House of Wax (2005)

Director:

Jaume Collet-Serra

Writers (WGA):

Charles Belden (story)
Chad Hayes (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

6 May 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Gejagt. Ermordet. Zur Schau gestellt. (Hunted.Murdered.Displayed.)

Plot:

A group of unwitting teens are stranded near a strange wax museum and soon must fight to survive and keep from becoming the next exhibit.

Plot Keywords:

Wax | Fight | Small Town | Traffic Jam | Car Trouble

Awards:

5 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Elisha Cuthbert	...	Carly Jones
Chad Michael Murray	...	Nick Jones
Brian Van Holt	...	Bo / Vincent
Paris Hilton	...	Paige Edwards
Jared Padalecki	...	Wade
Jon Abrahams	...	Dalton Chapman
Robert Ri'chard	...	Blake
Dragicia Debert	...	Trudy Sinclair (as Dragitsa Debert)
Thomas Adamson	...	Young Bo
Murray Smith	...	Dr. Victor Sinclair
Sam Harkess	...	Young Vincent
Damon Herriman	...	Roadkill Driver
Andy Anderson	...	Sheriff
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Emma Lung	...	Jennifer (uncredited)
Kendal Rae	...	Sexy Girl (uncredited)

Directed by
Jaume Collet-Serra

Writing credits (WGA)
Charles Belden		(story)
Chad Hayes		(screenplay) &
Carey Hayes		(screenplay) (as Carey W. Hayes)

Produced by
Bruce Berman	....	executive producer
Susan Downey	....	producer (as Susan Levin)
Herb Gains	....	executive producer (as Herbert W. Gains)
Richard Mirisch	....	co-producer
Erik Olsen	....	associate producer
Steve Richards	....	executive producer
Joel Silver	....	producer
Robert Zemeckis	....	producer

Original Music by
John Ottman

Cinematography by
Stephen F. Windon		(director of photography) (as Stephen Windon)

Film Editing by
Joel Negron

Casting by
Mary Gail Artz
Barbara Cohen

Production Design by
Graham 'Grace' Walker

Art Direction by
Brian Edmonds		(supervising art director)
Nicholas McCallum

Set Decoration by
Beverley Dunn

Costume Design by
Alex Alvarez
Graham Purcell

Makeup Department
Karen Adcock	....	wax hair technician (as Karen Adcock-Kelly)
Paige Badenoch	....	additional makeup artist
Jason Baird	....	prosthetic effects supervisor
Jason Baird	....	wax body supervisor
Kate Birch	....	wax hair technician (as Kate Birch)
Bert Burless	....	wax technician
Rosalina Da Silva	....	key makeup artist
Sean Genders	....	wax technician
Tina Gordon	....	wax hair technician
Dave Grasso	....	special makeup effects artist (as David Grasso)
Karen Grose	....	wax coordinator
Michael Henry	....	wax technician
Grady Holder	....	makeup effects technician: K.N.B. EFX Group
Simon Joseph	....	wax hair technician
Adam Kealy	....	wax technician
Grant Lehman	....	wax technician
Maree McDonald	....	hair stylist: second unit
Maree McDonald	....	makeup artist: second unit
Antony McMullen	....	air brush artist: wax department
Anita Morgan	....	key hair stylist
Anita Morgan	....	key makeup artist
Steve Parker	....	airbrush technician
Michelle Ritchie	....	wax hair technician
Kym Sainsbury	....	wax hair supervisor
Andy Schoneberg	....	special makeup effects artist
Shane Thomas	....	key hair stylist
Shane Thomas	....	key hair stylist
Kevin Wasner	....	special makeup effects artist
Howard Berger	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)
Justin Ditter	....	wig maker (uncredited)

