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House of Wax

Play trailer Poster for House of Wax R Released May 6, 2005 1h 47m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
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28% Tomatometer 160 Reviews 44% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
A gang of college friends, including Wade (Jared Padalecki) and his girlfriend, Carly (Elisha Cuthbert), are en route to a school football game when they wind up with a flat tire in a ghost town. They are forced to seek help in the only place that's open: the local wax museum. Once inside the spooky and seemingly abandoned building, they find the works on display are not quite what they seem -- and the group soon discovers it's being hunted by the insane twin brothers who run the museum.
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House of Wax

House of Wax

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Critics Consensus

Bearing little resemblance to the 1953 original, House of Wax is a formulaic but better-than-average teen slasher flick.

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Critics Reviews

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Jamie Russell BBC.com Makes up for its idiot plot with a gallon of gore. Rated: 3/5 May 24, 2005 Full Review 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. May 14, 2005 Full Review Sara Michelle Fetters MovieFreak.com Her demise is spectacularly gruesome, gory and bloody and the filmmakers even throw in an entirely too obvious gag about the hotel heiress' penchant for letting herself get recorded on video tape. Rated: 2/4 May 14, 2005 Full Review Brian Bisesi Horror Movie Club Podcast Despite its annoyingly angsty teen dialogue and incomplete thematic elements, House of Wax successfully expands the legacy of The Wax Works story with interesting ideas and entertainingly grotesque moments. Rated: 3/5 Feb 7, 2024 Full Review Patrick Cavanaugh The Wolfman Cometh Better than it has any right to be, its brutality and absurdity help elevate what could have been a rote rehash. Rated: 3/5 Sep 22, 2023 Full Review Joe Lipsett Horror Queers Podcast A stylish and mean slasher remake (yes, of Tourist Trap!) that leans too much into its twin fixation and breaks up the group needlessly. The production design is the real star here: the melty finale is a true spectacle Rated: 4/5 Jan 25, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Alejandra C Its funny and its scary. The concept is just so original that whenever you go to a wax house you just have to think of this movie. I think it should be higher than the actual ratings. Go watch it and enjoy a good enjoyable film Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/05/25 Full Review chris m first english, below spanish: english: hugely underrated. although 'house of wax' presents itself as a classic slasher, with archetypal characters and a predictable narrative, what truly sets it apart is the excellence of its production design. each set is built with extreme care, achieving a level of detail that surpasses most films of the genre. the attention to visual fidelity —from the wounds to the wax elements— contributes to an intense and almost tangible experience for the viewer. still, the film is not free from the typical flaws of the genre, including some internal logic inconsistencies that may surprise more attentive audiences. the music, alternating between tension and rock and metal tracks, accompanies each scene with precision, reinforcing both the suspenseful moments and the more spectacular ones, particularly pleasing those who enjoy these sounds. the settings are incredibly elaborate, creating an oppressive and disturbing environment that remains present throughout the entire film, heightening the tension beyond simple jump scares or the excess of gore common in other slashers. despite these limitations, the film stands out thanks to its strengths: it manages to combine striking visual horror with a minimally crafted narrative that flirts with psychological terror, something uncommon in this type of production. the atmosphere it generates is intense, allowing the audience to become fully immersed in an unsettling and dangerous world. in conclusion, 'house of wax' positions itself as a slasher film that, beyond its clichés, logical flaws, and predictability, rises above thanks to its visual realism, staging, and music, establishing itself as a work that stands out within its genre and offers a memorable cinematic experience. spanish. tremendamente infravaloradísima. aunque 'la casa de cera' se presenta como un slasher clásico, con personajes arquetípicos y una narrativa predecible, lo que realmente la distingue es la excelencia de su diseño de producción. cada escenario está construido con un cuidado extremo, logrando un nivel de detalle que supera al de la mayoría de películas del género. la atención a la fidelidad visual —desde las heridas hasta los elementos de cera— contribuye a una experiencia intensa y casi tangible para el espectador. aun así, la película no está exenta de fallos típicos del género, incluyendo algunas inconsistencias en la lógica interna que pueden sorprender al espectador más atento. la música, que alterna tensión y temas de rock y metal, acompaña cada escena con precisión, reforzando tanto los momentos de suspenso como los más espectaculares, y agradando especialmente a quienes disfrutan de estas sonoridades. los escenarios son increíblemente elaborados, creando un entorno opresivo y perturbador que se mantiene presente durante toda la película, elevando la tensión más allá de los simples sustos o el exceso de sangre habitual en otros slashers. a pesar de estas limitaciones, la película sobresale gracias a sus puntos fuertes: logra combinar un terror visual impactante con una narrativa mínimamente cuidada que coquetea con el terror psicológico, algo poco común en este tipo de producciones. la atmósfera que genera es intensa, logrando que el público se sumerja completamente en un mundo inquietante y peligroso. en conclusión, 'la casa de cera' se sitúa como una película de slasher que, más allá de sus clichés, fallos de lógica y previsibilidad, se eleva gracias a su realismo visual, puesta en escena y música, consolidándose como una obra que sobresale dentro de su género y ofrece una experiencia cinematográfica memorable. