House of Wax (2005 film)

Last updated
House of Wax
House Of Wax movie poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra
Screenplay by
Based on"The Wax Works"
by Charles S. Belden
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Stephen F. Windon
Edited byJoel Negron
Music by John Ottman
Production
companies
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release dates
  • April 30, 2005 (2005-04-30)(Tribeca)
  • May 6, 2005 (2005-05-06)(United States)
  • July 14, 2005 (2005-07-14)(Australia)
Running time
113 minutes [1]
Countries
  • United States
  • Australia
LanguageEnglish
Budget$40 million [2]
Box office$70.1 million [3]

House of Wax is a 2005 slasher film directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, in his feature directorial debut, and written by Chad Hayes and Carey W. Hayes. The film stars Elisha Cuthbert, Chad Michael Murray, Brian Van Holt in a dual role, Paris Hilton, Jared Padalecki, Jon Abrahams, and Robert Ri'chard. It is a remake of the 1953 film of the same name, itself a remake of the 1933 film Mystery of the Wax Museum , [4] based on the story "The Wax Works" by Charles S. Belden. The soundtrack features music by bands including Deftones, My Chemical Romance, and Interpol.

Contents

House of Wax premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and was released in United States theaters on May 6, 2005, by Warner Bros. Pictures. It grossed $70.1 million worldwide and received generally negative reviews from critics, who criticized its lack of originality, screenplay, and characters, but praised the performances and atmosphere.

Plot

On the way to a football game, Carly Jones, her brother Nick, her boyfriend Wade Felton and their friends – Dalton Chapman, Paige Edwards and Blake Johnson – set up camp for the night in a wood. A stranger in a pickup truck arrives, then leaves after Nick smashes one of his headlights. The next day, Wade discovers his car's fan belt has been severed; a local named Lester offers to drive Wade and Carly to the nearby town of Ambrose while the rest of the group head to the game.

In Ambrose, which is virtually a ghost town, Bo Sinclair offers to sell Carly and Wade a fan belt and drive them back to their car after he finishes attending a funeral. While waiting, they visit the central feature of the town: "Trudy's House of Wax", a wax museum which is itself, like everything inside, made of wax. They follow Bo to his house to get the fan belt; Carly waits in his truck while Wade goes inside to use the bathroom. Wade is knocked unconscious by Bo's twin brother, Vincent, who wears a wax mask to cover his facial disfigurement from where they were once conjoined. When Carly notices Bo's truck has a broken headlight and realizes it was he who visited the campsite, she flees, chased by Bo who catches her and takes her to the gas station cellar. Vincent covers Wade's body in molten wax.

Realizing they will not arrive at the game in time, Paige and Blake return to the campsite while Nick and Dalton arrive in Ambrose to look for Carly and Wade. When Carly attempts to call for help, Bo cuts off her fingertip. She gets Nick's attention who fends off Bo and frees Carly, while Dalton finds Wade as part of the House of Wax, restrained in his wax coating. Dalton tries to free Wade by peeling off the wax from his face, inadvertently removing his skin in the process. Vincent ambushes Dalton and slashes off a section of Wade's face, causing him to die of shock, before decapitating Dalton.

While searching the town for help, the Joneses realize that the wax figures, both in the House of Wax and placed around Ambrose to make it appear populated, are actually the wax-coated corpses of its inhabitants and visitors lured there. Vincent had been attempting to continue the wax sculpting work of his mother and the House of Wax's creator, Trudy Sinclair, after her death, but Bo began manipulating Vincent into making more realistic figures out of their victims. At the campsite, Vincent murders Blake and chases Paige into an abandoned sugar mill, where he kills her with a metal pipe. Vincent encounters the Joneses in the House of Wax basement. Nick unintentionally starts a fire causing an inferno. Upstairs, Nick battles Bo and is stabbed in the leg before Carly beats Bo to death with a baseball bat. Vincent chases Carly to the top floor where she tries to reason with him but then then stabs him in the back. Vincent falls to his death on top of Bo's corpse, while the Joneses escape as the House of Wax melts to the ground.

