‘ He looks like Elton John, only more gay...’
With the benefit of hindsight, it is clear that House of Wax is the most 2005 film of all time. It features a soundtrack that contains Disturbed, Deftones, Interpol and Har Mar Superstar. It has the glossiness of the Scream era of teen slashers (a subgenre gasping out its last at this point), the ultra-violence of torture porn (Hostel also dropped in 2005) and even a little unnecessary found footage thrown in for good measure. It also boasts a memorable appearance from Paris Hilton. And while it was trashed on release, there is no denying that House of Wax is a lot of fun…
A group of ridiculously attractive teenagers are on a road trip to attend a baseball game or something. That part of the plot is dispensed with pleasingly quickly. The film really kicks into gear when the group (containing Elisha Cuthbert, Chad Michael Murray and Jarad Padalecki because 2005) encounter a strange guy in the woods who is collecting animal carcasses. Think the 2003 Texas Chainsaw remake but even more dumbed down and you’re pretty close.
The key thing here is that everybody involved understands the brief. Everyone knows the movie they are making. The young cast plays it just right, allowing the more horrifying moments to retain their horror whilst ensuring that the whole thing never moves away from its B movie roots. By the time My Chemical Romance classic ‘Helena’ is blaring over the end credits, it’s chef’s kiss time. No notes. Whilst Hilton is clearly included just so the cinema audience can celebrate her quite spectacular demise (something that again is very 2005. See also: Spears, Britney), I feel compelled to point out that she does fine here, even though her character mainly exists to perform a sexy dance and then be brutally murdered, the moments in between are not wince-inducing or cringeworthy.
House of Wax is not a great film but it genuinely is a great slasher movie. A film that is ripe for a reappraisal. I loved it.