House of Wax

House of Wax is an unpleasantly long assembly-line product with an exceedingly modest portion of suspense, plenty of clichés and the biggest possible acting clusterfuck delivered by Paris Hilton. But the museum is nice, the digital climax is unprecedented in this genre, and a few of the murders are a real treat (I was most pleased with Elisha Cuthbert’s finger). (06/29/2005)

One of the most interesting and entertaining teenage slashers out there. It’s impossible not to think about the 70s film Tourist Trap while watching it. House of Wax is certainly worth a watch. (08/14/2007)

Routine visual wallpaper that completely lacks tension, pace, and proper narrative rhythm. The sprawling opening outlines straightforward characters that don't deviate from the established templates of contemporary teen horror, which wouldn't matter if the film didn't absolutely lack entertainment in addition to the aforementioned tension. The protagonists die in a predictable pattern without any proper directorial innovation and willingness to show the audience something new. Yes, most 15-year-olds will feel some tension, but not everyone will find a wax shower or a precisely inserted pipe to be completely enjoyable fun. It’s absolute uselessness without a single positive. (11/19/2006)

Mannequins do not break the genre boundaries, but they move in them more than well and the often criticized combination of a teenage massacre with an atmospheric horror did not bother me even a bit in local comments. When considering the ultraviolet finale, beautiful Elisha and a solid tough guy, Chad Michael Murray, it seems to me that American horror is not dead. Although I realize that this is a seasonal matter, which my favorite actors have pushed to subjectively high places for me. (07/04/2006)

A hellish portion of boredom, struggling through it is truly a skill. The idea with the wax is original, but it is fully exploited only in the last ten minutes. Paris Hilton is embarrassing, and I don't understand how anyone could cast her. The atmosphere is practically nonexistent, and there are tons of clichés at every step of the way. The resolution of the plot is also quite pathetic, and so we only witness a few impressive and brutal killings, which are truly only for stronger stomachs. The actors are traditionally awkward, and surprisingly even Elisha Cuthbert doesn't bring much in terms of acting. Inexpressive music, unbalanced direction. Stay away from this garbage. Another purely routine product, the kind of which we can see hundreds these days. (12/04/2005)

I really didn't expect anything from this movie... Nor that I'm giving it three (well, it's more like three and a half) stars. If it didn't have such a slow start, I'd go even higher. It is practically only when three quarters of an hour of the film has passed that "something real" starts to happen. But then it doesn't stop happening until the end. The brother villains (one looks like Ozzy, the other like a supporting character from La Piovra) are good, helped most by Ottman's excellent music and sometimes routine, sometimes original, direction. All the "characters" are eliminated without unnecessary fuss, which is definitely a pleasure, and lovers of nice "meaty" shots will also enjoy it.... I liked the "dissolving" finale very much (the cameraman gets top marks), as well as the nicely freaked out Elisha Cuthbert, but I liked the final wink at the viewer less, along with Paris Hilton (who, of course, did what she was supposed to do, I'll give her that). But I'm satisfied. (05/08/2010)

But even those few bright pages don't lead me to jumping from the "House of Wax Figures" to the ceiling. That it is completely different from the original wouldn't bother me so much, but that it is simply just another hillbilly horror where you watch degenerate country folk who are just crazy enough to keep the town running but crazy enough to kill everything else. No, even after a second viewing, those two hours just didn't entertain me. (07/10/2015)