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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
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
28% Tomatometer 161 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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Empire Magazine Rated: 2/5 Jan 7, 2006 Full Review Jamie Russell BBC.com Makes up for its idiot plot with a gallon of gore. Rated: 3/5 May 24, 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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Audience Member Bom a casa de cera um filme bom fez muito sucesso nos anos 2000 apesar do sua clássica proposta de terror adolescente estúpido e clichês burros a história funciona bem com isso a história e contada em meio ao filme mencionando o passado dos vilões protagonistas, claramente o filme é bom , e seria bem melhor ce tivesse continuação ao invés do final aberto. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/09/25 Full Review Ralph R House of Wax is a mixed bag of thrills, atmosphere, and flaws. The movie starts off slow, spending time introducing the characters, but it never quite succeeds in making them relatable or compelling. The transition to the second act comes far too late and shifts abruptly from 0 to 100 in just a few scenes, which makes the pacing feel uneven. The acting is decent, but it's held back by a poorly written script that doesn't give the cast much to work with. The direction is serviceable, but even the best efforts can't fully overcome the script's shortcomings. What stands out is the cinematography and production design. The camera work, especially in the wax museum, is surprisingly effective, subtly building tension and adding to the eerie atmosphere. The visuals during the film's finale is a highlight to the impressive production design. Overall, House of Wax isn't a bad watch if you're in the mood for a campy horror experience with some strong visuals. However, the uneven pacing, shallow characters, and lackluster script keep it from being truly memorable. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 12/14/24 Full Review Lieke C Honestly a maybe a little cheeky here and there but for the most part I really liked this movie! Creepy and loved the main 2 characters!! Definitely worth a watch Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/11/24 Full Review Nick C Great writing. Mediocre cinematography. Bad acting. I've seen worse acting, but there are no performances to write home about. Jared Padalecki was a highlight, but even he did not give a performance that is gonna change anyone's life. He did not get much screen time, so Supernatural fans could take a pass on this one. All that being said, there were a few moments that made this worth it: * Twin tropes. Couple of cheeky scenes ham this up from a few angles for some good fun * Super corny shot of someone getting speared through the head * Paris Hilton does a strip tease (<30 secs to be honest) I watch a lot of bad (horror) movies for fun. I will not be watching this one again. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 11/09/24 Full Review Deontae D A great 2000's slasher film, A great cast too, I have it on DVD too, I watched this movie so many times, I lost count lol, I love this movie when I was growing up, Lol Cinemax played this movie every time, I kinda wished we got a sequel, But I don't think it needs a sequel, I never saw the 1953 vincent price house of wax, I need to check that one out, It's 2024 and this movie is still good. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/06/24 Full Review Kyle M As distastefully gruesome like any unpleasant slasher flicks, your average horror remake under modernized service and subpar energy, aside from Chad Michael Murray’s grit, has a creepy grip that ideally captures the attraction’s uncanny valley with a shock value to boot, amidst an impressive production lore setting that may have added to general discomfort. (B-) Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/20/24 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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