Welcome back to Behind The Scenes Saturday!! I’ve been wanting to do a tribute to one of my favorite horror films, House Of Wax, for a long time, and I finally got around to it! I’m really glad it got the fanbase it deserved. So, don’t follow the strange smell, always make sure you have an extra fan belt handy, and enjoy these fun pictures and bits of trivia!!

(Trivia provided by IMDb.com)

(Pictures provided by google.com and IMDb.com)

(SPOILER ALERT!!!)

• The film’s director, Jaume Collet-Serra insisted on using practical effects as much as possible for the film. Visual effects were only used when necessary, like with Vincent’s (Brian Van Holt) face reveal.
• It took 10 weeks for the crew to build the town of Ambrose. It was modeled after a real town in Eritrea called Asmara.
• Jared Padalecki (Wade) was one foot taller than Elisha Cuthbert (Carly). When they filmed together, Cuthbert taped two-inch blocks of wood to the bottoms of her boots to make herself appear taller.

• Some names that were mentioned in the script but not the movie are the roadkill collector, Lester (Damon Herriman), and Carly and Nick’s last name, Jones. In a radio interview, Chad Michael Murray (Nick) was shocked to hear his character finally had a last name. He admitted that it was an ongoing debate on set.
• Jared Padalecki and Paris Hilton (Paige) worked together again on an episode of Supernatural. The episode was also centered around a wax museum and they even reference the film in it.
• The film takes place in Louisiana, but it was actually filmed in Australia.

• Paris Hilton was the first person to sign on for the film, and the cast was built around her.
• On June 26, 2004, a sound stage being used for the film burned to the ground during a test of special-effects equipment. The fire was started by a candle. Only one crew member was injured and had to get treatment for burns on his arm. In January 2006, the film’s special effects coordinator, David Fletcher was sued by the studios for negligence, but they settled out of court.
• In an interview, Paris Hilton was asked if the scene where Dalton (Jon Abrahams) filmed Paige against her will was a nod to her sex tape. Hilton denied it, saying the scene was already in the script.

• Years before they wrote the film, the screenwriters, Chad and Carey W. Hayes were forced to camp out one night in a remote forest. They kept smelling horrible smells, like decomposition, and they woke up to a mysterious pickup truck with a gun rack on it shining its headlights on them before backing down the road and vanishing. They were terrified that they stumbled onto a serial killer’s dump site. The next morning, they realized they camped about 15 feet from a roadkill disposal pit and they probably scared the truck driver just as much as he scared them. They believed this incident would make a great opening sequence for a horror movie, and years later, they were able to bring the scene to life here.
• This is one of five major horror remakes that were released in 2005. The other four films were The Fog, The Amityville Horror, Dark Water and Chaos, which is a remake of The Last House On The Left.
• Elisha Cuthbert is a natural blonde in real life. In order to contrast with blonde Paris Hilton, Cuthbert dyed her hair brown for the film. Ironically, Paris Hilton is a natural brunette.

• Despite killer twin brothers, Bo and Vincent being portrayed by one actor, Brian Van Holt, the younger versions of the characters were played by two non-twin actors. Young Bo was played by Thomas Adamson and young Vincent was played by Sam Harkess.
• This was Jaume Collet-Serra’s first horror film. He later directed two other favorites of mine, Orphan and The Shallows.
• Jennifer Connelly and Kate Winslet were considered for the role of Paige. Connelly turned it down in favor of starring in another horror remake, Dark Water.

• Jared Padalecki and Chad Michael Murray also worked together on Gilmore Girls, once again playing characters who dislike each other.
• In the scene where Wade looks at all of Dr. Sinclair’s supplies, one of the awards on the wall reveals the doctor’s first name is Victor. Victor Sinclair was named after famous fictional madman, Victor Frankenstein.
• Tim Burton wanted to direct a musical remake of 1953’s House Of Wax with Michael Jackson in the lead role. Jackson liked the idea, but no studio agreed to back it.

• Vincent Sinclair was named after Vincent Price, the horror legend and star of the 1953 House Of Wax film.
• This is the eighth horror film that John Ottman composed for. He later worked with Jaume Collet-Serra again, composing for the film, Orphan.
• The film cost about $40,000,000 to make.

• The wax figure usher at the movie theater was made-up to look like Vincent Price. So in a way, he was in both the 1953 film AND this one.
• This film was released 72 years after the original film, Mystery Of The Wax Museum and 52 years after the 1953 House Of Wax.
• It’s speculated that Jeff Celentano was signed on to direct at one point.

• Mandy Moore, Amber Tamblyn, Amanda Seyfried, and Erika Christensen all auditioned for the role of Carly.
• Elisha Cuthbert repeatedly got stuck in the melting wax bed while filming the final showdown. The wax was actually peanut butter.
• In the church and movie theater, most of the wax figures were actually extras wearing masks.

• The film originally opened with a woman named Jennifer (Emma Lung), who got stuck on an empty road with car troubles and was attacked and killed by either Bo or Vincent. Although that scene was scrapped, we still see Jennifer later in the film. She is the female sculpture that Vincent is working on and is later displayed outside of the movie theater with a pink dress and a bouquet of flowers.
• For the scene where Carly’s lips are glued together, Elisha Cuthbert insisted on using real glue on her lips instead of prosthetics.
• Warner Brothers gave Paris Hilton permission to sell T-shirts that read “On May 6th, Watch Paris Die” in order to promote the film before its release.

• Paige’s death was originally longer and featured more gore. For the theatrical release, the scene had to be cut down.
• While filming her chase scene, Paris Hilton felt embarrassed by her scream. For the first 3 times she screamed, the whole cast and crew screamed along with her.
• Years after the film became a cult classic, Chad and Carey W. Hayes pitched a possible prequel. They thought about doing a prequel centered around Bo and Vincent’s early kills.

• Jaume Collet-Serra admitted that the film was actually more of a remake of Tourist Trap. Warner Brothers insisted that they call it House Of Wax because it was a more recognizable title.
• Nick and Carly obviously mirror Bo and Vincent in terms of personality and attitude. Carly and Vincent are the “good” twins and Nick and Bo are the “evil” twins.
• A moment in the film’s blooper reel might’ve confirmed who broke the fan belt in Wade’s car. When Wade and Carly are riding in Lester’s car, Damon Herriman jokingly sang, “I broke fan belt. I broke fan belt. I broke fan belt. D**n fan belt broke.” Jared Padalecki and Elisha Cuthbert were very amused and Padalecki even started singing along. Fans believe that this moment confirmed Lester broke the fan belt to keep the characters trapped and lure them into town for his brothers.

• Viewers have admitted that they felt very sorry for Wade. They believed that he suffered the worst before dying.
• Prior to filming her chase scene, Paris Hilton ran up and down a flight of stairs in order to simulate being out of breath.
• When Nick and Carly are hiding in the movie theater from Bo, What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? is playing on the big screen. That film also tackles disturbing and troubled sibling relationships.