The next morning local authorities, having seen the smoke, arrive and report that the town had been abandoned for a decade since the sugar mill went out of business. As the Joneses are driven away in an ambulance, one of the officers is told that the Sinclair family did not have just two sons, but three. The ambulance passes by Lester, who waves the siblings goodbye while smiling.

Cast

Filming

House of Wax was filmed at Warner Bros. Movie World, Australia. The set used for the town of Ambrose was constructed a few miles down the road, off Hollindale Road, in the Guanaba area. [5]

Lawsuit

In January 2006, Village Roadshow Studios owners Village Theme Park Management and Warner Brothers Movie World Australia announced they were suing special effects expert David Fletcher and Wax Productions because of a fire on the set during production.

The $7 million lawsuit alleged that Mr. Fletcher and Wax Productions were grossly negligent over the fire, which destroyed part of the Gold Coast's Warner Bros. Movie World studios. The alleged grounds of negligence included not having firefighters on stand-by and using timber props near a naked flame. The set where the fire broke out was demolished and is now a field kept for Movie World for future projects. [6]

Release

Opening in 3,111 theaters, the film grossed $12 million in its opening weekend. House of Wax earned $70 million worldwide, [3] $32 million of which came from North American receipts. [2] House of Wax also earned $42 million in VHS/DVD rentals. [7] A marketing campaign was launched to promote the film entitled "See Paris Die", to capitalize on the appearance of Paris Hilton in the film, [8] as her casting had been met with disapproval by some horror fans. [9] The campaign promised that viewers would "See Paris Die" in the film in a gruesome fashion and Hilton created shirts featuring the slogan. [10] [11]

On July 13, 2021 a collector's edition Blu-Ray of House of Wax was released (under license from Warner Bros.) by Scream Factory [12] in the US & Canada.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 27% based on 161 reviews and the average rating is 4.29/10. The site's consensus reads, "Bearing little resemblance to the 1953 original, House of Wax is a formulaic but better-than-average teen slasher flick." [13] On Metacritic, which uses an average of critics' reviews, the film has a weighted average score of 41 out of 100 based on 36 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [14] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale. [15]

Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert gave the film two out of four stars and wrote, "House of Wax is not a good movie, but it is an efficient one and will deliver most of what anyone attending House of Wax could reasonably expect...assuming it would be unreasonable to expect very much." He said of Hilton's performance that "she is no better or worse than the typical Dead Post-Teenager and does exactly what she is required to do in a movie like this, with all the skill—admittedly finite—that is required." [16] Film critic Stephen Hunter of The Washington Post , gave the film four out of five stars, calling it a "guilty pleasure" and wrote that it gives horror fans exactly what they want. [17] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle rated it 4/5 stars and wrote, "After a month, no one will talk about this movie again. Still, with a picture like this, there is really only one question: Is it fun? Yes. Lots. Definitely." [18] Bruce Westbrook of the Houston Chronicle called it boring and poorly-acted, though he complimented Cuthbert and Murray. [19] A. O. Scott of The New York Times wrote, "The set design is fairly elaborate by the standards of the genre, and the victims don't die in precisely the order you might expect, but everything else goes pretty much according to formula". [20]

Awards and nominations

AwardCategorySubjectResultRef.
Golden Raspberry Award Worst Supporting Actress Paris Hilton Won [21]
Worst Picture Joel Silver, Robert Zemeckis & Susan Levin Nominated [22]
Worst Remake or Sequel Joel Silver, Robert Zemeckis & Susan Levin Nominated [22]
Teen Choice Awards Best Actress: Action/Adventure/Thriller Elisha Cuthbert Nominated [23]
Best Actor: Action/Adventure/Thriller Chad Michael Murray Won [24]
Best Horror Film House of WaxWon [24]
Best Scream Scene Of The Year Paris Hilton Won [24]
MTV Movie Awards Best Scared-As-Shit Performance Paris Hilton Nominated [25]
International Film Music Critics Association Best Original Score for a Horror/Thriller Film John Ottman Nominated [26]

Soundtrack

House of Wax: Music from the Motion Picture
Soundtrack album by
Various, John Ottman
ReleasedMay 3, 2005 (commercial)
May 10, 2005 (score)
Genre Soundtracks
Film scores
Alternative metal
Gothic rock
Length50:41 (commercial)
41:46 (score)
Label Varese Sarabande

