I assume that Madame Tussaud’s is now using computer assisted techniques in the fabrication of their waxworks? Because, man, the latest figures are just downright creepy.
Ladies, leave your ducks at home
The lake is full of ganders and there’s room to roam
And boys, go find an Anatidaen lass,
'cause it’s about 9a.m. and the geese are eating the grass
Yes, but in a different way, I think. Traditional wax figures are creepy because they’re not quite right. You recognize them and you can admire the artistic craft. But they look as if they’ve come through a faulty Star Trek transporter or bad plastic surgery.
These are creepy because they’re too right. You expect imperfection in human portraiture, and instead you get photographic perfection. They look like living corpses, or human taxidermy.
This is actually the theme of House of Wax, isn’t it? That the figures suddenly become too realistic is the clue that their accuracy is more than skin deep.