The Wax Mask

The Wax Mask

Directed by Sergio Stivaletti

Produced by France Film International, Cine 2000

199798 min5.7 / 10

A gruesome period horror-thriller built around a masked killer who transforms victims into wax museum displays, blending visceral gore with the uncanny horror of the inanimate made grotesquely lifelike.

Paris, 1900: a couple are horribly murdered by a masked man with a metal claw who rips their hearts out. The sole survivor and witness to the massacre is a young girl. Twelve years later in Rome a new wax museum is opened, whose main attractions are lifelike recreations of gruesome murder scenes. A young man bets that he will spend the night in the museum but is found dead the morning after. Soon, people start disappearing from the streets of Rome and the wax museum halls begin filling with new figures...

Questions people ask

  • Is The Wax Mask violent? Yes, very. More violent than 97% of films.

  • Does The Wax Mask end with hope? No. Less hopeful than 96% of films.

  • Is The Wax Mask scary? Yes, very. More frightening than 94% of films.

  • Is The Wax Mask easy watching? No. Less comforting than 92% of films.

  • Is The Wax Mask sad? About average. Almost exactly mid-range.

These describe how the film comes across, measured across the whole film and compared with other well-known films. They are not a content list — nothing here was counted or checked scene by scene, so for age-suitability or specific content use a classification board or a dedicated content-warning service.

35/ 100

Cinnamon Score

How much this film gives you that nothing else will, and whether it delivers.

You have seen this shape before.

Rarity65

How unlike any other film this one feels

Surprise38

How much more it delivers than it promises

Love13

How much audiences actually like it

The highest scores in the catalogue →

Ensemble

Like The Wax Mask

Nearest across the full emotional profile.

Same Mood as The Wax Mask

Nearest on what's most distinctive about this one.

Like The Wax Mask, But Darker

Similar, pushed toward heavier and more intense.

Like The Wax Mask, But Lighter

Similar, pushed toward warmer and easier.

Like The Wax Mask, But Less Popular

Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.

Share thisXBlueskyReddit