House of Wax (2005)

25% of critics liked it
(149 reviews)
54% of users liked it
(381,622 ratings)

A bunch of college students are stranded in a small town where suffering for art takes on a whole new meaning in this tale of terror. Carly (Elisha Cuthbert) and her boyfriend, Wade (Jared Padalecki), have hit the road with a handful of their friends to attend a championship college football game;… More A bunch of college students are stranded in a small town where suffering for art takes on a whole new meaning in this tale of terror. Carly (Elisha Cuthbert) and her boyfriend, Wade (Jared Padalecki), have hit the road with a handful of their friends to attend a championship college football game; tagging along with them are Carly's bratty friend Paige (Paris Hilton, Carly's trouble-making twin brother Nick (Chad Michael Murray), and Blake (Robert Ri'chard), Paige's latest boy toy. While camping out for the night, the gang makes the mistake of getting on the wrong side of a mysterious local redneck, and the next morning they discover that Wade's car no longer works. As the others continue on to the big game, Carly and Wade make their way into the closest town, Ambrose, and discover it's all but deserted, except for a local tourist attraction, the House of Wax. However, it isn't long before they find out why the wax sculptures at the museum look so freakishly real, and discover a pair of murderous brothers are keen on making them part of the next exhibit. House of Wax is an in-name-only remake of the well-remembered 1953 3-D horror outing starring Vincent Price, which was in turn based on the 1933 picture Mystery of the Wax Museum. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 53 min.
Directed By: Jaume Collet-Serra
Written By: Chad Hayes, Carey Hayes, Carey W. Hayes
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Horror

In Theaters: May 6, 2005 Wide
On DVD: Oct 25, 2005
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

Critic Reviews

Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com
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.
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
It had a great sense of humor about itself.
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
You'll be rooting for these people to get slaughtered out of sheer boredom.
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post
This movie gives it to you, as no movie has in some years.
Mike Clark, USA Today
When the cast starts wondering where the roadkill is, someone says, 'Follow the smell.' Good tip: That's how you'll know where Wax is playing.
Peter Howell, Toronto Star
A very stupid, very nasty and very messy horror film.
Bill Chambers, Film Freak Central
A 2005 review of this picture would've registered more shock from me...
Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
A stupid, brainless, and pointless horror installment with all the usual characters, and pretty bad acting all around...
Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media
Bloody slasher film that is nothing like the original.
Prairie Miller, Long Island Press
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.
Prairie Miller, Long Island Press
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.
Kevin Allison, Film Journal International
Not just fun and funny (don't forget, Paris Hilton's in it), but it's also surprisingly frightening.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
Despite its being another rather silly horror flick...there are a few eye-catching scenes that benefit from high-def. (HD-DVD Edition)
Joseph Proimakis, Movies for the Masses
full review in Greek
Pete Vonder Haar, Film Threat
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.
Jorge Avila Andrade, Moviola
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.
Widgett Walls, Needcoffee.com
Now, if you can just stay sane until the actual slasher portion of the flick takes off, you might be okay.
Christopher Smith, Bangor Daily News (Maine)
It's a bloody, messy little throwback that unintentionally brushes against fetish since it eventually dips so many of its hotties in hot wax.

Read all 18 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Eric A

The best part of this film was probably Paris Hilton, and that's not even saying alot.
Bethany M

Really great horror film. Chad Michael Murray was amazing. Scared me quite a lot - extremely spooky!
Jeff "

I was kind of looking forward to this remake. Obviously the main reason was because Paris Hilton was going to get killed on screen.Everyone was talking about it, unfortunately this remake of the Vincent Price classic is a terrible film. The film is plagued by a terrible cast, I mean… More
I was kind of looking forward to this remake. Obviously the main reason was because Paris Hilton was going to get killed on screen.Everyone was talking about it, unfortunately this remake of the Vincent Price classic is a terrible film. The film is plagued by a terrible cast, I mean they got Paris Hilton in the film. Right off the bat, it should give you a hint that this film wouldn't be great, right? Her other cast mates are very bad as well, Elisha Cuthburt though very attractive, can't act. Brian Van Holt here as the villain is fairly good, but unfortunately, his acting doesn't redeem this piece of garbage. House Of Wax suffers from the usual remake formula, a star studded teen cast, that teenagers can relate to with cheap scares and gore. Don't get me wrong, I love gore and cheap scares. But when there well done, not when they're done in a way that demands it, like if its the only trick the filmmaker can generate out of his film, then it doesn't work. House Of Wax lacks anything that can make a good horror film appealing to it's audience, and when it's finally over, you're left irritated by how stupid this film truly was. A very disappointing film, and one that could have been good. Instead, House Of Wax is nearly 2 hours of wasted potential on screen, something that could have been great, but is ultimately sunk by it's terrible cast. Luckily Director Jaume Collet-Serra made a much better film in Orphan, which incorporated old school horror elements with thrills. However he clearly missed the mark with this film. Not even Paris' on screen death makes up for the film.
Dean M

A remake of the classic Vincent Price B-movie is really frightened, creepy, gore and very waxy. The murders were genuine and realistic looking while the cinematography was great! Elisha Cuthbert delivers a raw and emotional performance that put the viewer right there with her. Chad… More
A remake of the classic Vincent Price B-movie is really frightened, creepy, gore and very waxy. The murders were genuine and realistic looking while the cinematography was great! Elisha Cuthbert delivers a raw and emotional performance that put the viewer right there with her. Chad Michael Murray exudes charisma and a hard edge, as well as some impressive athleticism on top of it. Murray and Cuthbert gel perfectly, and have tangible, familial chemistry. And Paris Hilton is fine in her debut acting role but she is far from the focal point. Horror remake of 1953's <i>House of Wax</i>.
♥˩ƳИИ &