House of Wax: Music from the Motion Picture is the soundtrack for House of Wax, consisting of commercially recorded songs. [27] A second album was released containing the film score composed by John Ottman, and was simply titled House of Wax. [28]

House of Wax: Music from the Motion Picture
No.TitlePerformerLength
1."Spitfire" The Prodigy featuring Juliette Lewis 5:08
2."I Never Told You What I Do for a Living" My Chemical Romance 3:52
3."Minerva" Deftones 4:17
4."Gun in Hand" Stutterfly 3:29
5."Prayer" Disturbed 3:38
6."Path to Prevail" Bloodsimple 3:17
7."Dried Up, Tied and Dead to the World" Marilyn Manson 4:15
8."Dirt" The Stooges 7:00
9."Not That Social" The Von Bondies 3:00
10."Cut Me Up" Har Mar Superstar 3:10
11."New Dawn Fades" Joy Division 4:46
12."Taking Me Alive" Dark New Day 4:43
Total length:50:41

One song from the film does not appear on the soundtrack: "Roland" by Interpol appears in the scene at the beginning of the film when the group decides to camp overnight. The song that plays during the end credits is "Helena" by My Chemical Romance.

Cancelled prequel

According to Carey Hayes, after House of Wax's release there had been discussions of developing a prequel, but these plans did not materialize due to the film's lack of success at the box office. [29]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Troy</i> (film) 2004 epic historical war film directed by Wolfgang Petersen

Troy is a 2004 epic historical war film directed by Wolfgang Petersen and written by David Benioff. Produced by units in Malta, Mexico and Britain's Shepperton Studios, the film features an ensemble cast led by Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Sean Bean, Diane Kruger, Brian Cox, Brendan Gleeson, Rose Byrne, Saffron Burrows and Orlando Bloom. It is loosely based on Homer's Iliad in its narration of the entire story of the decade-long Trojan War—condensed into little more than a couple of weeks, rather than just the quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon in the ninth year. Achilles leads his Myrmidons along with the rest of the Greek army invading the historical city of Troy, defended by Hector's Trojan army. The end of the film is not taken from the Iliad, but rather from Quintus Smyrnaeus's Posthomerica, as the Iliad concludes with Hector's death and funeral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scream queen</span> Actress known for her work in horror films

A scream queen is an actress who is prominent and influential in horror films, either through a notable appearance or recurring roles. A scream king is the male equivalent. Notable female examples include Barbara Steele, Sandra Peabody, Linda Blair, Felissa Rose, Olivia Hussey, Marilyn Burns, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Neve Campbell, Daria Nicolodi, Dee Wallace, Sarah Paulson, Vera Farmiga, Jamie Lee Curtis, Taissa Farmiga, Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Samara Weaving, Heather Langenkamp, Shawnee Smith, Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, Melissa Barrera, Naomi Scott and Linnea Quigley.

<i>The Dukes of Hazzard</i> (film) 2005 film by Jay Chandrasekhar

The Dukes of Hazzard is a 2005 American action comedy film loosely based on the television series of the same name. The film was directed by Jay Chandrasekhar and stars Johnny Knoxville, Seann William Scott, Jessica Simpson in her feature film debut, Burt Reynolds, Joe Don Baker, Lynda Carter, and Willie Nelson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dark Castle Entertainment</span> American media production label

Dark Castle Entertainment is a film, TV, and digital projects production label. It is owned by North American sports and entertainment company, OEG Inc. The firm is led by co-CEOs Hal Sadoff and Norman Golightly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Jee-woon</span> South Korean filmmaker (born 1964)

Kim Jee-woon is a South Korean film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was a theater actor and director before debuting with his self-written and directed film, The Quiet Family in 1998. Kim has worked with increasing levels of success in cinema, showing accomplished acting and a detailed stylization in his films. He is currently one of the most recognized screenwriters/directors in the Korean film industry.

<i>The Real Thing</i> (Bo Bice album) 2005 studio album by Bo Bice

The Real Thing is the first album by American recording artist Bo Bice. It was released on December 13, 2005, through RCA Records and sold 227,000 copies in its first week, debuting at #4 on the Billboard 200 album chart. A DualDisc was also released, with a DVD side along with the CD side. The DVD included hidden tracks and a short film, A Day in the Life of Bo Bice.

