Wax

A refined wax handiwork technique, wax modelling has been used since ancient times in various settings: religious, decorative, esoteric, funerary, etc., not to mention its broad use for didactic purposes following the development of modern sciences, especially in the fields of anatomy and zoology. The high malleability of beeswax, along with a series of other properties, lends the material an extraordinary mimetic ability, allowing for a realism that rivals, if not surpasses, that of portraiture. Turning to film, the "wax" sub-genre certainly plays on the vague discomfort generated by these distinctive artistic representations - mainly statues of people - whose impressive fidelity can admittedly be a bit unnerving at times, or as the respected art historian Ernst Gombrich (1909-2001) put it in his influential book "Art and Illusion" (1960): "The proverbial wax image [...] often causes us uneasiness because it oversteps the boundary of symbolism".

This Tag deals with films in which wax plays a crucial role in the plot. In the majority of cases, it constitutes the means chosen by the film's antagonist - most often an artisan or an eccentric sculptor - to achieve his less than savory goals. The film that definitively opened the door to the genre was "Mystery of the Wax Museum" (1933), directed by Michael Curtiz, based on an unpublished short story ("The Wax Works") by Charles S. Belden. However, an eminent precursor can also be seen in the silent anthology film "Waxworks" (Original title: "Das Wachsfigurenkabinett" - 1924), a cornerstone of German Expressionism.

In a broader sense, this Tag also includes a range of films that, although not perfectly matching the above-cited characteristics, are basically variations on the theme (e.g., the killer painter in "Color Me Blood Red" or the sadistic novelist from "Horrors of the Black Museum"). What with mysterious simulacra, macabre museums, and artists embodying the myth of Pygmalion, entertainment is a given...