Why oh why does anyone in their right mind put Paris Hilton in their movie.. Ugh is what I thought when I heard she was going to be in this film.. This chick can not act.. The best part was when she was killed off.. Cause then it started actually feeling like a scary film and not a… More
Why oh why does anyone in their right mind put Paris Hilton in their movie.. Ugh is what I thought when I heard she was going to be in this film.. This chick can not act.. The best part was when she was killed off.. Cause then it started actually feeling like a scary film and not a waste of my time..
Conner R

Definitely a bad movie, but it's still enjoyable. It is nothing but up and coming WB stars and Elisha Cuthbert, but it's surprisingly not the acting that is the stinker of the movie (BTW, Huge Chad Michael Murray & Jared Padalecki fan). The story is just such a knock off… More
Definitely a bad movie, but it's still enjoyable. It is nothing but up and coming WB stars and Elisha Cuthbert, but it's surprisingly not the acting that is the stinker of the movie (BTW, Huge Chad Michael Murray & Jared Padalecki fan). The story is just such a knock off idea and nowhere close to being a remake.
Dead A

The movie wasn't boring. The story was good. The ending was mysterious.
Jason O

Wow, loved this movie! I'd love to see the original now, and will definitely own this one day!
Chris W

Most everything about this movie is very run of the mill and doesn't break any new ground...with a few exceptions: Paris Hilton not showing much skin = surprising and uncommon for a film like this, the violence and gore are quite decent and inventive, and, the best part of this… More
Most everything about this movie is very run of the mill and doesn't break any new ground...with a few exceptions: Paris Hilton not showing much skin = surprising and uncommon for a film like this, the violence and gore are quite decent and inventive, and, the best part of this movie: the production values/design, visual effects, and art direction. The finale is amazing. They did an excellent job pulling it off, getting a maximum effect out of it all. Overall, this is just an alright movie-good to watch while eating some popcorn on a night when nothing else is going on.
Curtis L

Gotta say, I kinda liked it. I mean, yes I hated most everyone on the cast, but the wax house was really neat. Maybe it's because I played with melting candles so much as a kid, but watching the house melt at the end made me giggle with glee.
Jens S

The usual "teenagers end up in backwater town" beginning with the regular flat characters is not as bothersome as it just sounded but not very original either, but then again when has it ever been in horror flicks? Soon after the horror strikes with a few worryingly sadistic… More
The usual "teenagers end up in backwater town" beginning with the regular flat characters is not as bothersome as it just sounded but not very original either, but then again when has it ever been in horror flicks? Soon after the horror strikes with a few worryingly sadistic mutilation and death scenes. That's not entirely new either but rather well filmed and entertaining, sometimes even exciting. Elisha Cuthbert as one of the leaders of the new wave of scream queens is convincing enough and even Paris Hilton isn't any worse than most other actresses in roles like hers. At least the showdown in the burning, melting house of wax is pretty damn original and something you've never seen like that before. Not bad.
E.J. B

Dumb.
_kelly .

a good example to cite if you were trying to ban remakes
Taylor B

3 things - Elisha Cuthbert is hot, Paris Hilton is dumb, and this movie is lame.
Lafe F

Nothing like the classic Vincent Price 1950 version, which is a good thing actually. It's cool how they made an entirely new story with the "House of Wax" name. I was surprised when I saw the House for the first time. It's a Texas-Chainsaw Massacre style movie,… More
Nothing like the classic Vincent Price 1950 version, which is a good thing actually. It's cool how they made an entirely new story with the "House of Wax" name. I was surprised when I saw the House for the first time. It's a Texas-Chainsaw Massacre style movie, with a wax museum theme and a hot young star cast. I like the innovative setting, the demented killer and interesting death scenes. It was great to see Paris Hilton getting hole-punched. Neat finale which leaves the door open for a sequel.
Luke B

First off Paris Hilton isn't that bad in this, mainly because the script doens't ask much from her or any of the cast for that matter. The wax visuals are brilliant, and there are some nice set pieces presented through this film. Although obviously not brilliant, it's… More
First off Paris Hilton isn't that bad in this, mainly because the script doens't ask much from her or any of the cast for that matter. The wax visuals are brilliant, and there are some nice set pieces presented through this film. Although obviously not brilliant, it's enjoyable and gives you what you're after.
Dean !

A top quality horror film, one of the best in recent years.
Kylie B

I like this film, but for all the wrong reasons. It's reasonably engaging as slasher movies go (Paris Hilton dies, of course it'll be enjoyable) - but don't confuse this with the earlier version. Aside from the wax museum aspect (and the killer's related M.O) the… More
I like this film, but for all the wrong reasons. It's reasonably engaging as slasher movies go (Paris Hilton dies, of course it'll be enjoyable) - but don't confuse this with the earlier version. Aside from the wax museum aspect (and the killer's related M.O) the two have very little in common.
Emily A

I didn't think this would be any good, but it was. Even if you hated every other part of the film, the Paris Hilton death scene just brings a smile to your face. She gets a pole through the head, just like in real life! Seriously though, it was really rather impressive. Movies… More
I didn't think this would be any good, but it was. Even if you hated every other part of the film, the Paris Hilton death scene just brings a smile to your face. She gets a pole through the head, just like in real life! Seriously though, it was really rather impressive. Movies with disappointing climaxes run rampant these days, but this cannot be counted among their number. This one is a gem.
Leigh R

It was alright. I need to see the Price version before making a true statement on this though. Although I really love Cuthbert as an actor, so that would make it worth it even if it can't live up to its original.