House of Wax (HD DVD)

After a quick trip over to RottenTomatoes I see that I was one of the few critics that actually enjoyed House of Wax as it holds a whopping 24% rating. However the silver lining on this dark cloud is that my boy Richard Roeper gave it a good review saying, "It had a great sense of humor about itself." Exactly Rich, this movie isn't trying to be anything more than a slick horror. Yeah, it is entirely absurd, it is predictable, it is every cliché in the book, but it is still a good time.

Based the 1953 Vincent Price horror classic first time director Jaume Serra takes six teens, throws them in the wilderness and sends them on a trip to a hellish small town in the middle of nowhere where all the inhabitants but three are made of wax and the stench of inbreeding runs rampant. The kills are gory and unique and the set design is superb. The story may have you laughing, but this movie never takes itself so seriously that the filmmakers would get offended. It's a popcorn flick, nothing more, nothing less.

As for this high-definition upgrade there is not a whole lot more to say than I have said above, or in my feature film review here or even my standard DVD review here. Yeah, I have beat this one to death and coming up with new material is really starting to get difficult.

However, I will comment on the video quality of this release which is very good, especially as we reach the finale of the film, which was even applauded by some of the film's naysayers. It is quite an elaborate effect involving fire, wax and a pretty girl running for her life with her bro. Amidst the dark backgrounds the greenish glow of the film stands out and it really creates a satisfying movie watching atmosphere.

All the special features on the disc are the same as the DVD release, but they are actually some good ones, including the delete scenes and the "B-Roll and Bloopers Video Cast Commentary," which isn't the Warner In-Movie Experience style of pop-up that runs the length of the feature, instead it is Elisha, Paris, Chad Michael Murray and Jared Padelecki hanging out watching their bloopers and reacting. It is a good time, have fun with it.

Overall this is far from an instant horror classic. It is as mindless as a sitcom and should be treated as such. If you have some time to waste, want some effects, pretty girls, gore and goo pop it in and don't complain. The 2 hours will fly by and you should have your fill. If you tend to get a little worked up over plot holes and cliché moments and aren't able to have fun with them inside an entertaining story then this isn't the choice for you.