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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.

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Reviews for House of Wax

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

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
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N/R

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

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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/07/06
Empire Magazine
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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

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

[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

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

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Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
05/14/05
Boston Phoenix
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N/R

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Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
07/05/05
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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N/R

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Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
09/26/05
AV Club
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
08/17/07
Time Out New York
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
07/15/05
Sydney Morning Herald
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N/R

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

Most of this seems like a Marilyn Manson video.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
05/06/05
E! Online
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Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
05/14/05
Hollywood.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The set design is fairly elaborate by the standards of the genre, and the victims don't die in precisely the order you might expect, but everything else goes pretty much according to formula.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/05/05
A.O. Scott
A.O. Scott
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A sadistically bland entertainment that oversells its reveals and lets its suspense drip so long that it would be nice if something (anything!) happened.

Full Review Source: Premiere Magazine | comment Comment
05/06/05
Aaron Hillis
Aaron Hillis
Premiere Magazine

how seriously should any film be taken when it has Paris Hilton and her lacy red lingerie in a supporting role?

Full Review Source: Killer Movie Reviews | comment Comment
05/04/05
Andrea Chase
Andrea Chase
Killer Movie Reviews

Film lacks horror and originality.

Full Review Source: Sympatico.ca | comment Comment
05/06/05
Angela Baldassarre
Angela Baldassarre
Sympatico.ca

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Bob Grimm
Bob Grimm
Sacramento News & Review
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
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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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