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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 source; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
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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
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]

Click to read the article

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

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

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: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
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

Not to focus too much on Paris Hilton, but she brings an art to bad acting.

Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment Comment
05/06/05
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

House of Wax is Paris Hilton’s best movie.

Full Review Source: About.com | comment Comment
05/05/05
Fred Topel
Fred Topel
About.com

The 2005 remake doesn't hold a candle to the original.

Full Review Source: About.com | comment Comment
05/06/05
Rebecca Murray
Rebecca Murray
About.com

A sizzling grand finale is among the few reasons to endure House of Wax.

Full Review Source: Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA) | comment Comment
05/13/05
John Wirt
John Wirt
Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA)

I’ve got some real affection for House of Wax and perhaps that, more than anything, is why I wish it were just a tiny bit better.

Full Review Source: Aisle Seat | comment Comment
05/10/05
Mike McGranaghan
Mike McGranaghan
Aisle Seat

The camera is like a loving captive of Hilton's assured smirk and self-aware demeanor. It's as if she's acting while watching herself on an internal monitor.

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
05/04/05
Phil Villarreal
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star

A by-the-numbers slasher flick.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
05/05/05
Scott Craven
Scott Craven
Arizona Republic

A crummy horror flick.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
05/05/05
Phil Kloer
Phil Kloer
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Expect lots of Slasher Movie 101 and putatively clever jibes at a certain high-profile hotel heiress (involving a video camera, of course, and a box full of cell phones that don’t work).

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
05/14/05
Marrit Ingman
Marrit Ingman
Austin Chronicle
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
09/26/05
AV Club
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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)

The acting in House of Wax ranges from bad to worse.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
05/06/05
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
05/14/05
Boston Phoenix
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source; 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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