Review: 2005 Shocker 'House of Wax' Gets Terrific New Blu-ray from Shout! Factory

Of all the filmmakers that emerged from the music video and commercial sector in the late 1990s and early aughts, Jaume Collet-Serra stands out as one of the top talents. Similar to how the 2003 version of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" upgraded a horror classic to be a lot hollower and more sadistic, the 1953 "House of Wax" was upgraded in 2005 to be louder and goopier. The difference between the two remakes is that the latter fell under the capable hands of Collet-Serra, who makes the film much more than its script intended. The result is a theme park amusement ride that has a snuff film wedged in halfway through, all adding up to something genuinely creepy.

Shout! Factory and their Scream Factory sublabel bring "House of Wax" to collector's edition Blu-ray with a new 2K scan from the interpositive that provides a huge upgrade over the Blu-ray released in 2006. The source looks to be in good condition, and the transfer nicely highlights all the blood, gore, and unsettling set design. Shout has also added some new special features, including new interviews with actors Paris Hilton and Robert Ri'chard as well as effects master Jason Baird and composer John Ottman. The result is a terrific release of a film that still rises above the sloppy horror remakes frequently associated as its kin.

The relationship that "House of Wax" has with its predecessor is pretty much by name only, as the remake follows a group of teenagers who get stuck in a rural Louisiana town with a deep, dark secret. As had grown custom with other Dark Force Entertainment offerings during that time period, those teenagers are not much more than the tropes thrusted upon them, like the hapless pretty girl (Paris Hilton), her doting boyfriend (Robert Ri'chard), the brave leader (Jared Padalecki), and the dark, mysterious member (Chad Michael Murray) who just so happens to be more physically capable of defending everyone than anyone else in the group. Oh, and there's the final girl (Elisha Cuthbert), who actually gets to kick some ass.

This may be the nostalgia talking, but where "House of Wax" rises above other Hollywood-produced horror films from that period is that Collet-Serra takes great, great pleasure in enlivening the spectacle and cutting deep into the queasiness of the violence. As mentioned earlier, there's a sequence smack-dab in the middle of the film that doesn't really need to be there except to show the power and capability of the film's villain. And just when you think it's going to cut away, it doesn't. It just peers into the dark world of a psychopath who likes to spray unwitting people with hot wax until their skin boils and singes underneath.

As for special features, the new interviews range from fluff to genuine introspection, with Paris Hilton's interview occupying the former and John Ottman's interview occupying the latter. For those who don't know already, one of the main selling points of the film back in 2005 was Hilton dying in the film, and it's fun to watch her reflect on that. This is a really terrific edition of "House of Wax" that I never thought would exist, and boy howdy, am I glad it does.

Other special features include:
� B-Roll and Bloopers Video Cast Commentary
� From Location: Joel Silver Reveals the House of Wax
� Wax On: The Design of House of Wax
� The House Built on Wax: The Visual Effects of House Of Wax
� Alternate Opening: Jennifer Killed
� Gag Reel
� Vintage Interviews with Cast and Crew from the Electronic Press Kit
� Vintage Featurette
� Theatrical Trailer

"House of Wax" is now available on collector's edition Blu-ray from Shout! Factory.