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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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    41 - 60 (sorted by date)
    Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
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    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

    A script that offers few thrills and a slapdash story.

    Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
    05/14/05
    Paul Clinton (Boxoffice)
    Paul Clinton (Boxoffice)
    Boxoffice Magazine

    Filled with the usual contemporary horror staples, most notably lots of rusty torture implements and cellphones that tend to scurry mischievously out of reach just as the villain bears down on his prey.

    Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
    05/14/05
    Stephanie Zacharek
    Stephanie Zacharek
    Salon.com
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    If you’ve seen one horror movie, you’ll always be several steps ahead of everyone in House of Wax.

    Full Review Source: Star-Democrat (Easton, MD) | comment Comment
    05/13/05
    Greg Maki
    Greg Maki
    Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)

    A mundane slasher flick populated by blandly pretty people who look really good in sweaty tank tops.

    Full Review Source: Lessons of Darkness | comment Comment
    05/13/05
    Nick Schager
    Nick Schager
    Lessons of Darkness

    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)

    When I wasn’t laughing at the asinine plot developments or the ridiculously inept acting, I was straining to stay awake.

    Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
    05/12/05
    David Cornelius
    David Cornelius
    eFilmCritic.com

    Forty-five minutes of stultifying boredom, followed by preposterous carnage pilfered from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

    Full Review Source: Orlando Weekly | comment Comment
    05/12/05
    Steve Schneider
    Steve Schneider
    Orlando Weekly

    My contempt for this film is so great, I'm reluctant to even call it a film, as that designation places it in the pantheon of works by Welles, Hitchcock and even Ed Wood.

    Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | comment Comment
    05/11/05
    Matt Brunson
    Matt Brunson
    Creative Loafing

    The 1933 and 1953 versions are available on a single DVD for slightly less than the price of two evening movie tickets. Am I making myself clear?

    Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
    05/11/05
    Ken Hanke
    Ken Hanke
    Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

    House of Wax's violence is abrupt and gory, giving it an ick factor that surprises and repulses in a good way.

    Full Review Source: Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema | comment Comment
    05/10/05
    Mark Pfeiffer
    Mark Pfeiffer
    Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema

    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

    Much of the film's running time is devoted to subtle provoking of primal fears...

    Full Review Source: Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) | comment Comment
    05/09/05
    Josh Larsen
    Josh Larsen
    Sun Publications (Chicago, IL)

    It had a great sense of humor about itself.

    Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
    05/09/05
    Richard Roeper
    Richard Roeper
    Ebert & Roeper
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    (Director) Collet-Serra has no facility for suspense or mood, and he stretches out the brain-dead dialogue and plodding plot until it's numbing.

    Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
    05/08/05
    Sean Axmaker
    Sean Axmaker
    Seattle Post-Intelligencer

    Says Paris: "I'm dismissed when I get a pole in my head which, as anyone in tune with my video career knows, is hardly the first time."

    Full Review Source: MovieJuice! | comment Comment
    05/08/05
    Mark Ramsey
    Mark Ramsey
    MovieJuice!

    Melts in your brain, not in your hand (or is that it melts your brain?)

    Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
    05/07/05
    Dan Lybarger
    Dan Lybarger
    eFilmCritic.com

    The plot relies entirely on the stupidity of the protagonists and our desire to watch them die.

    Full Review Source: Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies | comment Comment
    05/07/05
    Nell Minow
    Nell Minow
    Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies

    Don't blame Hilton for this misbegotten Wax job

    Full Review Source: Washington Times | comment Comment
    05/07/05
    Christian Toto
    Christian Toto
    Washington Times

    '...the 2nd best Paris Hilton film I've seen this year. '

    Full Review Source: Nolan's Pop Culture Review | comment Comment
    05/06/05
    Michael A. Smith
    Michael A. Smith
    Nolan's Pop Culture Review
     
     
    41 - 60 (sorted by date)
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