Production Management
Troy Clarke	....	unit manager
Bill Draper	....	executive in charge of production
Mick Dray	....	assistant unit manager
Herb Gains	....	unit production manager
Sharon Miller	....	unit production manager
Jamie Whitfield	....	unit manager: second unit
Barbara Russo	....	post-production executive (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Julie Burton	....	third assistant director: second unit
William H. Burton	....	second unit director (as Billy Burton)
Miranda Colman	....	third assistant director
Jamie Crooks	....	first assistant director
Tony Edwards	....	second assistant director: second unit
Tim Hughes	....	second second assistant director
Ian Kenny	....	first assistant director: second unit (as Ian 'Hood' Kenny)
Wade Savage	....	first assistant director: second unit
Paul Sullivan	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Axel Bartz	....	set designer
Dianne Bennett	....	head greens (as Di Bennett)
Joshua Black	....	set finisher
Bob Booker	....	property master
Tom Brkich	....	painter
Les Brough	....	signwriter
Wendy Buick	....	graphic designer
Daniel Cairns	....	stand-by props: second unit
Graeme Callander	....	storyboard artist
Jac Charlton	....	set dresser
James Colmer	....	concept illustrator
Dane Eade	....	set builder
Craig Fison	....	sculptor
Dave Franks	....	assistant property master
Suzie Freeman	....	art department accountant (as Suzie McLean)
Christopher Glass	....	concept illustrator
Julia Holden	....	storyboard artist
Klaus Kastberg	....	model maker
Mark Kennedy	....	stand-by painter
Yoomin Lee	....	assistant art department coordinator
David Nimmo	....	set designer
Steve Parker	....	painter
Matthew Putland	....	set dresser
Russell Sharp	....	wax department sculptor
Gary Sherline	....	head propmaker
Hayon Simmons	....	stand-by props
Dilys Tan	....	art department coordinator
Brent Tasker	....	stand-by greens
Heidi Tuchscherer	....	assistant construction coordinator
Kerry Turnbull	....	assistant art director
Nick Walker	....	scenic artist
Jack Watford	....	construction coordinator
Paula Whiteway	....	set designer
Harry Zettel	....	stand-by props
Tim Allen	....	miniatures (uncredited)
Enrico Altmann	....	assistant painter (uncredited)
Phillip Beadsmoore	....	wax sculptor (uncredited)

Sound Department
Richard Adrian	....	sound designer
Richard Adrian	....	supervising sound editor
Christopher Alba	....	first assistant sound editor
Paul 'Salty' Brincat	....	sound mixer
Sean Byrne	....	sound re-recordist
David E. Campbell	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Dave Campbell)
Rod Conder	....	boom operator
Scott Curtis	....	supervising foley editor
André Dias	....	dubbing editor
Julia Evershade	....	supervising adr editor
Stephanie Flack	....	supervising dialogue editor
Mark Johnston	....	sound recordist
Larry Kemp	....	foley editor
Eddie Kim	....	sound effects editor
Mary Jo Lang	....	foley mixer
Mark Larry	....	sound effects editor
Eric Lindemann	....	sound effects editor (as Eric Warren Lindemann)
Nicole Miller	....	sound assistant
Alyson Dee Moore	....	foley artist
James Morioka	....	sound effects editor
Thomas J. O'Connell	....	adr mixer (as Thomas O'Connell)
James Azizi Penny	....	assistant sound editor
Troy Porter	....	adr mixer
John T. Reitz	....	sound re-recording mixer (as John Reitz)
John Roesch	....	foley artist
Gregg Rudloff	....	sound re-recording mixer
Ann Scibelli	....	sound effects editor
Donald L. Warner Jr.	....	foley editor (as Donald L. Warner)
Nathan Whitehead	....	assistant sound editor

