Review of House of Wax (2005) by Kyle20Ellis — 28 Mar 2022

Considering Paris Hilton was in it I was actually dreading this House of Wax. Some may wonder whether it bears any resemblance to the classic Vincent Price of the same name, other than the name it doesn't at all.

I'd rather call it a re-imagining(and an inferior one at that) in alternative to a remake. And actually, despite it not being perfect and also my fears House of Wax was not that bad. It has its flaws, Paris Hilton not helped by her shallow character was awful, a few of the characters are less likable and developed well as others, the screenplay is rather cheesy at times and while Chad Michael Murray is handsome and does appeal to you I am not entirely sure whether he convinced me as the bad boy of the group.

However, the rest of the acting is not bad at all, Elisha Cuthbert is actually very good and Brian Van Holt is downright scary as the antagonist. The characters are in a way stereotypical but they are written in a way that makes them generally somewhat likable.

House of Wax is not bad to look at either, the camera technique used I am not a fan of but actually it is used effectively and there have been far worse cases of it, but the sets and lighting are wonderfully eerie.

The story is on the formulaic side, but not dull or intelligence insulting. Other than Holt, what was impressive about House of Wax was the tense atmosphere, the imaginative and very gory deaths and also the fact that I did find myself amused or frightened throughout.

Considering what House of Wax could have been, that is an achievement. All in all, not that bad, not perfect by any stretch but much worse things have happened.