History
Horror thriller
House of Wax (2005): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Plot
House of Wax is a 2005 horror thriller directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, starring Elisha Cuthbert, Paris Hilton and Chad Michael Murray. It runs 1 hour 53 minutes and earned $68.8 million worldwide on a $40 million budget. Critics gave it 28% on Rotten Tomatoes and 41 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 5.5/10.
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- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 53m (113 min)
- Director
- Jaume Collet-Serra
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- Warner Bros. Pictures
- Budget
- $40M
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
The story
What Is House of Wax About?
The premise of House of Wax without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
While on a road trip, a group of college friends experiences car trouble and finds themselves stranded in an abandoned town. They seek shelter in a seemingly deserted wax museum, only to discover a terrifying truth about the incredibly realistic exhibits and the sinister twin owners who maintain them. The friends soon realize they are trapped and become the next targets in a deadly game.
House of Wax Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- wax
- group of friends
- brother sister relationship
- masked killer
- twins
- ghost town
- beaten to death
- siamese twins
- brother brother relationship
- glue
- finger cut off
- pet shop
+38 more Show fewer
- villain not really dead cliche
- characters murdered one by one
- problem child
- house of wax
- wax museum
- mysterious smell
- modern day adaptation
- mannequin
- wax sculpture
- sculpture
- breaking and entering
- dysfunctional family
- male female fight
- finding a dead body
- dead body hidden in a mannequin
- sadistic violence
- sadistic man
- dead body hidden in a wax figure
- lips glued together
- mask
- masked man
- shot with an arrow
- explosion
- facial injury
- scar
- facial scar
- vacation goes wrong
- wax figure
- stranded
- hiding in a movie theater
- sadistic psychopath
- stabbed to death
- bludgeoned to death
- good versus evil
- stupid victim
- violence
- undressing
- torture
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Cast & crew
House of Wax Cast
Elisha Cuthbert leads the cast, with Paris Hilton and Chad Michael Murray. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra.
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Director Jaume Collet-Serra
From the director
More from Jaume Collet-Serra
More films directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, best-rated first: Carry-On, Non-Stop, Run All Night and The Woman in the Yard.
Ratings
House of Wax Reviews & Ratings
Critics gave House of Wax 28% on Rotten Tomatoes and 41 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 5.5/10.
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IMDb 5.5 /10
See on IMDb -
Rotten Tomatoes 28% Tomatometer
Popcornmeter 44%
See on Rotten Tomatoes -
Metacritic 41 Metascore
User score 6.3
See on Metacritic -
TMDB 60% User score
See on TMDB
Plot
House of Wax Plot Summary
What happens in House of Wax from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 14 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 4-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
The film opens in 1974, showcasing a disturbing scene where a woman is preparing hot wax for making masks while her young son enjoys his breakfast in a high chair. The tranquility is shattered when the father arrives, carrying their second son, who is in a frenzy, screaming and kicking. This child, needing to be restrained in his high chair due to his violent tendencies, is unfavorably compared to his more composed brother.
Full summary
The whole story of House of Wax, scene by scene
Box office
House of Wax Box Office & Budget
House of Wax grossed $68.8 million worldwide on a $40 million budget, 1.7 times what it cost. $32.1 million came from the US and Canada and $36.7 million (53%) from the rest of the world.
Worldwide gross
$68.8M
1.7× its budget
- US & Canada
- $32.1M
- International
- $36.7M
- Budget
- $40M
US & Canada 47%
Rest of the world 53%
Videos
House of Wax Trailers & Videos
2 videos: 1 trailer and 1 clip.
- Clip Trapped Among the Wax
Quiz
How Well Do You Know House of Wax?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
In what year does the film's prologue take place?
Cars
Cars in House of Wax
23 cars on screen, including the 2005 Cadillac Escalade EXT and the 1968 Chevrolet C-Series.
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2005 Cadillac Escalade EXT Main role -
1968 Chevrolet C-Series Important role -
Chevrolet K-30 Important role -
1968 Dodge Charger Important role
Details
House of Wax Also Known As
26 alternative titles, including “Muzeum voskových figurín” and “하우스 오브 왁스”.
- Also known as
-
- Muzeum voskových figurín
- 하우스 오브 왁스
- Wax House
- Baby
- To spiti tou thanatou
- 恐怖蠟像館
- La maison de cire
- Дом восковых фигур
- La maschera di cera
- Mumya Evi
- A Casa de Cera
- La casa de cera
+14 more Show fewer
- 恐怖蜡像馆
- Viasztestek
- Dom Woskowych Ciał
- Dům voskových figurín
- בית השעווה
- Múzeum voskových figurín
- Къщата на восъка
- Casa de ceară
- Будинок воскових фігур
- บ้านหุ่นผี
- Vaško Namai
- Ngôi Nhà Sáp
- 蝋人形の館
- Το Σπίτι του Θανάτου
Seen House of Wax?
More like this
Movies Like House of Wax
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Waxwork, House and The House of the Dead.
From the blog
Articles About House of Wax
Our article about House of Wax: “The Evolution of 3D Movies: From Gimmick to Mainstream”.
FAQ
House of Wax FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Runtime
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, ratings and post-credit scenes of House of Wax, each answered in a sentence.
How long is House of Wax?
House of Wax runs 1 hour 53 minutes (113 minutes).
When was House of Wax released?
House of Wax was released on May 6, 2005.
Who directed House of Wax?
House of Wax was directed by Jaume Collet-Serra.
More films by Jaume Collet-Serra Who is in the cast of House of Wax?
House of Wax stars Elisha Cuthbert, Paris Hilton and Chad Michael Murray.
How much did House of Wax make at the box office?
House of Wax grossed $68.8 million worldwide ($32.1 million domestic, $36.7 million international) on a budget of $40 million.
How is House of Wax rated?
House of Wax has 5.5/10 on IMDb, 28% on Rotten Tomatoes, 41 on Metacritic and 60% on TMDB.
Does House of Wax have a post-credit scene?
No. House of Wax has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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