Posted Thu Jun 6, 2013 at 12:00 PM PDT by Tom Landy
Celebrate the 60th anniversary of the classic Vincent Price horror on Blu-ray 3D available this October!
In an early announcement to retailers, Starz/Anchor Bay is working on 'House of Wax (1953) - 3D' for Blu-ray on October 1.
In 1953, the film was the first color 3D feature released by a major studio. The huge hit also marked Vincent Price’s first major starring horror role and changed the course of his career. Thanks to advanced technology and the expert work of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging (MPI), audiences will now be able to enjoy the classic mystery shocker as it was originally seen in theatres.
Originally designed to lure audiences away from their TV sets, 3D utilized a “left-eye/right-eye” dual projection process and polarized glasses, the basis for what is seen today. MPI’s work on 'House of Wax' includes a 4K scan, and a full restoration of the two “eyes,” as well as perfect 3D image alignment.
'House of Wax' was a major box-office success when it was released in 1953. If adjusted to today’s gross, it would have brought in more than $401 million, placing it among the top 100 highest grossing films ever.* It no doubt paved the way for a 3D boom over the next several years during which 50 3D features and some two dozen shorts and cartoons were released.
The film was directed by André deToth, an unlikely choice to direct a 3D film as he was blind in one eye and unable to properly see the effects he created. Besides Price, 'House of Wax' additionally features Frank Lovejoy, Phyllis Kirk, Carolyn Jones, Paul Picerni and a young actor named Charles Buchinsky, who would later become known to audiences worldwide as Charles Bronson. Screenplay is by Crane Wilbur. Brian Foy produced.
The Warner library has the largest number of classic 3D titles (15) of any studio, and now that the technology has been perfected, the studio looks forward to re-introducing them to home audiences. The long-awaited, much requested release of 'House of Wax' is the second classic 3D film the studio has released on Blu-ray, following last year’s release of 'Dial M for Murder.'
Specs of yet to be revealed, but the Blu-ray/Blu-ray 3D combo pack will include: Expert Commentary; All New Featurette: "House of Wax: Unlike Anything You've Seen Before"; "Round-the-Clock Premiere: Coast Hails House of Wax"; Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933 Warner Bros. Feature Film); and Theatrical Trailer.
Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $39.99.
You can find the latest specs for 'House of Wax (1953) - 3D' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under October 1.
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