House of Wax MPAA Rating: R Entertainment: +1 Content: -3

This remake of the 1953 horror flick begins with six teens on a road trip to a college football game. On the way, they stop to camp in the woods. When a fan belt mysteriously breaks the next day, they hitch a ride with a creepy man he disposes of road kill for a living to the small town of Athelston, which seems unusually quiet. As the kids explore, they come upon a wax museum and, still not seeing anybody, go inside. They discover that all of the wax people are unknowns, not famous people as expected. It turns out that the figures in the museum are the lifelike remains of abducted victims who were covered alive in wax. The only thing that matters to the teens now is getting out of town before they too become an exhibit in the House of Wax. Staring Elisha Cuthbert, Chad Michael Murray, Paris Hilton, Jared Padalecki and Jon Abrahams.

After a rather mild beginning, the foul language and violence progress along with the story until it erupts into a smorgasbord of gruesome murders, bad language and sex. Another progression is the steady disappearance of characters, which isnt entirely unpleasant as several cases of bad acting are eliminated. While the violence is brutal and creative, poor special effects take some of the edge off of the bloodiest scenes. One girl has a spear pierced through her head, and another has her finger removed with a pair of pliers. While an attempt is made to free wax-encased people, their skin is pulled off along with the wax. The museum itself is made of wax, which makes for an interesting element when it catches on fire and then melts into a pool of wax. Paris Hilton, of course, may attract teenage boys to this movie, which is not recommended for teens or anyone else.

Preview Reviewer: Alan Boyer
Distributor: Warner Brothers