Movieland Wax Museum- Phantom of the Opera

Lon Chaney and Mary Philbin starred together in the 1925 horror film Phantom of the Opera. In this tableau from the Movieland Wax Museum we see the iconic reveal scene. Philbin is Christine Daae who has pulled the phantom's mask off and he is not too pleased with it. It is a very dark scene, as it belongs to the museum's "Chamber of Horrors" section.

With the flash on, we can see more detail in both the figures and the set.

Christine doesn't look too scared. in fact, she looks rather amused. It's another example of the difficulty in creating expression on wax figures.

The Phantom does looks angry. His disfigured face adds to the ominous mood of the entire tableau.

The clapboard sign and wax facts information on the movie, and on Lon Chaney.

The figures were not sold at the movieland auction. Instead, they moved to the Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. An alternate phantom figure did sell at the auction for $4,000, which was very high for a figure that was not from Movieland. The organ and props sold for $1,250.

BONUS: Watch this movie here. (Courtesy of Archive.org)






Tags: Movieland Wax Museum Wax Figure Wax Lon Chaney

Hollywood Wax Museum Gatlinburg- Texas Chain saw massacre

This photo shows one of the terrifying figures in the Chamber of Horror section of the Hollywood Wax Museum in Gatlinburg Tennessee. Leatherface is one of the cannibalistic family members in the movie Texas Chain saw massacre. He's also the most well know, as his chain saw creates fear in the minds of those who imagine the damage that weapon causes to human flesh.

The human skin face mask is one creepy accessory.

A closer view of the figure. Leatherface and Michael Myers are the two masked killers I find the most disturbing.

A close up of the tableau information sign.

Visit the Hollywood Wax Museum Gatlinburg's website here.

Tags: Hollywood Wax Museum Wax Figure Wax Leatherface

Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf- The Tortured Captive

What happens when you have a wax figure that you no longer want? Do you melt it down? Auction it off? No, you reuse it in a tableau that probably has nothing to do with the figure's original purpose and theme. Here we see what once was a wax reproduction of Michelangelo's sculpture, The Captive, reused as a torture victim in the Chamber of Horrors at the Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf. The poor figure now has branding marks, and dripping blood on its body. At least the figure matches the scene this time. Though it's unfortunate that they had to mark up and modify the wax body.

A closer view of the figure. Michelangelo did a great job showing the torment and pain in the body language of the captive.

The blindfolding of the victim adds another level of depth to the agony. The poor man is unable to stop the branding iron from searing his body.

Visit the Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf website here.