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Movies / On DVD / House of Wax
House of Wax

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House of Wax (2005)

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Reviews Counted:145

Fresh:37

Rotten:108

Average Rating:4.3/10

Consensus: Bearing little resemblance to the 1953 original, House of Wax is a formulaic but better-than-average teen slasher flick.

Runtime: 1 hr 53 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Synopsis: In this remake of the classic 1953 Andre de Toth film that starred Vincent Price, horrors abound in a creepy wax museum. A group of road-tripping Florida teenagers (Elisha Cuthbert, Chad Michael... In this remake of the classic 1953 Andre de Toth film that starred Vincent Price, horrors abound in a creepy wax museum. A group of road-tripping Florida teenagers (Elisha Cuthbert, Chad Michael Murray, Paris Hilton, Robert Ri'chard, Jared Padalecki, and Jon Abrahams) stop to camp near a small town where an abandoned wax museum draws their curiosity. Upon exploring the scary cobwebbed space, they find that the figures are not only eerily lifelike, but that the entire museum--floor to ceiling--is actually made of wax. If that wasn't enough to scare them, they encounter a couple of very unsettling characters who seem to be the only people around for miles. One is a blood-splattered redneck who collects roadkill, dumping the bodies of dead deer into a fetid carcass swamp. The other is Bo (Brian Van Holt), a gas station attendant who lures the kids back to his house. Soon, through a series of stomach-turning slasher scenes featuring scissors, long knives, and even a pair of pliers, the teens get to know Bo a whole lot better. They even meet his insane brother Vincent (also played by Van Holt). Brief interludes of teen squabbling and a Hilton strip tease in red lace lingerie temporarily break the tension, but for the most part this HOUSE OF WAX stays the course with shockingly gory moments that earn grosser-than-gross status. Sick predilections involving an experimental surgical station and an elaborate wax-coating machine reveal Vincent's artistic process. But before the bloodbath is over, more twisted secrets about Bo and Vincent bubble to the surface, resulting in a spectacular grand finale and total meltdown. [More]

Starring: Elisha Cuthbert, Chad Michael Murray, Brian Van Holt, Paris Hilton

Starring: Elisha Cuthbert, Chad Michael Murray, Brian Van Holt, Paris Hilton, Jared Padalecki, Jon Abrahams, Robert Ri'chard

Director: Jaume Collet-Sera

Director: Jaume Collet-Sera
Screenwriter: Chad Hayes, Carey W. Hayes
Producer: Joel Silver, Robert Zemeckis, Susan Levin
Composer: John Ottman
Studio: Warner Bros.

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for House of Wax

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/07/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
06/07/05
David Edwards
David Edwards
Daily Mirror [UK]

Meanwhile, the audience wonders when Paris Hilton will be eviscerated for their enjoyment.

Full Review Source: FilmFocus | comment Comment
06/04/05
Shay Casey
Shay Casey
FilmFocus

[House of Wax] gleefully trots out all the clichés of the genre before going out in a blaze of glory with a truly spectacular final act.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
05/26/05
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Makes up for its idiot plot with a gallon of gore.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
05/24/05
Jamie Russell
Jamie Russell
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This isn't so much a remake of the 1953 classic as a standard slasher movie grafted onto a familiar title.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
05/22/05
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
10/18/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Bob Grimm
Bob Grimm
Sacramento News & Review
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
08/17/07
Time Out New York
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This Wax's infusion of Paris Hilton and flirty teen sex comedy retreads might have sent original wax maniac Vincent Price into spontaneous meltdown, without the need of heating fluid.

Full Review Source: Long Island Press | comment Comment
05/22/07
Prairie Miller
Prairie Miller
Long Island Press

Not just fun and funny (don't forget, Paris Hilton's in it), but it's also surprisingly frightening.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
02/26/07
Kevin Allison
Kevin Allison
Film Journal International

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
10/30/06
Garth Franklin
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons

full review in Greek

Full Review Source: Movies for the Masses | comment Comment
10/03/06
Joseph Proimakis
Joseph Proimakis
Movies for the Masses

Apparent kills are left unverified, handy firearms are left untouched, and the group splits up a record four times, ensuring most of these dolts will never see the dawn.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Pete Vonder Haar
Pete Vonder Haar
Film Threat

Mal actuada, mal editada, previsible de principio a fin y sin terror alguno de por medio, es una de esas cintas que deberían haberse quedado en la fase de proyecto.

Full Review Source: Moviola | comment Comment
11/26/05
Jorge Avila Andrade
Jorge Avila Andrade
Moviola

Now, if you can just stay sane until the actual slasher portion of the flick takes off, you might be okay.

Full Review Source: Needcoffee.com | comment Comment
11/14/05
Widgett Walls
Widgett Walls
Needcoffee.com

It's a bloody, messy little throwback that unintentionally brushes against fetish since it eventually dips so many of its hotties in hot wax.

Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment Comment
11/04/05
Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)

House of Wax aims low and hits the mark. It has all the gory bloodshed you could ask for and all the right special effects.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
10/19/05
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
09/26/05
AV Club
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
all

Latest News for House of Wax

September 23, 2008: Selsus.com: Cekici, seksi, zevkli ve urpertici bir korku. Opens in new window
More...

September 23, 2008: Cineteka.com: Quente, sexy, deliciosamente, assustador. Opens in new window
More...

November 30, 2007: Peter Sarsgaard and Vera Farmiga Adopt a Scary Orphan
Horror trends come and go, but through 'em all, one thing remains the same: Kids are creepy. More...

July 30, 2007: Paris Hilton Joins Bousman's Rock Opera
Remember how "Saw" sequel maker Darren Lynn Bousman signed a deal to do a musical called "Repo! The Genetic Opera"? Yeah, for Lionsgate. And you'll never guess who he just cast... More...

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