Review of House of Wax (2005) by Filipeneto — 23 Aug 2020

This film is a remake of a horror film from the Fifties which, despite its age and not being so visually striking, is more interesting from the point of view of the story it tells us. Despite this, this film gives us more or less what it intends to give us and there are a series of moments in which the film, if it is not capable of frightening, at least impresses and makes some pleasant tension.

The film begins as an ordinary teen film, with young people traveling to watch a sport match. They camp at night in the middle of a clearing but soon realize that there are people nearby. In the morning, a problem in one of the cars leads the group to ask for help in a nearby village, where a large wax museum visually stands out, totally made of wax, floor to roof, passing through all its interior. From here, we have a slasher film quite similar to so many others, where the characters trying to escape from a murderer who goes on killing them, one after another.

One thing that stands out is the number of clichés. Starting with the characters (we have the couple who only think about sex, the good-hearted hooligan, the nice girl who saves the day, the stupid boyfriend thought to be cut to pieces by the villain etc.) to the villains, one of them being a sort of clone from Jason Vorhees. The climax is somewhat predictable, however it makes good use of the fire of the 1950s film.

I think the cast did the best they could with the material they received. It is not brilliant and there are no great actors here who can provide us with inspired interpretations. On the contrary, it is a cast of strangers. Even so, I would highlight the good performance of Chad Michael Murray and Elisha Cuthbert, both very convincing and skilled in the task of giving their characters a charisma and sympathy that holds the audience's attention. Paris Hilton, famous for the worst and most uninteresting reasons, appears here as an actress, which she is not and will never be. The proof is this film, where she does nothing but sex, appear half-naked and die. In fact, most of the cast is there to be slaughtered, as usual. Brian Van Holt is the face of evil in this film and was able to truly make chills with his cynical and brutal performance.

Technically, it is a regular film, where the sets stands out for its excellent quality, in particular the wax museum, as is evident, but also the church and the villain's house, rich in details. Cinematography is good, but not surprising, and the lighting was very well done and well used to amplify tension and create the necessary suspense environment to make the film work. The deaths are very graphic and this can please fans of the gore. The characterization and make-up, in particular Vincent's, was very well done and is another element taken advantage of in the film of the 1950s. Less noticeable is the soundtrack, quite bland.