Movie Review: Terror in the Wax Museum (1973)

This gothic horror/mystery quite probably represents the absolute low point in Ray Milland’s career. He was an incredible actor, known for his Oscar winning performance in The Lost Weekend, and his role in Hithcock’s Dial M for Murder.

He deserves better than this.

Between 1953’s House of Wax and The Twilight Zone’s “The Last Exhibit” — and hell, even Tourist Trap to a certain extent — I feel like I’ve seen all I need to see in wax museum-related horror. This movie is unimaginative and without suspense. I do like the production design a bit, though, particularly in Karkoff’s (Steven Marlo) home in Victorian London’s sewer system.

The movie’s recreation of late Victorian London is admirable, but its plot is not. It’s a really, really dry movie to sit through. While it’s not particularly long, it feels almost twice its length. There just isn’t much going on that’s interesting.

Rating: 3/10