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/05/25 Full Review Alexander S House of Wax was a pretty goofy film, but the cast stuck together like wax in a furnace, making the overall fun horror factor what wins for me in terms of entertainment. Grading: C+ Rated 3 out of 5 stars 07/09/25 Full Review Duda O Com licença, diga-me uma coisa... Cera quente não... queima? Bem, parece que não, amigos! Porque eles — [SPOILERZÃO, mas foda-se, é um filme de 20 anos atrás] — não só socam os pés e as mãos nas paredes e no chão da casa feitos de cera como se fosse Play-Doh, como ainda acham isso perfeitamente normal. E tu realmente estás questionando isso? As pessoas permanecem vivas debaixo da cera, colada à pele, pela eternidade! Sem nutrientes, sem comida, sem água, sem defecar. Uhul. Mas calma, o filme é realmente eficaz em causar agonia. Saber que, por trás de todos aqueles bonecos, existe uma cidade inteira de gente paralisada, olhos vivos se mexendo de um lado para o outro, é de um horror silencioso perturbador. Mesmo conscientes de que não há salvação, seguem ali, presos. E embora pequena, a cena da cola na boca tem seu impacto. Aliás, admiro muitíssimo a atriz por — de fato — ter sugerido que colassem sua boca. É um nível de entrega que não se espera num filme onde ela e o irmão têm tanta química que mais parecem um casal incestuoso. O roteiro? Fraco. Tão fraco quanto gaze molhada. Tudo ali serve para justificar aquela cidade esquecidaaaaa no mapaaaaa. Sério. Até o Nick, o irmão, olha incrédulo para o policial quando ele diz: “Só encontramos vocês por causa do sinal de fumaça”. E a motivação do vilão... misericórdia. Frágil. Tudo é frágil. Nem vou entrar no mérito dos personagens caricatos que existem única e exclusivamente para morrer. Tentaram fazer a gente se importar com a Paris Hilton, trazendo aquele drama do tipo: “olhem, ela está grávida e tem taaaanta dificuldade em contar isso pro namorado transudo dela”. Mas, pff, sinceramente? Foda-se. As duas estrelas que dou estão muito bem entregues, obrigada: - Porque o filme realmente gera tensão — e bem-feita, apesar dos efeitos sonoros dignos de vídeo de Minecraft no YouTube; - E porque diverte. E, convenhamos, filmes servem pra isso... na maioria das vezes. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 06/21/25 Full Review Arianne I The only thing holding this movie together is the wax (literally and metaphorically) and Jared Padalecki. The concept of the movie is good and in some ways well done, if the supporting and main characters had better acting skills this movie could have hit high ratings. Unfortunately a lot of the acting is hard to believe and at times laughable. Things that make this movie stand out and make it worth the watch is the wax in fact. The team used a lot of real wax and some of the most iconic scenes using wax are worth a watch. The twists in the movie are good but if you pay attention you'll probably be able to guess a few of them pretty early on. As for the visuals and gore, they are almost impeccable in a lot of ways. Certain scenes visually are so esthetically well done and at times hard to watch because of how real they look. If you can stomach the acting and some of the unrealistic parts of the story, the ending scenes are some of the best and worth the wait, just don't let yourself melt in anguish from the acting. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 06/05/25 Full Review Oaklee D This was the first horror film I ever watched as a kid and I remember being terrified. After rewatching the film as an adult I've now come to realise it's campy early 2000's slasher fun. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/04/25 Full Review Read all reviews
House of Wax

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Movie Info

Synopsis A gang of college friends, including Wade (Jared Padalecki) and his girlfriend, Carly (Elisha Cuthbert), are en route to a school football game when they wind up with a flat tire in a ghost town. They are forced to seek help in the only place that's open: the local wax museum. Once inside the spooky and seemingly abandoned building, they find the works on display are not quite what they seem -- and the group soon discovers it's being hunted by the insane twin brothers who run the museum.
Director
Jaume Collet-Serra
Producer
Joel Silver, Robert Zemeckis, Susan Downey
Screenwriter
Chad Hayes, Carey W. Hayes
Distributor
Warner Bros.
Production Co
Dark Castle Entertainment
Rating
R (Language|Horror Violence|Some Sexual Content)
Genre
Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 6, 2005, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA)
$32.0M
Runtime
1h 47m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.37:1)
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