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House of Wax

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 17, age appropriate for kids over 17; suggested age 17.
  • Is it any good?

    1.0
  • Common Sense says

    Bloody slasher film is nothing like the original.

Why We Rated This not for kids

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Psychotic killers make victims into wax figures for their museum.
  • Violence:

    Brutal, bloody assaults on college-age victims.
  • Sex:

    Paris Hilton strips to underwear.
  • Language:

    Some strong language.
  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Characters drink beer and smoke cigarettes.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About House of Wax

Parents need to know that this movie contains repeated gross-out horror images, including skin ripping off faces; bodies subjected to stabbing, chopping, and piercing; girls screaming and weeping; shotguns blasting; deer carcasses rotting; bugs crawling; even a finger being cut off with wire cutters. The killers keep fetuses in jars, blame their mother, and target boys and girls equally, though Paris Hilton is the only victim to strip to her red bra and panties and give her boyfriend (off-screen, but plainly indicated) oral sex. The killer superglues one girl's mouth shut, and she cuts it open so it bleeds and she can summon help; characters drink, smoke, and use harsh language.

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Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the characters' extreme dimwittedness; and how, even for generic plotting, their willingness to explore sinister places and walk headlong into obvious trouble is remarkable. Initially at odds, Carly and her twin brother Nick learn to get along as their friends are killed off; families might discuss their display of sibling bonding, except that they are paralleled by the killer twins, once conjoined, now just thoughtlessly murderous. Families can also talk about the stereotypical representation of the villains as underclass and vaguely rural.

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Our Members Say

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    I rate this title iffy for age 14 and give it 3.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Negative role models

    • My highlights are:
    • Good role models

    HEY HEY HEY

    THIS MOVIE IS GOOD I WATCHED IT WHEN I WAS 10, I LOVED IT EVEN THE WAX GUY!!!

  2. I rate this title off for age 15 and give it 3.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence

    GRUESOME VIOLNCE

  3. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in Florida
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 4.0

    WOW!! I'm shocked...

    I Tivo-ed this movie a couple nights ago and just finished watching it. I was shocked at how decent it truly was. I was expecting just another fun throw away slasher flick, but this was more than that. This was true, edge-of-your-seat horror. Parents, Saw this film is not. Sure, there's some blood, but not gross-out gore like you would expect. There's one brief (Paris Hilton) strip scene, but it only goes up to her bra and panties, nothing more. There is some cursing, but unlike other teen screams, you don't really notice because it's not that common. And believe it or not, the ending will shock you. Plus, Paris Hilton dies in this movie. Actually, I probably should have said that at the beginning of this review because you'd already be at Blockbuster by now. But seriously, this is actually a decent horror flick, and it's definitely worth your time.

  4. Kid Reviewer Age 11
    Lives in California
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 0.0

    YAY!!!!PARIS IS DEAD!!!

    Ive never seen it but i read about it and without further ado:bye paris see u in 80 years!!!!

  5. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in California
    I rate this title off for age 13 and give it 5.0

    I loved it!

    It kept me on my toes the whole time. One of my absolute favorite movies...Not really recommended for young children, i would say.

  6. Teen Reviewer Age 16
    Lives in New Jersey
    I rate this title off for age 2 and give it 3.0

    dont waste your money

    I saw this because honestly my friend and I wanted to see how bad Paris Hilton was. Well, yes she was the worst actress. This is one of the most gory movies I've ever seen. I honestly didn't think this was good at all. There was so much blood and guts its terrible. PARENTS PLEASE DONT LET YOUR KIDS WATCH THIS! there are scenes with heads getting chopped off violently, knives and blood EVERYWHERE, and of course the fact they say f**k every 5 minutes. I don't know who in the right mind thinks this was a good movie!

  7. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Florida
    I rate this title iffy for age 17 and give it 1.0

    really dull and not scary in the least

  8. Teen Reviewer Age 16
    Lives in New York
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 2.0

    Scary so Scary

    I think Chad Micheal Murry was so hot in that heck in every thing he does.I thought he was cool in the movie. And I thought it was cool when he saved his sister I thought he was so brave.

  9. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in New Jersey
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 5.0

    my favorite movie

    house of wax is my favorite movie of all times. i'm not sure it would be good for kids yonger then 11. i'm 16 and still thought the movie was gross. alot of blood, carly[elisha] gets her finger cut off, doltin gets his head cut off by vincent, wade[jared padalecki] gets his a part of his face cut off, paige[paris hilton] gets a pole threw her head, blake gets a knife through his throat. but nothing to chad [murry] except he gets a knife through his leg at the end. so, its not for kids. but it's a very great slasher movie.

  10. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in New Jersey
    I rate this title off for age 2 and give it 4.0

    good

    not for kids under the age of 16 but a very good movie

  11. Adult Reviewer
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 5.0

    Great movie

    This movie is really good. I saw it in movie theaters with a friend and was surprised at the fact that it was not extremely violent. From the tagline (pray.slay.display.)to what the movie was about, you would think it would be very brutal and bloody, well than you'd b wrong. The movie is violent and somewhat gory, but its nothing that horror fans haven't seen before, and everyone dies in like 30 minutes. The movie has violence and some gore (including brief scenes of torture), a breif strip scene, a naked manaquine, and some language. Overall I think parents should consider what their kids can handle before watching this movie. If they have seen other R rated horror movies than this should not be a problem (this is nowhere near as bad as High Tension, that movie should have been NC-17). If your kid really wants to see it, and they have seen other R rated movies (that were R for violence) than you should let them see it, you could do much worse than letting them see this.

  12. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Michigan
    I rate this title off for age 2 and give it 1.0

  13. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Kentucky
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 5.0

    Great Slasher Flick

    This was a very good slasher flick. I give it 8.5/10. The acting was good (including Paris Hilton). I think this is acceptable to anyone in high school, as long as they have a strong stomach. The language is nothing worse than what they would hear at school (three or four f-words). The sexuality isn't that bad (a few pokes at the Paris Hilton sex tape). The movie's rated R for the violence, mainly. The language isn't that bad.

  14. Teen Reviewer Age 17
    Lives in Connecticut
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 5.0

  15. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Illinois
    I rate this title on for age 13 and give it 2.0

    sure

    it wasnt that bad. id let any teenagers see it. paris hilton is just awful. id rather no child see her strip. but the violence is not an issue for teens. and most teens have sex so i guess the sexual content is not a huge deal.

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