M.D.C. - Maschera di cera

Sergi Stivaletti has primarily been active as a special effects guy for such brilliant directors as Dario Argento and Michele Soavi. Among many other projects he did the amazing special effects for masterpieces like Argento's "Opera" and Soavi's "Dellamorte Dellamore". As a director, Stivaletti aims at reviving the most elegant of Horror sub-genres, the wonderful genre of Gothic Horror cinema (the greatest specimen of which came from Italy in the 1960s). His two directed films "M. D. C. - Maschera Di Cera" (1997) and "I Tre Volti Del Terrore" (2004) are both Gothic tales. I haven't seen "I Tre Volti Del Terrore" so far (but sure will). With "Maschera Di Cera" being the only Stivaletti-directed film I've seen so far, I can say that his attempt to revive Gothic Horror greatness has been a full success. "M. D. C." has very excellent exit criteria to begin with - the film was scripted by Italian Horror deity Lucio Fulci, adapted from story written by Italian Horror deity Dario Argento. Fulci and Argento guarantee greatness, and director Stivaletti truly made the greatest out of it. "M. D. C." is an incredibly creepy and atmospheric, thoroughly suspenseful, gory, beautiful and imaginative wholesome of elegant Gothic terror. While the film adapts the atmospheric greatness of 60s Gothic Horror films, it is also imaginative and inventive, and Stivaletti's talent for effects fits fantastically in the gloomy Gothic ambiance. The film was released only shorty after Lucio Fulci's death in 1996, and is therefore dedicated to the master.

Paris, December 31st 1900: A little girl hiding under her bed witnesses her parents being brutally torn to pieces by a masked, metal-clawed killer. Rome, twelve years later: A man apparently dies of fright when sneaking into a Wax museum by nighttime for a bet. On the day he is found, a beautiful young woman begins to work at the museum, in which artistic genius Boris Volkoff (Robert Hossein) displays gruesome scenes with wax figures. The young beauty is Sonia (Romina Mondello), the girl who had witnessed her parents' murder twelve years earlier. It isn't long before people begin to disappear from the streets of Rome...

Storywise, "Maschera Di Cera" is sort of a Gory Italian 90s version of the Vincent Price classic "House of Wax"; that is not to say, however, that the film has no own ideas. As mentioned above, the film continues the Gothic tradition in a wonderful and imaginative manner. The themes combine a gruesome murder series with mad science (a combination that has often worked wonderfully in the past). The film's the early 20th-century settings, especially the creepy Wax museum create a wonderfully gloomy atmosphere; demented characters, an iron-clawed killer, weird machinery and loads of very well-made gore ensure a wonderful time for any lover of the macabre. The yummy leading actress Romina Mondello must be one of the most gorgeous women who ever blessed the screen with their presence, and her lovable and vulnerable leading character Sonia is easy to be scared for. All cast members deliver good performances, Robert Hossein, Gianni Franco, the creepy-looking Umberto Balli and the ravishing Valery Valmond, who plays a prostitute, are particularly worth mentioning. Besides immense creepiness and suspense, sublime visual elegance, terrific effects and bloody gore, "M. D. C." also offers tasteful female nudity on several occasions, which, of course, is more than welcome. The remotely Giallo-esquire mystery about the killer's identity isn't really a one, but that doesn't really matter since it doesn't even slightly lessen the suspense. The score is fantastic and even intensifies the gloomy atmosphere.

"M. D. C." is a film that proves that great Gothic Horror films can still be made (I'm aware that 13 years have passed since, but the majority of Great Gothic Horror was made in the 60s, 70s and earlier). Sergio Stivaletti must be saluted for creating such a wonderfully gloomy film that must not be missed by my fellow fans of Italian Horror.

