WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for House of Wax.
Summary
- House of Wax features a different killer and backstory from the original 1953 film, with Vincent Sinclair being the main antagonist in the 2005 remake.
- Vincent and his twin brother, Bo, were born coned at the head, with Vincent's face being severely scarred from a separation surgery.
- The Sinclair brothers turn their victims into wax figures as a way to combine their family tradition with their sadistic fantasies. Eventually, both Bo and Vincent are killed, leaving Lester as the sole surviving brother.
The motives and identity of the killer in the 2005 slasher horror House of Wax are clouded in mystery throughout the film. House of Wax stars Paris Hilton, Jared Padalecki, and Chad Michael Murray in a loosely inspired remake based on the 1953 original, considered a classic of the horror genre. In 1953's House of Wax, the killer turns out to be a professional sculptor and professor who is betrayed by his greedy business partner and initially thought dead after an explosion in his wax museum. The 2005 remake of House of Wax takes a very different creative route in its depiction of the film's murderous antagonist.
The most House of Wax starts out very differently, with the main characters being a group of teenagers camping in the woods. After an unsettling encounter with a stranger, they wake up to discover that someone had messed with their car and made it inoperable. They visit a nearby remote town called Ambrose with the help of two local men named Lester and Bo. As they wait for their car to get fixed, the group enters a mysterious wax museum to entertain themselves which is where the killing starts happening. Although it may seem like there was only one killer in House of Wax, there is certainly more to the murder schemes than meets the eye.
Vincent Sinclair Was The Main Killer In House Of Wax
The main killer in 2005's House of Wax is Vincent Sinclair played by Brian Van Holt. Vincent has no relation whatsoever to the original 1953 film's villain, however, both share the commonality of having deformed faces but for very different reasons. Vincent has a twin brother Bo, who is also portrayed by Brian Van Holt in the film. The two brothers were born coned at the head, with Vincent's face being attached to the back of Bo's head. Their mother Trudy Sinclair had an operation done to separate the twin boys which left Vincent's face heavily scarred. This is why Vincent wears a mask that Trudy had given him throughout House of Wax and Bo does not.
It's further explained in House of Wax that from a young age, Vincent had developed a negative self-image and believed that he was inherently evil for being so disfigured and unattractive. Vincent took over Trudy's wax museum after her death and was convinced by Bo to use actual people to make the wax figure more authentic. In this way, Vincent is an agent for Bo's wickedness, but Vincent is the primary instigator of the lethal violence. His weapon of choice is a long knife and is the one who covers Wade's (Padalecki) body in hot wax.
Why Vincent & His Brothers Turned Victims Into Wax Figures
It's revealed at the very end of House of Wax that Lester is the third son of Trudy Sinclair and the brother of Vincent and Bo, who are both deceased by the film's end. Lester waves at Nick and Carly, the only main characters who escape the wax museum and kill Vincent and Bo. This final scene seems to have set up a potential sequel to House of Wax that never came to fruition likely due to the mixed-to-poor reviews of the movie upon release. Lester might have taken over Vincent's place as the one who encased victims in wax in a would-be sequel.
The final scene of House of Wax confirmed that Lester, Bo, and Vincent were all in on the killing scheme together. The source of Vincent's evil ways is revealed to be Bo's abusive behavior towards him throughout their childhood and adult lives. Since the wax museum originally belonged to their mother Trudy, Bo, and Vincent's desire to keep their family tradition was combined with their sadistic and violent fantasies. In order to make Trudy's wax museum lifelike and worth the visit, they orchestrated along with Lester to lure innocent people into becoming their new wax figures. Vincent, believing he's inherently evil, wears a wax mask to make others look like him as well as to honor his mother's family business.
What Happened To Vincent & His Brothers In House Of Wax
By the end of House of Wax, only two of the three Sinclair brothers are left standing. Bo is the first of them killed after Nick accidentally starts a fire in the wax museum. Bo tries to kill Nick and actually stabs him before he is beaten to death by Carly with a baseball bat. After witnessing his brother's death, Vincent chases Carly and plans to avenge his brother as Carly tries to make Vincent realize that Bo was the evil one who was responsible for everything. Before Vincent can come to with the truth about Bo, Nick stabs him in the back and kills him. House of Wax concludes as Nick and Carly leave Ambrose with the wax museum burned down, making Lester the last living Sinclair brother.
