3D HOUSE OF WAX 3D Official! (1 Viewer)

SAM33 · Jul 16, 2012

News from Comic-Con posted on another site:
"George Feltenstein revealed that Warner Home Video has now officially green-lit the Blu-ray 3D release of House of Wax (1953). The original negative was damaged, so the "separation" film elements are being scanned at 4K for all three color strips, plus the left and right eye for each - essentially like scanning and restoring six films at once."
BIG NEWS for me if this is really so!

Alan Tully · Jul 16, 2012

Warner could sweeten the deal by releasing this as a double bill with another 3D film, The Phantom Of The Rue Morgue, which is even more looney than House Of Wax, but not strong enough to get a release of its own.

Todd J Moore · Jul 16, 2012

Well, there goes another forty bucks!
I'm guessing this will come out next year in time for the 60th anniversary. Would be sweet if they did KISS ME KATE next year, too.

Charles Smith · Jul 16, 2012

Am I dreaming?

Bob Furmanek · Jul 16, 2012

Claude S · Jul 16, 2012

Will HOUSE OF WAX have the original WarnerPhonic stereo sound or will it only have a mono track? I asked because I had heard the stereo tracks were either damaged or no longer exists. I still have the 2-D version on DVD and do not remember if it featured the stereo track.
-Claude

Bob Furmanek · Jul 16, 2012

The original Warnerphonic left/center/right is long gone, but they still have the mono surrounds.
Chace did a new stereo mix from existing stems about ten years ago. It's pretty good but it's not the original.
There's a collector who is rumored to have a print of the original 35mm Warnerphonic full-coat mag but he won't make it available. Apparently he offered it to WB about 30 years ago and they had no interest. Now he won't offer it again, basically saying "they had their chance." I cannot understand that mentality.
HOUSE OF WAX was the first time that many people heard stereophonic sound in a movie. Prior stereo films (Fantasia, This is Cinerama) played in just a handful of theaters prior to WAX opening in April of 1953.
It's an important track for historical purposes. If he does truly have it, it's a shame it won't be preserved.

Brandon Conway · Jul 16, 2012

Is this the same collector that has the excised scenes from A Star Is Born (1954) but refuses to share them because he felt slighted by someone high up at Warner 25-30 years ago who is no longer even at WB?

Bob Furmanek · Jul 16, 2012

No, different collector.

JamesNelson · Jul 16, 2012

I think sales on House of Wax are going to be an excellent barometer by which the studios may gauge consumer interest in Golden Age 3-D on BD.
Sales figures on Dial M for Murder and Creature from the Black Lagoon won't provide the same indicators. Dial M is going to sell well just by virtue of being a Hitchcock title. Creature statistics will be inextricable from those of the box set. The studios aren't going to be able to determine how many sales are attributable to 3-D.
I'm certainly not a marketing guy, but if I wanted to measure interest in 50s 3-D, I'd pick a high profile title (like House of Wax or even better Kiss Me Kate -- something that would sell well even in 2-D). Then I'd release three different versions: a 3-D only disc, a 2-D only disc, and a 2-D/3-D combo set. Even if it cost me more to produce the separate releases, the sales distribution figures would tell me everything I needed to know.
But then again, no one asked me...

Charles Smith · Jul 16, 2012

Originally Posted by Bob Furmanek /t/322317/house-of-wax-3d-official#post_3949755

Just wanted to see it again. What a great poster design!

Brianruns10 · Jul 16, 2012

Big question for me is: will they include earlier 2-color technicolor version "The Mystery of the Wax Museum" as they did in House of Wax's previous DVD incarnation? And if the answer is yes, will they finally make a new transfer that corrects the ABYSMAL color timing of the original?

Bob Furmanek · Jul 16, 2012

I doubt it, they are two completely different restoration projects.
Scanning HOW from the YCM's for both the left and right elements is going to cost a bloody fortune.

Todd J Moore · Jul 16, 2012

It occurs to me that the other awesome thing coming from this might be Sony, upon hearing about this, deciding to compete by finally committing THE MAD MAGICIAN to 3D Blu Ray. I know it's not likely to happen, but it would be nice.

GregK · Jul 16, 2012

JamesNelson said:
I think sales on House of Wax are going to be an excellent barometer by which the studios may gauge consumer interest in Golden Age 3-D on BD.
Sales figures on Dial M for Murder and Creature from the Black Lagoon won't provide the same indicators. Dial M is going to sell well just by virtue of being a Hitchcock title. Creature statistics will be inextricable from those of the box set. The studios aren't going to be able to determine how many sales are attributable to 3-D.
I'm certainly not a marketing guy, but if I wanted to measure interest in 50s 3-D, I'd pick a high profile title (like House of Wax or even better Kiss Me Kate -- something that would sell well even in 2-D). Then I'd release three different versions: a 3-D only disc, a 2-D only disc, and a 2-D/3-D combo set. Even if it cost me more to produce the separate releases, the sales distribution figures would tell me everything I needed to know.
But then again, no one asked me...

Amazon.uk is showing single release versions of the Universal Essentials, including CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON. Hopefully, this will soon follow for the States as well.
I agree 100% HOUSE OF WAX will be "an excellent barometer" on interest in the Golden Age 3-D titles. As Bob noted above, due to the damaged negative, this has to be costing them a mint!
Here is a slight variation on the original news post regarding HOUSE OF WAX.
http://www.homemediamagazine.com/comic-con/comic-con-2012-blasts-past-27803

“The original negative of House of Wax was damaged in the lab and the emulsion was stripped off the original,” he said. “We have to go back into separation and scan them. It’s like doing six movies. All that is being scanned at 4K. My colleagues are writing a very big check, and you all are going to have House of Wax in 3D and it's going to look like a Viewmaster.”

It is not clear yet if the entire negative is lost, or just a couple of reels. Either way, it sounds as if WB is working very hard to do it right.

Matt Hough · Jul 16, 2012

Couldn't be happier! Can't wait to get it in REAL 3D. Saw it in 3D in a theater in the early 1980s and never again, so I'm REALLY looking forward to a reunion with it.

Bob Furmanek · Jul 16, 2012

Only the second 3-D feature film production of the short-lived boom, it remains one of the top five stereoscopic motion pictures of all time. WB truly captured lightning in a bottle.

Jul 16, 2012

Lets hope they include Mystery of the Wax Museum as well

dana martin · Jul 16, 2012

Originally Posted by david steigman /t/322317/house-of-wax-3d-official#post_3949829
Lets hope they include Mystery of the Wax Museum as well

second that, and hopefuly in 1080p, and not as a dvd add on

ahollis · Jul 17, 2012

Originally Posted by dana martin /t/322317/house-of-wax-3d-official#post_3949839
second that, and hopefuly in 1080p, and not as a dvd add on

Right there with you.

Home Theater

Entertainment & Streaming Content

Physical Media

Home Theater Equipment and Hardware

Other Diversions

Bargains and Classifieds

Home Theater Forum

Archives

3D HOUSE OF WAX 3D Official! (1 Viewer)

Stunt Coordinator

Supporting Actor

Extremely Talented Member

Stunt Coordinator

captveg

Second Unit

Extremely Talented Member

Second Unit

Supporting Actor

Screenwriter

Similar threads

Users who are viewing this thread

Sign up for our newsletter

and receive essential news, curated deals, and much more

Similar Threads

Forum statistics