In 1999 Joel Silver, Robert Zemeckis, and Gilbert Adler created a film production house called Dark Castle Entertainment. This production house was affiliated with Warner Brothers and wanted to remake old horror movies in the companies archives. So in 2005 the company released yet another remake of House of Wax.
What they don't know is that they have camped nearby a small town that has an supposedly infamous wax museum. During the night someone comes in and sabotages one of their cars. So the group is forced to go into the town to find a replacement part for the car.
However, when the whole town seems to be closed down for a local funeral they decide to sneak into the wax museum instead. What they expect to be just some normal wax dummies turn out to be dead bodies covered in wax. And unfortunately for them they are next in line to join the collection of wax figures.
As they try to escape the group is hunted, taunted, and tortured in many macabre and grotesque manners by the owners of the wax museum.
2005's House of Wax ditches the original film's motifs and story-line for a more modern slasher/torture style. The first installment of Saw had just come out the year prior, and horror cinema was stepping into a new realm of grotesque horror. Although House of Wax ultimately abandons it's "chiller" style roots I feel the gore pays off.
The whole movie had a creepy atmosphere that was laden with grotesque imagery. It balances the suspense and shock in a effective manner--something that 70 to 80 percent of all modern horror movies get wrong. It made me jump at the right moments and cringe as well.
The biggest downfall of this movie is its use of CGI. The movie's special effects were gross and realistic looking up until the final act of the movie. They used a lot of CGI and green screen in the last few scenes and it ends up breaking the willing suspension of disbelief. I wish they would have used models and practical effects for these final climatic moments.
Summing it Up
Deaths: 6
Language: 4
Gore Factor: 4.5
Sex Factor: 2
Scare Factor: 4
Fun Factor: 3
Overall Rating: 3.5
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