Special Effects by
Peter Armstrong	....	special effects senior technician
Bruce Bright	....	special effects supervisor
Leanne Brooks	....	special effects office coordinator
Simon Buckley	....	special effects technician
Greg Dennison	....	special effects senior technician
David Fletcher	....	special effects coordinator
Sebastian Foxx	....	special effects assistant
Dean Franklin	....	special effects technician
Richard Howie	....	special effects senior technician
Matt Keogh	....	special effects technician
Jim Leng	....	special effects technician
Steven Munson	....	mold/technical department: K.N.B. EFX Group
Greg Oliver	....	special effects technician
James Paul	....	special effects technician
Kym Sainsbury	....	prosthetics
Robert Schoch	....	special effects technician
Adrian Seabert	....	special effects technician
Mark Stone	....	special effects technician
Julian Summers	....	special effects technician
Rob Suttie	....	special effects senior technician
Rebecca Thiele	....	special effects technician
Kevin Turner	....	senior special effects technician
Patricia Urias	....	special effects: foam department
Lindsay Vivian	....	special effects runner
Jenny Wallace	....	special effects buyer
Sharron Williams	....	special effects assistant
Kent Willis	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
John B. Anderson	....	shading supervisor
Adam Avery	....	visual effects editor
John Breslin	....	visual effects supervisor
Andrew Butler	....	digital effects artist
Angus Cameron	....	compositor
Angus Cameron	....	digital effects supervisor
Ean Carr	....	compositor
Mark Chataway	....	visual effects
Craig Clarke	....	digital compositor
Sam Cole	....	digital compositor
Tony Cole	....	digital effects artist
Dean Cranney	....	technical support
Chris Davies	....	digital compositor
Chris Dawson	....	motion control operator
Dale Duguid	....	visual effects designer
Dale Duguid	....	visual effects production manager
Simon Dye	....	compositor
Dane Eade	....	miniatures maker
Elisa Esteban	....	CG effects artist
Suzanne Evans-Booth	....	visual effects coordinator
Matt Greig	....	digital compositor
Richard David Hall	....	digital compositor
Jayne Herrmann	....	digital effects coordinator: Photon
Mike Kelly	....	visual effect assistant
Nicky Ladas	....	IT manager
Evans Mark	....	digital artist
Mark Masson	....	tracking supervisor: Photon VFX
Damon Milman	....	technical director
Ben Morgan	....	digital compositor
Shelly Morrow	....	digital compositor
Catherine Nelson	....	digital compositor
Jim O'Hagan	....	digital compositor: PhotonVFX
Julian Parry	....	visual effects supervisor
Kim Pearce	....	senior systems administrator
Stuart Pearson	....	visual effects color timer
Eric Person	....	digital effects colorist: Photon VFX
Eric Person	....	scanning supervisor: Photon VFX
Price Pethel	....	digital intermediate colorist (as Michael Price Pethel)
Cheryl Potter	....	visual effects editor
Loren Robinson	....	digital compositor
Jennifer Lee Scheer	....	digital compositor
Matt Sloan	....	on-set match mover
Murray Smallwood	....	digital compositor
Cameron Smith	....	digital compositor: Photon VFX
Sean Steinmuller	....	lead animator
Craig Stevenson	....	CG effects artist
Michele Stewart	....	visual effects bidding producer: Photon VFX
Daniel Sunwoo	....	compositor
Elizabeth Symes	....	visual effects producer
Kat Szuminska	....	digital effects production supervisor
Mark Tamny	....	compositor
Catherine Tate	....	digital compositor
Bridget M. Taylor	....	digital compositor: Photon VFX
Greg Tuckwell	....	art director: miniatures
Louis Turcot	....	digital effects artist
Randy Vellacott	....	digital compositor
Donna Wallace	....	visual effects production accountant
Martin Wiseman	....	digital effects production manager
Paul Booth	....	visual effects editor (uncredited)
Mark Nettleton	....	compositor (uncredited)
Derek Wentworth	....	compositor (uncredited)

Stunts
Danny Baldwin	....	stunt coordinator: Australia
Sue Baldwin	....	stunts
Melissa Barker	....	stunts
Keir Beck	....	key stunt rigger
Bradd Buckley	....	stunts
William H. Burton	....	stunt coordinator (as Billy Burton)
Steve Daddow	....	stunts (as Stephen Daddow)
Nicole Downs	....	stunts (as Nicole Downes)
Steve Harman	....	stunts
Bob Hicks	....	stunt coordinator
Brendan Jakins	....	stunt rigger
Rick MacLure	....	stunts
Jacob Moana	....	stunts
Angela Moore	....	stunt double
Victor Parascos	....	stunts
Darko Tuscan	....	stunts (as Darko Tuskan)
Annette Van Moorsel	....	stunts
Mick Van Moorsel	....	stunts
Ron Vreeken	....	stunts
Lana Williams	....	safety officer

