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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.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for horror violence, some sexual content and language.

Runtime: 1 hr 53 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

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... 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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Release:

Oct 25, 2005

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • House of Wax tells the story of a group of friends who fall prey to a sinister plot while passing through a small town on their way to a college football game.
  • Source: Warner Home Video
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for House of Wax

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    1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating)
    Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
    Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
     
     
    N/R

    Click to read the article

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

    Click to read the article

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

    Click to read the article

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

    Click to read the article

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

    Click to read the article

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

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
    07/05/05
    St. Louis Post-Dispatch
    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]
    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: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
    05/14/05
    Hollywood.com

    Click to read the article

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

    Most of this seems like a Marilyn Manson video.

    Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
    05/06/05
    E! Online

    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

    Cruelty to stupid characters isn’t disturbing, it’s just condescending. And being mean for mean’s sake is an empty enterprise, in my book.

    Full Review Source: Freeze Dried Movies | comment Comment
    05/04/05
    Brian Juergens
    Brian Juergens
    Freeze Dried Movies

    Yet for a so-called exploitation film, Wax is slow to exploit. Its leisurely setup is a fright-challenged snooze, and at nearly two hours it's bloated for a slasher flick.

    Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
    05/06/05
    Bruce Westbrook
    Bruce Westbrook
    Houston Chronicle
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    If you like that kind of thing, and you can get past the first 20 minutes or so, the good news is that the movie keeps getting better as it goes along.

    Full Review Source: TheMovieChicks.com | comment Comment
    05/06/05
    Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
    Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
    TheMovieChicks.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)
     
     
    1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating)
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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
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    Horror trends come and go, but through 'em all, one thing remains the same: Kids are creepy. More...

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