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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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141 - 153 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

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

The film does everything that teen horror flicks are supposed to do, but Hilton undermines it all by not even trying to act.

Full Review Source: Sean the Movie Guy | comment Comment
05/04/05
Sean McBride
Sean McBride
Sean the Movie Guy

Hilton runs the gamut of emotions from A to A-minus, and the others look desperate to forget that this dazzlingly dumb debacle will be on their resumes.

Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment Comment
05/04/05
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone

Sadism is the only thing House has going for it

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
05/04/05
Sean O'Connell
Sean O'Connell
Filmcritic.com

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

A museum of gory, joyless, easy shocks.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
05/04/05
Gregory Kirschling
Gregory Kirschling
Entertainment Weekly

Slasher-lite

Full Review Source: Three Movie Buffs | comment Comment
05/03/05
Scott Nash
Scott Nash
Three Movie Buffs

First-time director Jaume Collet-Serra lingers over the victims at lengths discomfortingly gratuitous even by slasher standards. But he also demonstrates a droll touch.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
05/03/05
Benjamin Strong
Benjamin Strong
Village Voice

That's hot.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
05/03/05
Ed Gonzalez
Ed Gonzalez
Slant Magazine

Delivers what its fans come for--gore, violence, a little sex, lots of wax.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
05/02/05
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

Though delivering the basic goods, this is a routine, unexciting reimagining of the 1953 classic House of Wax, itself a remake of the superb 1933 Mystery of the House of Wax

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
04/29/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

The characters are about as intelligent as their waxen alter-egos, making it impossible to care too much about what happens to them.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
04/28/05
Scott Foundas
Scott Foundas
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Characters are rote and unremarkable, plot devices predictable and the camera cheats by sticking close to actors so a viewer cannot see from where the next shock will come.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
04/26/05
Kirk Honeycutt
Kirk Honeycutt
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
141 - 153 (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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