Camera and Electrical Department
Tov Belling	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Craig Bryant	....	best boy electric: second unit
Ricki Byrne	....	clapper loader: second camera, second unit (as Riki Byrne)
Simon Chapman	....	director of photography: documentary
Simon Cooke	....	dolly grip
Simon Currie	....	video split operator
Karl Engeler	....	gaffer
Charlie Fergusson	....	clapper loader: second unit
Greg Gilbert	....	Steadicam operator
Greg Gilbert	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Simon Harding	....	camera operator: second unit
Billy Harmer	....	grip: miniture unit
Gillian Huxley	....	stand-by rigger
Benn Hyde	....	key grip
Ben King	....	clapper loader
Adam Kuiper	....	key grip
Adam Kuiper	....	key grip: second unit
Warren Lazarides	....	assistant camera
Maurice McKay	....	best boy grip: second unit
Cameron Murchison	....	clapper loader
Ben Nott	....	camera operator: second unit
Mick O'Brien	....	gaffer: second unit
Phil Pastuhov	....	aerial director of photography
Troy Reichman	....	clapper loader: second camera, second unit
Benjamin Relf	....	video split operator
Melinda Rickman	....	clapper loader: second unit
Ricky Schamburg	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera (as Ricky Shamburg)
Stewart Sorby	....	rigging gaffer
Marc Spicer	....	camera operator
Marc Spicer	....	camera operator: "a" camera
Marc Spicer	....	director of photography: second unit
Joe Stick	....	rigging best boy
Matt Toll	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
Vince Valitutti	....	still photographer
Anthony Veith	....	best boy
Mark Wareham	....	camera operator: second unit
Jayden York	....	libra head technician

Casting Department
Judith Cruden	....	extras casting
Mia Levinson	....	casting associate
Tom McSweeney	....	casting: Australia
Trish Wallace	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Wendy Asher	....	costume buyer
Mary Lou Da Roza	....	costume buyer
Amanda Enders	....	stand-by costumes
Louise Hogg	....	stand-by costume: second unit
Elly Kamal	....	costume supervisor
Helen Maggs	....	stand-by costumes
Gabrielle Nagy	....	costume coordinator
Emma Shakes	....	costume props
Karen Thorn	....	costume buyer
Samantha Walker	....	set costumer
Samantha Walker	....	stand-by costumes

Editorial Department
Michel Aller	....	first assistant editor (as Michel Markus)
Nicholas Hasson	....	digital intermediate editor
Mo Henry	....	negative cutter
Mandy Jacobs	....	assistant editor
Jackie Lee	....	digital intermediate producer
David Orr	....	color timer
Price Pethel	....	digital intermediate colorist (as Michael Price Pethel)
Clay Rawlins	....	assistant editor
Erik Rogers	....	digital intermediate producer
Keith Shaw	....	colorist: mastering
Mike Chiado	....	digital intermediate effects (uncredited)
Bill Daly	....	post-production executive (uncredited)

Music Department
Rick Giovinazzo	....	orchestrator
Amanda Goodpaster	....	music editor
Bruce Harvey	....	conductor
Damon Intrabartolo	....	conductor
Jonathan Klein	....	assistant music editor
John Ottman	....	orchestrator
John Ottman	....	score producer
Robert Puff	....	music preparation
Casey Stone	....	music scoring mixer
Casey Stone	....	score recording engineer
Greg Hamilton	....	additional music preparer (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Tapio Piitulainen	....	picture car coordinator

Other crew
Kathleen Adam	....	production aide
Blake Archer	....	location manager
Aaron Auch	....	assistant: Mr. Silver
Angelique Badenoch	....	production secretary
Sim Bajaj	....	assistant: Mr. Silver
Jason Bellitto	....	assistant: Mr. Murray
Adam Bitterman	....	adr voice
Karen Bull	....	accounting assistant
Mark Cleary	....	technician
Kyle Cooper	....	title sequence: executive producer
Steve Courtney	....	engineer
David Cowan	....	craft service: second unit
Enfys Dickinson	....	manager
Traci Duxbury	....	production aide
Frank J. Ellison	....	production accountant
Ethan Erwin	....	assistant: Ms. Levin
Tanya Fraser	....	assistant production office coordinator
Ian Freeman	....	assistant location manager
Vickie Gest	....	unit nurse: second unit
Karen Grose	....	prosthetic artist
Judy Hallin	....	second unit coordinator
Katie Harris	....	unit nurse
Kelly Helstrom	....	staff production coordinator: Warner Bros.
Dean Hood	....	insurance accountant
Polly Johnsen	....	studio executive (uncredited)
Luke Kelly	....	production runner
Jennifer L'Huillier	....	script supervisor: second unit
Nicholle Leahy	....	assistant accountant
Sally Mann	....	payroll supervisor
Campbell Maynes	....	production assistant
Paul McCloskey	....	assistant: Mr. Richards
Sarah Meyer	....	production aide
Paul Norris	....	craft service
Toni Pearson	....	first assistant accountant
Monique Perez	....	assistant: Mr. Zemeckis
Kate Powell	....	assistant: Mr. Gains
Keith Rae	....	wax figure technical advisor
Sean Rigby	....	safety supervisor
Vanessa Rose	....	production assistant
Nicola Scarrott	....	production aide
Kara Scobey	....	assistant: Mr. Collet-Serra
Fiona Searson	....	publicist
Tamara Seeck	....	assistant: Mr. Collet-Serra
Bruce Shapiro	....	dialogue coach
Holly Smith	....	assistant: Ms. Levin
Deanne Stratford	....	production coordinator
Kayne Tumahai	....	production aide: second unit
Sarah Jane Walsh	....	assistant: Ms. Cuthbert
Jo Weeks	....	script supervisor
Prudence Williams	....	assistant accountant
Karyn Zlatkovic-Durbin	....	office assistant
Vanessa Rose	....	intern (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros
• Village Roadshow Pictures (in association with)
• Dark Castle Entertainment

