horror movies are a great way for up-and-coming actors to get a foothold in the film industry. That’s primarily thanks to the horror boom of the 1980s, giving opportunities to numerous thespians who went on to become A-list actors; folks like Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Meg Ryan, and others. Yet the notion of horror giving a first chance to future stars is not relegated to the last 40-odd years. Sure, horror’s reputability certainly wavered during the classic Hollywood years, meaning that studio horror films weren’t as prolific as Westerns were, and thus many more young actors found themselves riding a horse more often than running around a spooky castle. Yet horror’s always been popular, and during the 1950s, the studios began to get excited about a new gimmick which would briefly revitalize the genre: 3D.
1953’s “House of Wax” is, in retrospect, a bit of a milestone movie in several respects. The film is an adaptation of Charles S. Belden’s 1932 short story “The Wax Works,” which had been previously made into a movie by Michael Curtiz in 1933, entitled “Mystery of the Wax Museum.” (That version was also a gimmick movie, being one of the few movies shot and presented in two-color Technicolor.) So, since “House of Wax” is effectively a remake, director Andre de Toth decided to give the movie some extra spice by choosing to shoot it in 3D, using Milton Gunzburg’s Natural Vision 3D system, which had made a splash in United Artists’ “Bwana Devil” the year prior.
On top of that, de Toth cast Vincent Price in the leading role of the mad Professor Henry Jarrod, rescuing the actor from a slump. Price’s performance in “House of Wax” helped cement his reputation as a preeminent horror star of the day, and essentially launched Price into the next phase of his career. Amidst all this was the role of Jarrod’s assistant, Igor, a part which needed to be played by someone physically imposing and with an intimidating glare. The role was filled by a young actor named Charles Buchinsky, who would change his name the year after “House of Wax” because of the Red Scare that was sweeping Hollywood. That new name would be Charles Bronson, and the actor would soon go on to star in numerous Westerns and action pictures after his “House of Wax” appearance.