<i>Love Dont Cost a Thing</i> (film) 2003 American film

Love Don't Cost a Thing is a 2003 American teen comedy film written and directed by Troy Beyer and starring Nick Cannon and Christina Milian. It also stars Steve Harvey, Kenan Thompson, and Kal Penn. The film is a remake of the 1987 film Can't Buy Me Love and takes on its title from the Jennifer Lopez song of the same name. The remake was not produced by Disney.

Brad Alan Grey was an American television and film producer. He co-founded Brillstein-Grey Entertainment, and afterwards became the chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures, a position he held from 2005-2017. Grey graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Management. Under Grey's leadership, Paramount finished No. 1 in global market share in 2011 and No. 2 domestically in 2008, 2009, and 2010, despite releasing significantly fewer films than its competitors. He also produced eight out of Paramount's 10 top-grossing films of all time after having succeeded Sherry Lansing in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Light District Video</span> American pornographic film studio

Red Light District Video (RLD) is an American independent pornographic film studio headquartered in Chatsworth, California.

The Stinkers Bad Movie Awards was a Los Angeles–based group of film buffs and film critics devoted to honoring the worst films of the year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bolloré</span> French conglomerate

Bolloré SE is a French conglomerate headquartered in Puteaux, on the western outskirts of Paris, France. Founded in 1822, the company has interests in Vivendi, international freight forwarding, oil storage and pipelines in France, solid state batteries, access control systems for buildings, palm oil and rubber in Asia and Africa, olive groves in the US and wine production in France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paris Hilton</span> American media personality (born 1981)

Paris Whitney Hilton is an American media personality, businesswoman, socialite, model, singer, actress, and DJ. Born in New York City and raised there and in Los Angeles, she is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton, the founder of Hilton Hotels. She first attracted tabloid attention in the late 1990s for her presence in NYC's social scene, ventured into fashion modeling in 2000, and was proclaimed "New York's leading It Girl" in 2001. The reality television series The Simple Life (2003–2007), in which she co-starred with her friend Nicole Richie, and a leaked 2003 sex tape with her then-boyfriend Rick Salomon, later released as 1 Night in Paris (2004), catapulted her to global fame.

<i>12 Rounds</i> (film) 2009 film by Renny Harlin

12 Rounds is a 2009 American action film directed by Renny Harlin and produced by WWE Studios. The cast is led by John Cena, alongside Aidan Gillen, Steve Harris, Gonzalo Menendez, Brian J. White, Ashley Scott, and Taylor Cole. The film was released to theaters in the United States on March 27, 2009. The film received generally negative reviews.

<i>Arthur</i> (2011 film) 2011 romantic comedy film directed by Jason Winer

Arthur is a 2011 American romantic comedy film written by Peter Baynham and directed by Jason Winer. It is a remake of the 1981 film of the same name written and directed by Steve Gordon. Its story follows Arthur, a wealthy and alcoholic philanderer who, after a drunken run in with the law, is forced by his mother to marry Susan, a suitable spouse, or else he will be stripped of his inheritance. But things suddenly become complicated once he meets and falls in love with a free-spirited woman named Naomi. It stars Russell Brand, Helen Mirren, and Jennifer Garner.

A one-shot film is a full-length movie filmed in one long take by a single camera, or manufactured to give the impression it was.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warner Bros. Studio Tours</span> Public attractions

Warner Bros. Studio Tours are a pair of public attractions owned and run by Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacqueline (restaurant)</span> Restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Jacqueline is a seafood restaurant serving Pacific Northwest cuisine in Portland, Oregon. The restaurant was established in 2016 and has an aquatic theme.

