Parents' Guide to

House of Wax

By Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Bloody slasher film is nothing like the original.

Movie R 2005 105 minutes
House of Wax Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 14+

Based on 10 parent reviews

age 16+
I saw this movie on television when I was 14 and it scared the life out of me. Some kids are pretty jaded but I don’t know, it’s a lot. I enjoy it as a guilty pleasure movie now as an adult.
age 13+
It's good but pretty gory

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much swearing

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (10):
Kids say (16):

This is a remake of the Vincent price film in name and gimmick only; in all other respects it's a brutal slasher film, in which pretty young people are horribly killed one by one. By the time they finally reach Ambrose, the film has already taken too long -- the first half's pacing is deliberate, as if the premise needs careful exposition, which it does not.

The climax is predictably bloody, as well as fiery (to underline the film's inconsistent religious iconography). Good twins Nick and Carly triumph over bad twins Bo and Vincent (both played by Van Holt, one with scarred, waxed over face, indication of his general sickness). Most alarming, the movie leaves open the possibility of a sequel.

Movie Details

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