House of Wax | Review & Score

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

Ambrose used to be a nice town, before the interstate came in. Ain't that the truth. HOUSE OF WAX doesn't cover much ground as far as cliches and stories go within horror, it doesn't break any new ground. But what it does do is make a stylish little horror thriller from the stylish direction of Jaume Collet-Serra. Serra utilizes so much out of the cast and atmosphere here.

Like I said before, no new ground to cover, but if you create a stylish atmosphere out of nothing, it makes for something in the end. Sometimes less is more. This is a solid example. I love the performances, especially that of Elisha Cuthbert, Chad Michael Murray and Brian Van Holt, respectively. Holt, in particular, produces one of the more unique pairs of villains not seen much in past horror pictures.

Holt, playing two brothers, one horribly deformed and the other a smooth talking psychopath, brings out two of the absolute best performances of his career. Not only that, but one of the more memorable horror villains in my mind to this day. I've seen House of Wax numerous times, each time more visceral and engaging than before. That's what I love about horror, when the creators care.

House of Wax is a great summer horror flick to watch with your pals and/or significant others.

You'll have a sweet time with it.

4/5