The movie presents a Victorian horror story centered on a wax museum located in Baltimore. Initially conceived as a pilot episode for a television series featuring the museum’s owners, portrayed by Cesare Danova and Wilfrid Hyde-White, who would function as amateur detectives aiding law enforcement in solving disturbing cases, it was ultimately released in theaters because its intensity was deemed unsuitable for broadcast at that time. To extend the film's length, they incorporated a "Fear Flasher" effect and a “Horror Horn,” alongside a brief appearance by Tony Curtis. The narrative draws inspiration from Edgar Allan Poe’s "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," considered foundational to the genre and an influence on Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories. Some might consider the 1986 adaptation of "Rue Morgue," starring George C. Scott, Val Kilmer, and Rebecca De Mornay, to be its finest cinematic representation; this film shares a similar feel. Other films that evoke comparable sensibilities include "House of Wax" (1953), Hammer’s "The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll" (1960), "Terror in the Wax Museum" (1973), Klaus Kinski's "Jack the Ripper" (1976), “Edge of Sanity” (1989) and "From Hell" (2001). It’s a classic horror film, consistently entertaining because this style of movie continues to be produced across generations. A more recent example is “The Limehouse Golem.” If you're looking for elaborate Victorian costumes and sets, carriages pulled by horses, misty streets paved with cobblestones, unsettling murders (presented without excessive gore), and beautiful women from the 1890s or early 20th century, it’s a safe bet. Laura Devon is quite memorable as Marie Champlain, a woman of questionable reputation from New Orleans who becomes unwittingly involved in the murderer's (Patrick O'Neal) sinister plan. The film bears noticeable resemblances to "Dark Intruder," which was released just before this one. Its runtime is 1 hour and 39 minutes, and filming took place at Warner Brothers Burbank Studios in northwest Los Angeles. GRADE: B

Source on TMDB