Distributors

• Warner Bros (2005) (USA) (theatrical)
• Fox-Warner (2005) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Garsu Pasaulio Irasai (2005) (Lithuania) (theatrical)
• Golden Village (2005) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. Entertainment (2005) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2005) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2005) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2005) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2005) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2005) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2005) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Warner Brothers (2005) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Warner Sogefilms S.A. (2005) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Veronica (2008) (Netherlands) (TV)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (Canada) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (Germany) (DVD) (HD-DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (Finland) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (UK) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (UK) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (UK) (DVD) (HD-DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD) (HD-DVD)

Special Effects

• Photon VFX (visual effects) (miniatures and miniature photography)
• K.N.B. Effects Group (special make-up effects)
• Pacific Title (opticals)

Other Companies

• Atlab  film processing (as Atlab Queensland)
• Bastyr University  score recorded at
• Bimmini Special Effects Studios  concept illustration
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  dollies
• Maverick Records  soundtrack released by
• Motion Picture Lighting  lighting
• Pacific Title  opticals
• Panavision  cameras and lenses
• Pivotal Post  Avid editing equipment provided by
• Post Lounge, The  telecine
• Prologue Films  main and end title sequence designed by (as Prologue)
• Technicolor  prints
• Varèse Sarabande  score album

Also Known As:

"Wax House, Baby" - USA (alternative title)

MPAA:

Rated R for horror violence, some sexual content and language

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

Australia | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Brazil:18 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Czech Republic:12 | Germany:18 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:16 | Norway:18 | Singapore:R21 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Chile:14 | Germany:16 (cut) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:18A (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) | Hong Kong:III (uncut) | Portugal:M/16 | Taiwan:R-18 | Finland:K-18 (self applied) | Philippines:R-13 (cut) | France:-16 | Malaysia:18SG | Iceland:16 | Canada:18A | New Zealand:R16 | Singapore:NC-16 (video rating) (cut) | Netherlands:16 | South Korea:18 | Japan:R-15

Filming Locations:

Australia

Company:

Warner Bros

Trivia:

In the movie theatre where Carly and Nick are hiding, most of the wax figures were actually extras wearing masks.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Carly first sees the reflection of the man in the mirror, she is standing directly in front of it. When she is explaining to Wade what she saw, she is alternately standing further away from, then closer to the mirror.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Trudy Sinclair:You are being such a good boy. Would you like some more cereal, sweetheart? Here you go.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Jeopardy!: 2005 College Championship Semifinal 1 (#22.46)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

Not That Social

Home Sweet Home

I do not think I am alone when I say that 2005 has not been particularly kind to the horror genre. While "Cursed", "Hide and Seek", "The Ring Two", and "The Amityville Horror" all showed glimpses of interest and potential, there have been more misses than hits. For proof, see: "White Noise", "Boogeyman", "The Jacket", "Mindhunters", and "Alone in the Dark". Imagine my surprise when "House of Wax", tightly written by siblings Chad and Carey Hayes, turned out to be... well, a surprise.