References

  1. ↑ "HOUSE OF WAX (15)". British Board of Film Classification . 2005-05-03. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 2013-04-15.
  2. 1 2 "House of Wax (2005)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 2020-06-24. Retrieved 2007-06-17.
  3. 1 2 "House of Wax (2005)". The Numbers . Archived from the original on 2016-03-31. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
  4. ↑ Jowlabar, Sharmila. "House of Horrors". Tribute . Archived from the original on 2016-02-03. Retrieved 2016-01-26.
  5. ↑ "House of Wax (2005) Film Locations - Global Film Locations". 25 April 2016. Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  6. ↑ Sampson, Mike (2004-06-28). "House of Wax burns down Warner Bros sound stages". Joblo. Archived from the original on 2006-11-05. Retrieved 2010-04-08– via The Courier Mail.
  7. ↑ "House of Wax Box Office & Rental Numbers". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 2007-06-05. Retrieved 2007-06-17.
  8. ↑ "Remembering How Moviegoers Got Psyched to "See Paris Die" in House of Wax". E! Online. 2020-05-06. Archived from the original on 2022-04-12. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
  9. ↑ Squires, John (2017-05-30). "Kill of the Week: Paris Hilton Dies in 'House of Wax'". Bloody Disgusting!. Archived from the original on 2022-04-12. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
  10. ↑ "House Of Wax: How Paris Hilton Shaped The Movie's Viral Marketing". ScreenRant. 2020-06-09. Archived from the original on 2022-04-12. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
  11. ↑ Burke, Michael (2017-11-27). The Routledge Handbook of Stylistics. Routledge. ISBN   978-1-317-74719-2.
  12. ↑ "Scream Factory Sets July 13 Date for Collector's Blu-ray for 2005's 'House of Wax,' With Paris Hilton – Media Play News". 10 June 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
  13. ↑ "House of Wax (2005)". Rotten Tomatoes . Archived from the original on January 4, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  14. ↑ House of Wax reviews, archived from the original on August 20, 2018, retrieved June 11, 2019
  15. ↑ "House of Wax – CinemaScore". CinemaScore.com. Archived from the original on 2020-02-12. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  16. ↑ Ebert, Roger (2005-05-05). "House of Wax". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on 2015-05-11. Retrieved 2015-06-17.
  17. ↑ Hunter, Stephen (2005-05-06). "'House of Wax': Come On In, The Horror's Fine". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on 2016-02-03. Retrieved 2016-01-26.
  18. ↑ LaSalle, Mick (2005-05-06). "From waxy buildup to final meltdown, a scary but fun ride". San Francisco Chronicle . Archived from the original on 2016-02-01. Retrieved 2016-01-26.
  19. ↑ Westbrook, Bruce (August 5, 2005). "House of Wax". Houston Chronicle . Archived from the original on March 29, 2008. Retrieved September 7, 2007.
  20. ↑ Scott, A. O. (2005-05-06). "House of Wax: Paris Hilton and Friends, Pursued by Maniacs With a Fondness for Wax". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 2015-10-24. Retrieved 2016-10-24.
  21. ↑ Finlay, Janie (2006-03-05). "Razzies pluck 2005 movie turkeys". BBC News . Archived from the original on 2016-02-04. Retrieved 2016-01-26.
  22. 1 2 "Sequels and remakes get Razzie nods". United Press International . 2006-01-30. Archived from the original on 2016-02-01. Retrieved 2016-01-26.
  23. ↑ "FOX Announces Nominees for "The 2005 Teen Choice Awards"". The Futon Critic . 2005-06-01. Archived from the original on 2013-07-12. Retrieved 2016-01-26.
  24. 1 2 3 "'Notebook' wins eight Teen Choice awards". USA Today . Associated Press. 2005-08-15. Archived from the original on 2016-02-03. Retrieved 2016-01-26.
  25. ↑ "Virgin on Top for MTV Movie Awards". Spin . 2006-04-24. Archived from the original on 2016-02-01. Retrieved 2016-01-26.
  26. ↑ "2005 IFMCA Awards". International Film Music Critics Association . 3 January 2009. Archived from the original on 2016-02-23. Retrieved 2016-01-26.
  27. ↑ "House of Wax commercial soundtrack". Soundtrackinfo. Archived from the original on 2008-04-17. Retrieved 2010-06-29.
  28. ↑ "House of Wax orchestral score soundtrack". Soundtrackinfo. Archived from the original on 2010-11-29. Retrieved 2010-06-29.
  29. ↑ Cavanaugh, Patrick (September 8, 2020). "House of Wax Reboot Writers Had Hoped to Develop a Prequel". ComicBook.com . Archived from the original on January 14, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.