MovieChat Forums > Thriller (1960) Discussion > Wax Museum Episode?

Wax Museum Episode?

posted 19 years ago by WillJohn68
8 replies | jump to latest

Was there an episode of "Thriller" that took place in a wax museum? I remember seeing this when I was very young, but I may have it confused with "The Mystery Of the Wax Museum", with Fay Wray and Lionel Atwill.

[–] merrycybernauts 19 years ago

No - you're not mistaken. It was truly one of the scariest "Thriller" episodes ever (ranking right up there with "A Wig for Miss Devore"; the old woman and mirrors haunted cliff-house episode starring William Shatner; the Christopher Lee devils cult epidsode; the creepy "Strega" / witch episode featuring Ursula Andress; Robert E. Howard's "Pigeons from Hell"; and the John Newland guest appearance episode revolving around the pursuit of the demon, and the power of running water) - and chillingly dealt with the dark legend of the Head of Medussa the Ancient Gorgon. It still gives me nightmares to this day! The episode is actually far far superior to most feature length horror films - and is most assuredly worth tracking down. Good Luck!

[–] wiluxe-2 19 years ago

Called "Waxworks".

[–] wiluxe-2 19 years ago

There was one called "The Head Of Medusa" about a felon who finds himself in some sort of wax museum. I think. I have the collection, but haven't come to it yet.

I think I have an old publication in my files listing the titles and broadcast dates of all the episodes. If I find it, I'll post it here.

[–] deluge69-1 19 years ago

It was a Robert Bloch story called WAXWORKS, which featured Oscar Homolka, Antonette Bower, and a 'pre TV Tarzan' Ron Ely. The ending was truly an unexpected surprise/shock.

WHEN WILL THEY ALL BE OFFICIALLY RELEASED ON DVD???!!!

[–] wiluxe-2 19 years ago

I've been waiting YEARS for them to appear. They're long overdue for a box set.

[–] HellsBelles 19 years ago

The Trio for Terror episode has something like a wax musem theme. Although it's more Medusa-ish, if you ask me. It's the last story.

Belle

[–] telegonus (727) 5 years ago

Better late than never: Waxworks is a favorite of mine, Deluge. The plot is not so much convoluted as involuted; it's difficult to get into and follow, not all over the place. Oscar Homolka was ghoulishly effective in this one (they wanted Peter Lorre but he asked for too much money). Homolka strikes me as a better, more menacing choice (the somewhat younger Lorre was showing his age, gaining weight, didn't seem up to more dramatic parts by the time the Sixties rolled around).

Isn't Alan Baxter cast as a detective in this one? He was always a welcome presence, seemed to have had a somewhat tough guy aura to him, whatever his actual part. Antoinette was beautiful. I liked Ron Ely, found him, somewhat surprisingly, likable and well cast. The episode's slow for an above average Thriller. Excellent use of the Uni back lot. Good parts for bit players. The ending is startling and dramatic if not quite so emotional as many of the better episodes.

[–] telegonus (727) a year ago

Yes, and the title is something like Waxworks or The Waxworks. Fine cast, led by Oscar Homolka, with excellent support from Martin Kosleck and Antoinette Bower. While this is truly a Thriller, its story unfolds at a rather leisurely place (and yet menace lurks behind every door, and in every corner). Still, there are gruesome moments even early on; and the ending in a shocker. The most terrifying Thriller ep? No, not even close. Yet it has spooky charm to burn, and it's not a generic Thriller. There are small and large touches to it that make it rock and roll.

Don't let the minimalist production values fool you, or dampen your spirits. Waxworks is a winner, and it has much to offer a horror buff. It doesn't explain every damn thing that happens in the course of its running time. There's a chilling inexplicable quality to it that links it somewhat, thematically, to The Incredible Dr. Markesan, even as it tells a very different story, and deals with different themes. I believe that this waxworks entry is one of the most unsettling, if not most horrific entry in the entire Thriller series.