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House of Wax

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House of Wax (2005)

25%
21%
38%
N/A
N/A
N/A
25 %
Reviews Counted: 146 Fresh: 37  Rotten:109 Average Rating: 4.2/10
 
Consensus: Bearing little resemblance to the 1953 original, House of Wax is a formulaic but better-than-average teen slasher flick.
 

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Runtime: 1 hr 53 mins

Theatrical Release: 2005-Summer

Box Office: $32,000,834

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 Murray, Paris Hilton, Robert Ri'chard, Jared Padalecki, and Jon Abrahams) stop to camp near a... 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]

Genre: Horror/Suspense

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

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

DVD Info

Release:

Sep 26, 2006

[DVD Details]

Blu-ray Disc Features:

  • Blue BD Case
  • Widescreen - 1.85

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital Surround Sound 5.1 - English, French (Quebec), Spanish
  • Subtitles - English SDH, English, French, Spanish - Optional

Additional Release Material:

  • Trailers - 1. Theatrical Trailer
  • Commentaries - 1. "B-Roll and Bloopers Video Cast Commentary"
  • Featurettes - 1. "From Location: Joel Silver Reveals HOUSE OF WAX"
  • 2. "Wax On: The Design of HOUSE OF WAX"
  • 3. "The House Built on Wax: The Visual Effects of HOUSE OF WAX"
  • 4. "Alternate Opening: Jennifer Killed"
  • 5. Gag Reel

Buy It On DVD

Reviews

 
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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Ratings Image
2/5

Click to read the article

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

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
08/17/07
Time Out New York
Ratings Image
N/A

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 | comment Comment
05/22/07
Prairie Miller
Long Island Press
Ratings Image
N/A

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

Full Review | comment Comment
02/26/07
Kevin Allison
Film Journal International
Ratings Image
1.5/4

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
10/30/06
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons
Ratings Image
2/5

full review in Greek

Full Review | comment Comment
10/03/06
Joseph Proimakis
Movies for the Masses
N/R

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Full Review | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
Ratings Image
2/5

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Full Review | comment Comment
01/07/06
Empire Magazine
Ratings Image
2.5/5

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 | comment Comment
12/06/05
Pete Vonder Haar
Film Threat
Ratings Image
1.5/4

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 | comment Comment
11/26/05
Jorge Avila Andrade
Moviola
Ratings Image
1.5/5

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

Full Review | comment Comment
11/14/05
Widgett Walls
Needcoffee.com
Ratings Image
D

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 | comment Comment
11/04/05
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)
Ratings Image
5/10

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 | comment Comment
10/19/05
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
09/26/05
Onion AV Club
Ratings Image
2.5/4

After one gets past the trendy casting of Paris Hilton, this above-average horror flick actually surfaces from the bloody pit of remakes clutching a few decent ideas.

Full Review | comment Comment
09/02/05
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
Ratings Image
3/5

The whole thing is vacuously enjoyable, downright nasty in places and, despite the fact that the ending is rushed, has a pretty spectacular finish.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/21/05
Harry Guerin
RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland)
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
07/15/05
Sydney Morning Herald
Ratings Image
2/5

The film’s storyline has more in common with Manos, The Hands of Fate than the original House of Wax.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/28/05
Uri Lessing
eFilmCritic.com
Ratings Image
B

This is a well-made film with a lot more gore than you're expecting and a lot less humor than you're expecting.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/16/05
Bill Clark
FromTheBalcony
Ratings Image
N/A

It adheres strictly to teen-slasher formula before simply melting away.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/14/05
Todd Jorgenson
Denton Record Chronicle (TX)
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Around the Network

• House of Wax at Rotten Tomatoes
• House of Wax at IGN
• House of Wax at AskMen
 
 
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