty remarkable. But, direction is so "hollywoodish" and mainstream (usually works - but not for this type of movie, especially not for Italian horror production) and there is no anything "Italian" in it. Same remark goes to soundtrack. Entire movie looks like low budget hollywood product that are being shoot for video or TV and forgotten after few months. Basically, can't believe that three Italian horror legends worked on this film and there is no anything that characterize them (except Stivaletti's great FX) in this movie.

Can't give anything more than 3 ...

That old chestnut, the creepy wax museum, is the setting for this preposterous Gothic movie written by two of Italian horror's most renowned directors, Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci, and helmed by talented FX make-up man Sergio Stivaletti.

A remake (of sorts) of the 1933 film Mystery of the Wax Museum, in which a disfigured lunatic populates his museum with the wax-coated corpses of his victims, Stivaletti's debut as director is atmospheric, gory, looks great (proving that he has been paying attention whilst providing the splatter for others), and features a couple of very hot actresses who are happy to flip out their breasts; however, the acting is poor and the story nonsensical, and, ultimately, the film fails to impress as much as it might have, given the pedigree of its creators.

Stivaletti does manage to conjure up a few memorable scenes (including a creepy attack on a sleeping girl, and a brutal and bloody murder sequence which sees a hand being snapped off, a throat cut and a heart being torn out), but for every good moment, there is an equally bad one. The film ends in a particularly dreadful manner, with one character becoming a seemingly indestructible Terminator-style monster, and the wax museum being burnt to the ground by some really cheap looking CGI.

5.5 out of 10, rounded up to 6 for IMDb.

I don't knock people for what they prefer, but prefer to watch films in their native language. The dubbing is truly awful; like, original Biohazard/Resident Evil-dub bad! The film itself is fine, besides, but the dub doesn't do it any favors whatsoever. I LOVE giallo films, and I've enjoyed the couple of more "modern" (basically 90s) Italian films I've seen, so I was curious about a non-giallo horror film. While the subject matter is interesting, it's just...fine.

You can't help but go into Wax Mask with a little trepidation. First time director, written by an aged Luci Fulci and Dario Argento (who also produced), both of whom have had a less than impressive careers as of late. That said, Wax Mask is not a disappointment. It isn't a great film, but an entertaining one.

The plot is liberally adapted from the classic Gaston Leroux story, also used for classic horror film House of Wax. A young girl sees her father killed by a metal handed maniac. Flash to 12? years later, she begins to work at a local wax museum that specializes in recreations of murders. We actually dont see much of the museum, just a few sculptures down one heavily draped hallway. A metal handed figure begins to go around town injecting and abducting prostitutes and children. All the while, the wax museum keeps a steady supply of figures that appear really lifelike. You know the story. A newspaper reporter begins to investigate the disappearances and takes a shine to the girl. Everything begins to point to the wax museum and its curator/mad inventor and his goons. The finale is ridiculous, but short enough to not ruin the film with its awkward turn.

Stivaletti handles the film pretty evenly. You can tell he learned a lot about atmosphere in his years working for Argento, Bava, and Soavi, but Stivaletti doesn't showcase any revelatory talent, just competent skill. Italian horror films are always style first, general substance in the plot or performances is always secondary to the mood and movement. The film is paced well, and doesn't pretend that we all won't know who the killer is, after all this is well tread territory. The setting (early 1900's) and score are a welcome change, since Italian horror usually stays in modern times. Stivalletti makes use of heavy colours, POV, flashbacks, CGI, as well as old horror imagery like the gothic buildings, and a mad doctor laboratory with bubbling serums in tubes, and electrified levers. The lead actress is beautiful, sultry, wide eyed, and willing to take her top off. The hunky reporter is very lame and unappealing. He attempts to be suave, but he is just a dork. Miscasting him as the hero is the films real lowpoint. The curator is good, he doesn't overplay his part, not a drooling maniac, just threatening enough.

