House of Wax

[Haggisboy]

Being a horror movie aficionado, it’s rare that I pass up the opportunity to take in one of the genres releases either in the theatre or on DVD. However, largely because the producers of House of Wax chose to cast über airhead Paris Hilton in a supporting role, I opted to give this movie a wide berth. When the early critical buzz started building to that of a drone of flies circling a gigantic turd, I figured my judgment was sound and so never bothered to give the movie a chance. Of course, this doesn’t explain why I wasted hours of my life watching crud like Kibakichi (http://www.kibakichi.jp/) or Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis (http://www.returnofthelivingdead4and5.com/4/roltd4intro.html). I guess everybody’s entitled to some errors in judgment. It wasn’t until my cable movie network put the film into its rotation that I opted to give the movie a try, and much to my surprise, it stood out as one of the better examples of a horror thriller.

Based on the 1953 original that starred Vincent Price as a deranged psycho hell bent on turning real people into wax statues, this version’s story picks up with a bunch of college kids en route to a football game, when they become waylaid by a tandem of deranged brothers who have transformed an abandoned town into their own personal wax museum.

Following the time tested formula established by Halloween, fledgling director Jaume Collet-Serra sets about having the various members of the outing picked off, one-by-one. Nothing new here folks. However, the movie surrounds this thin excuse for a blood-fest with highly creative set design, solid acting, and a surprisingly rich (for the genre) amount of character depth, at least for the villains. Don’t get me wrong - this isn’t Shakespeare, or even Hitchcock. Hell, it isn’t even Tobe Hooper. But it is an entertaining little flick to sit in the dark and watch over a bowl of popcorn. Plus, you get the added enjoyment of watching Paris get impaled, this time by a length of pipe……. Get your minds out of the gutter!

House of Wax (official site) (http://houseofwaxmovie.warnerbros.com/)

[AntZ]

You really found it that good? I thought it was a pathetic attempt at a horror film, trying to use gore to compensate for lack of skill. I can honestly say that The Shining scares me more than the House of Wax ever will.

[Haggisboy]

You really found it that good? I thought it was a pathetic attempt at a horror film, trying to use gore to compensate for lack of skill. I can honestly say that The Shining scares me more than the House of Wax ever will.

Except that there was virtually no gore in the movie. I'm not saying it was one of the best films ever made, but within the genre, it was competant, stylish and entertaining. I was never bored throughout and, sure, you can easily predict who will survive and who will get picked off, but the movie did it with such fun and pinache that it's easy to overlook the fact that it's a formula flick.

It's unfair to compare the horror sub-genre of psycho slasher films to those of, say, the supernatural. It's like apples and oranges. You have to stay within the realm of the sub-genre to establish your benchmark.

Look at the rating I gave this movie and you'll get a better idea.

[drrevenge]

Personally it was my least favourite of the Dark Castle remakes. (My favourite is still House on Haunted Hill) Although when I went to see it at the cinema, they all cheered when she got impaled. :)