House of Wax (2005)

Director:

Jaume Collet-Serra

Writers (WGA):

Charles Belden (story)
Chad Hayes (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

6 May 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Gejagt. Ermordet. Zur Schau gestellt. (Hunted.Murdered.Displayed.)

Plot:

Six friends are stranded in a ghost town where a towering wax museum looms ahead. And inside are two brothers who have a special way of making the wax figures look real...

Plot Keywords:

Wax | Small Town | Car Trouble | Ghost Town | Fight

Awards:

4 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Elisha Cuthbert	...	Carly Jones
Chad Michael Murray	...	Nick Jones
Brian Van Holt	...	Bo / Vincent
Paris Hilton	...	Paige Edwards
Jared Padalecki	...	Wade
Jon Abrahams	...	Dalton Chapman
Robert Ri'chard	...	Blake
Dragicia Debert	...	Trudy Sinclair (as Dragitsa Debert)
Thomas Adamson	...	Young Bo
Murray Smith	...	Dr. Victor Sinclair
Sam Harkess	...	Young Vincent
Damon Herriman	...	Roadkill Driver
Andy Anderson	...	Sheriff

MPAA:

Rated R for horror violence, some sexual content and language.

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

Australia | USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Hong Kong:III (uncut) | Portugal:M/16 | Taiwan:R-18 | Finland:K-18 (self applied) | Philippines:R-13 (cut) | France:-16 | Malaysia:18SG | Iceland:16 | Canada:18A | New Zealand:R16 | Singapore:NC-16 (video rating) (cut) | Netherlands:16 | South Korea:18 | Japan:R-15 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Brazil:18 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Czech Republic:12 | Germany:18 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:16 | Norway:18 | Singapore:R21 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Chile:14 | Germany:16 (cut) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:18A (Nova Scotia) (re-rating)

Filming Locations:

Australia

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Jared Padalecki is one foot taller than co-star Elisha Cuthbert. To make herself appear taller in scenes where she and Padalecki would be filmed together, Cuthbert taped two-inch blocks of wood to the bottoms of her boots. This was only done during scenes where they would be shot from the knee and up.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Dalton tries to touch Wade's face (as he is made of wax), his skin peels off and his eyes go completely up. Later, when Nick and Carly are fighting with Vincent, Wade's eyes are down.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Trudy Sinclair: You are being such a good boy. Would you like some more cereal, sweetheart? Here you go.

Movie Connections:

Features What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)

Soundtrack:

The Celebrated Chop Waltz

Pretty Realistic, Intense Violence.

House Of Wax is pretty much everything I like in a horror movie. The killers were creepy and freaky but not too over the top. The murders were genuine and realistic looking while the cinematography was great! Carly Jones (Elisha Cuthbert) and her boyfriend, Wade (Jared Padalecki) are going to the big college football game with a group of friends and her brother, Nick (Chad Michael Murray). Along the way, they get tired and look for a place to camp out for awhile and get some rest. As you can imagine, car problems end up keeping them from getting out of their hidden campsite. Carly and Wade head for the small town of Ambrose, which seems strange on the surface.

This is where the real action begins. While I admit that the movie took it's time getting to the good stuff, it was well worth the wait. The special effects department have outdone themselves. Especially when it comes to the house made of wax, itself.

I was very surprised by the low rating given by the IMDb users. I should not be, but I was. Do not be fooled. If you are into horror movies, then this one comes highly recommended. In fact, it has inspired me to see the original and will do so first chance I get. 8/10