Italian horror fans should find it a satisfactory film, nothing to astound you, but not overly disappointing, either. Other horror fans may be wary, but it does have a genuinely nice blend of old and new schools of horror. As far as Italian horror goes (where one must often not expect much in the acting and plotting department) it gets a B-. As far as standard horror it gets a C.

The Wax Mask marks the coming together of two of the huge heavyweights of the Italian horror industry - Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci! The two great directors worked on the script together, and the movie is helmed by a man that has worked on the special effects in a number of Argento's movies: Sergio Stivaletti. That's three experienced men in the world of horror on the team, and with that in mind; The Wax Mask is a huge disappointment. Although there are certainly lots of good elements about this film, there's also lots of bad, and the latter drags the film down. The acting is terrible, worse than any performance in an Argento or Fulci film (and come on, that's saying something) and the dubbing is even worse than that (again, that's saying something). The script is another bad element of the film, which is ironic when you consider the talent involved in writing it. There are many moments in the movie you really do wish that the characters would shut up and spare you the horrors of listening to what they're going to say next. Quite a few moments like that, in fact.

That being said, there is certainly much to like about this movie. The atmosphere is the first point of interest, as it is decidedly macabre and fascinating. The wax museum at the centre of the tale makes for a great location for a horror movie. There's a very understated malevolence about statues in the human image, and this film makes best use of that fact. Adding to the atmosphere is the superb musical score, which is haunting in the extreme. The film also features the talents of the very beautiful Valery Valmond, and the even more so Romina Mondello! Neither of them impresses with their acting, but they make for very nice eye candy! The film develops itself very intriguingly throughout, and this is kept up right up until the finish, when it crumbles into pieces by way of a very corny finale. The ending begs a million questions and as the plot wasn't exactly watertight throughout, this is definitely not good. Still, fans of Italian horror (like me) will enjoy themselves despite the flaws; and on the whole I recommend this movie to fans of this type of film.

The only reason I gave this film 4 stars is because of the cinematography. It's great. Other then that, the editing is trash, the acting is trash, direction is trash, and it seems that no one in the writing room was in communication with one another. The casting is awful as well. Also, it really seems that their was to many captains flying this plane, there is no clear direction. I can just picture Argento micro managing the entire time. This movie really needed Fulci sitting in the directors chair desperately.

If you are familiar with italian horror, you get exactly what you expect here. Adequate to terrible performances, atrocious dubbing, gaudy visuals at the expens of characters you actually care about and imaginatively staged murders. However, this film was better than i expected, since director Stivaletti is primarily a make-up man and tried his hand at directing here for the first time. The (I suspect limited) budget is used well with varied locales for the different scenes, nice art-direction and costumes and crisp camerawork. Pace is well maintained throughout the movie which distracts you from some of the less obvious plot-holes. The waxmaster himself does quite a good actingjob, not hamming it up. As for "the good guys", the leading lady is adequate but at bit dull. Our supposed "hero" is however damagingly miscast and comes over as a complete bore. As is usually the case with italian horror, the visuals are at the fore here with rich colours (which of course includes crimsonred blood), lovingly filmed and accompanied by a good and appropriately romantic score. The finale, as a few others have stated, is quite bad but fun in a way with some terminatoresque touches that are unexpected, to say the least. And the murders, surprisingly few, are competently put together with a sufficient amount of gore to satisfy fans. Overall, entertaining and good fun, if you dont expect "Citizen Cane".

Plain and simply put, the movie looks, and feels 100% like the 1970 horror movies that we all love so much! Well done Fulci!

