 House of Wax , a remake of the 1953 3-D horror flick, reportedly cost about a third of the $120 million that was reportedly spent on making Kingdom of Heaven, yet box office analysts say it has a good chance at emerging as the top film at the box office this weekend. Many of the reviews suggest that it's worth the price of admission just to see Paris Hilton's character get knocked off. "The murder of Hilton's character is beautifully gratuitous and utterly without mercy," writes Kyle Smith in the New York Post. "When she does the strip 'n' scream and the 40-yard horror-dash in red panties and bra, you have to smile at her willingness to essay the classics. No better use for her talents has yet been devised. She is looking at a long and happy career of being chased, menaced and bloodied." Joanne Kaufmann in the Wall Street Journal assures moviegoers: "For the record, [Hilton] looks great in her red bra and matching thong. For the record, that's the most significant of her contributions." Stephen Hunter in the Washington Post is not averse to placing an out-and-out spoiler at the top of his review, writing: "At a certain point in "House of Wax," Paris Hilton catches what appears to be four feet of sharpened spear through the front of her skull. She backs off a few feet with the unwelcome protrusion extending before her, then topples to her knees, falling forward, driving the shaft through more brain matter. The skull itself cracks. The audience cheers wildly. But that's not the scary part. The scary part was the elderly gentleman sitting in the seat behind the guy in front of me: He cheered, too. I think he sorta kinda liked it. That's House of Wax, one of those guilty pleasures that result from creativity on the part of people who should have gotten adult supervision at a young age. They didn't, and went on to make profane, even blasphemous, treats like this one." On the other hand, Peter Howell in the Toronto Star recalls that the original film starred Vincent Price, featured an original story, and 3-D technology. "How weird to think that, 52 years later, the best Hollywood can muster for the remake is a celebrity famous only for being famous, buckets of gore and computer-generated special effects that are so chintzy they deserve their own category at the Razzie Awards." |
