Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

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.
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

House of Wax

House of Wax

What to Know

Critics Consensus

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

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (161)
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

View All (1000+)
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 Michael C Definitely one of my favorite horror films!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/05/25 Full Review 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 Read all reviews
House of Wax

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW
House on Haunted Hill 31% 42% House on Haunted Hill Watchlist Hatchet 57% 45% Hatchet Watchlist The Amityville Horror 23% 52% The Amityville Horror Watchlist TRAILER for The Amityville Horror Dawn of the Dead 77% 77% Dawn of the Dead Watchlist The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 37% 58% The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

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)
Most Popular at Home Now