5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wax Mask, August 20, 2000
This review is from: The Wax Mask (DVD)
Originally intended for Lucio Fulci to directed,his untimely death stopped him from doing so. Dario Argento handed the project over to his fx man Sergio Stivaletti,who I might say did one hell of a fine job for his debut as a director. Lush in atmosphere,Stivaletti gave me the impression of paying homage to his mentor Argento. Image Entertainment has released on good gem that was previously unavailble to us here in North America. I do highly recommend this one,it's worth every penny spent.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Far better than expected expoloitation trash, March 7, 2001
This review is from: The Wax Mask (DVD)
This is pretty much a remake of "House of Wax" but updated with CGI effects and liberal doses of nudity and gore. Suprisingly well done, stylish, lowbrow, sleazy and lots of fun. It maintains an engrossingly weird and dream-like atmosphere--from the lovely opening shot of fireworks bursting over the Eiffel Tower to the bizarre Terminator-eque finale in, of course, a burning wax museum. Costumes, cinematography, art direction and music are first rate and some amusing plot twists occur (courtesy of Lucio Fulci and Dario Argento). Highly recommended to fans of Hammer films and European horror.
The DVD is non-anamorphic widescreen. Clean print. Nice, solid transfer. No extras aside from a small effects photo gallery but don't let that deter you.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fair mix of classic horror with modern style., September 9, 2000
This review is from: The Wax Mask (DVD)
Wax Mask has a lot to live up to. Not only is it a retelling of an already classic horror story and film (House of Wax 1953), but it has the cold, mechanical, blood drenched hands of two masters of Italian horror, Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci, dipped in to it. Sergio Stivaletti, special effects man on such films as Argento's Phenonena, Opera, Stendhal Syndrome, and Demons (by Lamberto Bava), and Dellamorte/Dellamore (by Michele Soavi) makes his feature debut as a director. Stivaletti doesn't showcase any revelatory talent, just competent skill learned from his years of working with great Italian horror directors. He has absorbed the style, but doesn't add anything new to it.
As far as the typical stumble in plot, occasional flat acting (two things one accepts in Italian horror), a miscast lead actor, and a horrible, but mercifully brief, finale, the film is average, well paced, and thoroughly entertaining. It has modern touches in gore, CGI effects, and some titllation, while maintaining classic horror elements like looming shadows, mad doctor laboratories, and so on, making an intriguing mix of old and new.
The DVD looks quite good, a fine transfer with sharp image and great color hues (Stivaletti saturates colors very vividly throughout the film). The only extra is a short slide show of behind the scenes photos. Fans of Italian horror should be well entertained with this modestly priced disc. A C+. As far as this genre goes, you can certainly find better, but most of all, you can find a whole lot worse.
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