I haven't watched a lot of Italian horror. This is not my first exposure to Argento, though it is to Fulci. I understand that they both wrote it, and the effects supervisor directed this(for a debut, this is rather good; editing and cinematography are strong). This has a Gothic style and tone to it. It particularly comes through in the nice use of lighting and shadows. The score is excellent, dramatic and not loud. This is creepy and eerie, with several gruesome and terrifying situations. The plot isn't bad. This doesn't utilize its full potential, and part of the ending is a bit of a letdown. On the whole, this doesn't quite have the impact that it should, and I think it has to do with the script. In short, unrealistic dialog and characters that just don't stand out that much('cept the boyfriend dude... he's a major jerk, couldn't stand him, especially for the latter half; maybe he resembles the ideal for that country, I don't know), and aren't all that developed. Acting performances are nice enough. The FX are marvelous, other than the lousy CGI that is right out of the decade before this was made. There is plenty of bloody, gory violence and disturbing content, as well as a little nudity and sexuality in this(the eye-candy is pretty gratuitous). The DVD comes with a 5 minute featurette(entirely promotional, and it contains spoilers), a theatrical trailer and a 1 minute make-up gallery, all in English(while there is also a dub to that on the disc, I did not try it, I prefer subtitles; they do appear to be great, though, from what I did hear). I recommend this to fans of the genre. 6/10

this has got to be one of the most boring films i've ever seen. awful dubbing, characters that you care nothing about. there really isn't much here to praise. though i did like the killer w/his metal arm and nasty needle. it's a wonder what Fulci would've done with the film had he lived long enough. the script, though written by Fulci Daniele Stropa w/work by Argento is far from great. i had more fun doing my laundry than watching this movie. there are far better Italian horror films out there. rent this 1 only if you're a die-hard Fulci & Argento fan. though they've both made much better films than this. i had high hopes after reading the review on IMDb, but now i'm let down.

Wax Mask is an energetic and full blooded horror romp that doesn't tread much new ground but has a fun time all the same.

Unsurprisingly, this is a retelling of the familiar "House of Wax" story, but with some more modern and ghoulish overtones. Still with a period setting, the creation of the wax statues is rather more hi-tech than in previous versions of the tale, but the outcome is still the same.

It's very well photographed and things move along at a pretty nice speed so it's certainly never boring. There are several graphically gory scenes and they do rival some of the stuff being done by Dario Argento in the late 1980's to early 90s (Argento is involved here too, but not as director). Colours are bright and location settings look great.

Sadly the acting is fairly flat, although the English dub is the main culprit here, with a terrible job done, with vocals that show no sensitivity to any possible subtlety in the original performances. Its so bad it almost renders the whole movie as one giant cartoon. So don't expect to have any emotional attachment to any of the characters, but you can still enjoy the vibrant gore and the outrageous liberties taken with the possibilities of biology and science of the period (you'll know what I mean when you see the ending!). So realism is pretty much out the window, and yet, it's still a great fun movie to watch if you don't try and take it seriously

A for special effects B for his take on the wax museum C for the acting D for the plot holes/confusion But I am a horror fan (classics; greats; B-rated) I can find something to enjoy in most movies - MOST. The only ones I judge are the ones made at someone's home. I even give them credit for trying IF I can get through the first 15 minutes.

I rarely ever see this film mentioned anywhere and I think it's a darn shame. Sure, it isn't that original or ground braking since the plot is more or less similar to ‘House of Wax' `starring Vincent Price, but the whole fable is transferred to a wonderful gothic setting which fits the story real well. A terrific portrayal of Paris at the beginning of the 20th century is what makes this movie so compelling and beautiful. The basic plot is based on a fable by Gaston `Phantom of the Opera' Leroux but – and more importantly - the screenplay is a combining of the immense horror powers of both Dario Argento AND Lucio Fulci… For those who know their way around the Italian horror industry, I don't have to confirm that this guarantees a true shock-fest! The blending of these two wicked masterminds results in both breath-taking suspense and violent, gory massacres. The film is a non-stop series of terrifying and nightmarish events but these happenings are constantly being mixed with gruesome, detailed make-up art and visual effects. The absolute highlight of this is the slow motion transformation of an innocent girl into a wax statue…Horrifying, tense and brutal all in one. The name of director Sergio Stivaletti might not ring a bell, but that doesn't mean he's a first-timer in the field. He made his name as special effects and make-up guru and he repeatedly worked with Dario Argento, Lamberto Bava and several other Italian horror-meisters. `Maschera di Cera' is his debut (and so far the only effort) as a director. Unfortunately, the high quality level of this film can't be kept up till the end, the grand Terminatoresque finale is abysmal and almost destroys the tense atmosphere that was build during the entire movie. Also, the dubbing is God-awful… At some times, you'd really beg for the characters to shut up and replace the lines with a little more of the magnificent Gothic music that is used. You have got to love the music in this film! Last but not least, The Wax Mask introduces a couple of ravishing female beauties. Romina Mandella and especially Valery Valmond both are stunning goddesses. This last one seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth after shooting this film…I'm considering emigrating towards Italy to go search for her.

