NIGHTMARE IN WAX (1969)
Article #279 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 12-20-2001
Posting date: 5-5-2002

A mad wax museum artist is putting up displays of actors from a movie studio; unfortunately, the actors always end up missing.

I was going to describe this one as a cross between MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM and HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER with Cameron Mitchell, but it doesn’t quite capture the feel. It may be a comedy; it’s hard to tell. After seeing the scarred Cameron Mitchell sitting in a bar and being flirted with by several beautiful ladies (including one of the dumbest blondes I’ve seen in a movie in years), or seeing the scene where the museum tour guide walks around and interacts with the wax figures in the museum (and I can’t tell you how much I was hoping that this character was about to be the next victim), or watching Cameron Mitchell getting very interested in a rubber tire, or the ending which would deserve a Rubber Brick award if I would have had the strength left to be appalled by it, I decided that the movie is actually one of those starving animals you see in the street that you take into the house and give it some food so it won’t die of malnutrition. Heaven knows the poor thing doesn’t seem capable of taking care of itself.

Sad. Very, very, utterly sad. No movie should be left out in the rain as long as this one was.