I rarely ever see this film mentioned anywhere and I think it's a darn shame. Sure, it isn't that original or ground braking since the plot is more or less similar to ‘House of Wax' `starring Vincent Price, but the whole fable is transferred to a wonderful gothic setting which fits the story real well. A terrific portrayal of Paris at the beginning of the 20th century is what makes this movie so compelling and beautiful. The basic plot is based on a fable by Gaston `Phantom of the Opera' Leroux but – and more importantly - the screenplay is a combining of the immense horror powers of both Dario Argento AND Lucio Fulci… For those who know their way around the Italian horror industry, I don't have to confirm that this guarantees a true shock-fest! The blending of these two wicked masterminds results in both breath-taking suspense and violent, gory massacres. The film is a non-stop series of terrifying and nightmarish events but these happenings are constantly being mixed with gruesome, detailed make-up art and visual effects. The absolute highlight of this is the slow motion transformation of an innocent girl into a wax statue…Horrifying, tense and brutal all in one. The name of director Sergio Stivaletti might not ring a bell, but that doesn't mean he's a first-timer in the field. He made his name as special effects and make-up guru and he repeatedly worked with Dario Argento, Lamberto Bava and several other Italian horror-meisters. `Maschera di Cera' is his debut (and so far the only effort) as a director. Unfortunately, the high quality level of this film can't be kept up till the end, the grand Terminatoresque finale is abysmal and almost destroys the tense atmosphere that was build during the entire movie. Also, the dubbing is God-awful… At some times, you'd really beg for the characters to shut up and replace the lines with a little more of the magnificent Gothic music that is used. You have got to love the music in this film! Last but not least, The Wax Mask introduces a couple of ravishing female beauties. Romina Mandella and especially Valery Valmond both are stunning goddesses. This last one seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth after shooting this film…I'm considering emigrating towards Italy to go search for her.

PS: Maschera di Cera was released shortly after Fulci sadly passed away. Therefore this film opens with the words `Dedicated to Lucio Fulci', which I think is brilliant. Honor this man, he was a genius

The Wax Mask marks the coming together of two of the huge heavyweights of the Italian horror industry - Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci! The two great directors worked on the script together, and the movie is helmed by a man that has worked on the special effects in a number of Argento's movies: Sergio Stivaletti. That's three experienced men in the world of horror on the team, and with that in mind; The Wax Mask is a huge disappointment. Although there are certainly lots of good elements about this film, there's also lots of bad, and the latter drags the film down. The acting is terrible, worse than any performance in an Argento or Fulci film (and come on, that's saying something) and the dubbing is even worse than that (again, that's saying something). The script is another bad element of the film, which is ironic when you consider the talent involved in writing it. There are many moments in the movie you really do wish that the characters would shut up and spare you the horrors of listening to what they're going to say next. Quite a few moments like that, in fact.

That being said, there is certainly much to like about this movie. The atmosphere is the first point of interest, as it is decidedly macabre and fascinating. The wax museum at the centre of the tale makes for a great location for a horror movie. There's a very understated malevolence about statues in the human image, and this film makes best use of that fact. Adding to the atmosphere is the superb musical score, which is haunting in the extreme. The film also features the talents of the very beautiful Valery Valmond, and the even more so Romina Mondello! Neither of them impresses with their acting, but they make for very nice eye candy! The film develops itself very intriguingly throughout, and this is kept up right up until the finish, when it crumbles into pieces by way of a very corny finale. The ending begs a million questions and as the plot wasn't exactly watertight throughout, this is definitely not good. Still, fans of Italian horror (like me) will enjoy themselves despite the flaws; and on the whole I recommend this movie to fans of this type of film.

THE WAX MASK starts out promising enough with a group of police officers inspecting a grisly double murder on the eve of New Year's, but quickly spirals downward into your typical slasher film by the grand finale. Although the film is full of incredible sights and above-average special effects, the characters aren't quite structured enough to hold one's interest for more than a half hour. It is also the first 30 minutes of the movie that hold the best scares as a smartass brothel patron finds himself locked inside the wax museum on a dark and stormy night. Director Sergio Stivaletti took certain liberties with Gaston Leroux' original tale, but the outcome is somewhat refreshing. The mixture of both classic prosthetic make-up and computer generated effects is blended together seamlessly and leaves the audience with a new understanding of the classic tale "Terror in the Wax Museum." So aside from its faults, THE WAX MASK is a fun, spooky jaunt from those mad minds in Italy. If ever stuck inside on a dark and stormy night, this one may be right up your alley.

If you ever wondered what House of Wax would look like reimagined as an Italian giallo, you're in luck, because The Wax Mask is exactly that. Sure, there are a few liberties taken here and there, but it's still eerily similar.

A young woman sees her family murdered and, years later, she begins working for a wax museum where there's a set piece that looks an uncanny amount like the crime scene from her childhood. She begins to piece together that the wax exhibits are more than simple sculptures and might have real people underneath them.

As in most Italian films, the dialogue doesn't always translate well to English and there are some sacrifices of logic for cool set pieces, but it's typically an enjoyable ride.

Director Sergio Stivaletti gets to have a great time with The Wax Mask. This film has some great camera work and a few great set pieces. It's never quite to the level of Argento, Bava, or Fulci, but it's far from workmanlike. The gore effects are strong and nasty, but the film does seem to go on and on at times and could benefit from a few minutes being shaved off.