PS: Maschera di Cera was released shortly after Fulci sadly passed away. Therefore this film opens with the words `Dedicated to Lucio Fulci', which I think is brilliant. Honor this man, he was a genius

THE WAX MASK starts out promising enough with a group of police officers inspecting a grisly double murder on the eve of New Year's, but quickly spirals downward into your typical slasher film by the grand finale. Although the film is full of incredible sights and above-average special effects, the characters aren't quite structured enough to hold one's interest for more than a half hour. It is also the first 30 minutes of the movie that hold the best scares as a smartass brothel patron finds himself locked inside the wax museum on a dark and stormy night. Director Sergio Stivaletti took certain liberties with Gaston Leroux' original tale, but the outcome is somewhat refreshing. The mixture of both classic prosthetic make-up and computer generated effects is blended together seamlessly and leaves the audience with a new understanding of the classic tale "Terror in the Wax Museum." So aside from its faults, THE WAX MASK is a fun, spooky jaunt from those mad minds in Italy. If ever stuck inside on a dark and stormy night, this one may be right up your alley.

On 31 December 1900, in Paris, a man and his wife are slaughtered at home and only their daughter survives, and Inspector Lanvin (Aldo Massasso) promises to take care of her. Twelve years later, in Rome, there is a recently opened wax museum where the attractions are gruesome murders to scare the visitors. The client of a brothel, Luca (Daniel Auber), is challenged in a bet to spend the night inside, but he is murdered, and the police and the coroner believe he had a heart attack. The costume designer Sonia Lafont (Romina Mondello) seeks for a job in the museum and the owner, Mr. Boris Volkoff (Robert Hossein), immediately hires her despite the objections of his assistant Alex (Umberto Balli). When Sonia is leaving the museum, she meets the photographer and journalist Andrea Conversi (Riccardo Serventi Longhi), who is investigating Luca's death, and soon they become lovers. Many people disappear in Rome, and the museum increases the number of wax statues and murder scenes. What is the mystery of the creepy wax museum?

"M. D. C. - Maschera di cera", a.k.a. "The Wax Mask", is a great Franco-Italian production, with a great horror film despite the senseless conclusion. The costumes and the special effects are magnificent, and the plot is tense. The actresses are very beautiful, and this film is highly entertaining, recalling the Hammer productions. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Museu dos Horrores" ("Horrors Museum")

Sonia Lafont (the beautiful Romina Mondello) had witnessed the brutal murder of her parents as a child. Now, she's a troubled adult who goes to work as a costume designer for wax museum proprietor Boris Volkoff (Robert Hossein), whose exhibits tend towards the macabre. While this is going on, a maniac is running around incapacitating and abducting various unfortunate people.

Set in early 20th century Paris, this 1990s update of the "Mystery of the Wax Museum" / "House of Wax" story was co-scripted by Lucio Fulci, who was intended to direct, but he died a few weeks before shooting was to begin. So, Sergio Stivaletti, the reliable makeup effects veteran for Italian genre cinema, stepped in on short notice. And he does a pretty good job with this directorial debut, making this a slick and solid modern Gothic. While the script is overall routine (including the twist ending), Stivaletti infuses this with so much atmosphere and so many macabre visuals that it rates as agreeable entertainment. The cast is capable (Riccardo Serventi Longhi is a helpful newspaperman, Gianni Franco the requisite police inspector on the case, etc.) and the music by Maurizio Abeni is wonderful. But, given Stivalletis' background, the effects ARE often the real appeal of this movie. They're quite entertaining to watch.

If you love Italian horror, this movie is one I would definitely recommend.

Seven out of 10.