Carly Jones (Elisha Cuthbert) is a young woman, traveling with her trouble-making brother, Nick (Chad Michael Murray), and boyfriend, Wade (Jared Padalecki). They are, along with Paige (Paris Hilton), Blake (Robert Ri'chard), and Dalton (Jon Abrahams), hoping to score tickets to the final football game of the season. Along the way, they run into some car trouble, and are forced to enter a desolate town where nothing is what it appears to be.

Upon hearing of this, a remake of the classic Vincent Price B-movie, I rolled my eyes. I did not even want to think about what disaster freshman director Jaume Serra had cooked up for his audience. In a time when most high-profile horror films are disappointments, latent with bad writing, static direction, and amateur acting, I consider myself lucky that Serra and the Hayes brothers took it upon themselves to make a good, old-fashioned, spook fest. Unlike the disappointments that I named before, this flick pulls no punches, and uses every cinematic trick in the book to give everyone exactly what they came for.

I am happy that the Hayes' actually took the time and effort to create likable and believable characters, thus making the events that much more urgent. It also gives the young actors portraying them something grip on. As she did in "The Girl Next Door", Elisha Cuthbert proves to audiences what a skilled actress she really is. In the 2003 remake of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", Jessica Biel silenced naysayers by delivering a raw and emotional performance, one that put the viewer right there with her. Here, Cuthbert does the same. Chad Michael Murray ("A Cinderella Story"), in one of his first more mature roles, is no slacker as Nick. Murray exudes charisma and a hard edge, as well as some impressive athleticism on top of it. Murray and Cuthbert gel perfectly, and have tangible, familial chemistry.

More so than anything else, the press and the American public have made a field day about Paris Hilton's major acting debut. As I expected, Hilton does not embarrass herself. In fact, she is just as good as anyone else in the movie (do with that what you will). Like Cuthbert and Murray, Hilton has screen presence. She is sexy and playful. I cannot think one of reason why she's gotten the worst of the film's harsh reception, other than they are simply picking on her. Jared Padalecki (TV's 'Gilmore Girls') memorably manages to overcome his underwritten role. Robert Ri'chard (TV's 'Cousin Skeeter') and Jon Abrahams ("Meet the Parents") do not have much to work with, but get the job done. With only one scene, Damon Herriman ("Soar") makes an unforgettable impression, and his presence hangs over the rest of the film. Finally, Brian Van Holt ("Basic") is superb and threatening in a dual role.

Once more, kudos must go to the screenwriters for avoiding clichés whenever possible. Despite popular opinion, "House of Wax" is quite unpredictable for a majority of its running time. Take this for example: It seems as if the killer is down for the count and Carly bends down to retrieve something from his pockets. What do you expect to happen? See the movie, and you will understand what I mean. It is also refreshing to see a horror film in which the characters show even a modicum of good sense.

Unlike most horror scores, John Ottman's exhilarating work never distracts. However, as with Dark Castle's other releases, the visual aspects of "Wax" are award-worthy, and lift the film above its genre trappings. The talents of cinematographer Stephen F. Windon, production designer Graham Walker, art director Nicholas McCallum, and editor Joel Negron highlight the ghoulish imagery. Speaking of imagery, I believe that the gore hounds will be thrilled with the many makeup effects and tricks in store here. Each death scene is more stomach churning than the last. Considering his past in music videos and commercials, it is obvious that Jaume Serra has a great eye for style. His "in-your-face" approach is a great asset to this film's success. Just when you think the camera will turn away, it does not. He is also particularly good a building thick layers of dread and atmosphere. One standout shot is our introduction to the killer, as he slowly emerges from a trap door.

In a case like this, I would usually admit when I am in the minority (Shut up, okay? I liked "House of 1000 Corpses"!). In this case, I firmly that the detractors have gotten it wrong. I am not sure why people are so hard on this film, considering it's much better than recent genre entries. Maybe they're afraid to admit that a horror flick starring Paris Hilton could possibly be worth watching... Who knows? This is a horror film, and a commendably stylish and effective one at that. As a lifelong horror fan, all I can say is that I thoroughly enjoyed "House of Wax", in all of its lurid and sadistic glory. I safely consider it a great accomplishment in modern horror, as well as (along with "Sin City") the first completely satisfying release of 2005.