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Movie Review
House of Wax
By Scott Sycamore Published May 9, 2005
US Release: May 6, 2005
Directed by: Jaume Serra
Starring: Elisha Cuthbert , Jared Padalecki , Paris Hilton , Jon Abrahams
R
Running Time: 86 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $32,048,809
Directed by: Jaume Serra
Starring: Elisha Cuthbert , Jared Padalecki , Paris Hilton , Jon Abrahams
R
Running Time: 86 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $32,048,809
B-
Of course there's cheesy dialogue and no character substance, but a movie like this is only required to provide what it intends to.
I know, I know - you think I'm an idiot already. How could I possibly give a B- rating to a movie that stars Paris Hilton? Well, let me note that a B- is still a slight "Thumbs Down." I reserve the rating for films that are not necessarily "good" in my opinion, but which I still had fun with in the moment or otherwise admire in some way. House of Wax is a fun little hack-fest that goes even more over-the-top than you may expect - and Ms. Hilton isn't even in it very much. Many people may take issue that I don't bash this movie, and they may claim that the script sucks. They are correct, but that's exactly what I expected from this movie. Of course there's cheesy dialogue and no character substance, but a movie like this is only required to provide what it intends to.
There are several young actors in this flick, but the real star is the set design. The titular house and the surrounding creepy town look excellent; I liked the feel of the locations. When you see the wax-making chamber beneath the house, with all the pipes, valves, and other contraptions, you will have tingles running through your brain. There's also the standard out-in-the-woods location, which doesn't serve much purpose other than to provide setup for entry to the town.
Now let's get to the meat...literally. House of Wax has some of the most gruesome and memorable murder scenes in recent horror memory. The audience in my theater was a-gasp with shock for every new moment of carnage, and I have to admit I was right there with 'em. It takes the murderific tropes of the genre and ratchets them up a notch or two. For example, one of the unfortunate teen-types gets a huge knife plunged into his neck (off screen), but when he's on the ground, shaking in his death-throes, the killer walks over and uses his boot to jam the knife further down into the poor bastard as he gurgles and flops. It's terribly sick and depraved, and a perfect example of how this movie crosses the line on many occasions.
Overall, this movie is a tiny bit below the caliber of Amityville Horror (B-). Amityville had jump-in-your-seat scares, whereas Wax is more about gore and comical shock value. Both movies were better than I expected and were more tolerable than most modern horror flicks.
There are several young actors in this flick, but the real star is the set design. The titular house and the surrounding creepy town look excellent; I liked the feel of the locations. When you see the wax-making chamber beneath the house, with all the pipes, valves, and other contraptions, you will have tingles running through your brain. There's also the standard out-in-the-woods location, which doesn't serve much purpose other than to provide setup for entry to the town.
Now let's get to the meat...literally. House of Wax has some of the most gruesome and memorable murder scenes in recent horror memory. The audience in my theater was a-gasp with shock for every new moment of carnage, and I have to admit I was right there with 'em. It takes the murderific tropes of the genre and ratchets them up a notch or two. For example, one of the unfortunate teen-types gets a huge knife plunged into his neck (off screen), but when he's on the ground, shaking in his death-throes, the killer walks over and uses his boot to jam the knife further down into the poor bastard as he gurgles and flops. It's terribly sick and depraved, and a perfect example of how this movie crosses the line on many occasions.
Overall, this movie is a tiny bit below the caliber of Amityville Horror (B-). Amityville had jump-in-your-seat scares, whereas Wax is more about gore and comical shock value. Both movies were better than I expected and were more tolerable than most modern horror flicks.
Scott's Grade: B-
Scott's Overall Grading: 417 graded movies
| A | 15.1% | |
| B | 59.2% | |
| C | 24.5% | |
| D | 1.2% | |
| F | 0.0% |
