Many actors and directors have gotten their start in the horror genre, adding their names next to popular - or sometimes very unpopular - projects before launching into a major career. Jaume Collet-Serra, who is slated to direct Disney's Jungle Cruise and the DCEU's Black Adam in 2020 and 2021 respectively, got his start by directing 2005's House of Wax.
House of Wax was loosely based on two other films: 1953's House of Wax and 1933's Mystery of the Wax Museum. The 2005 version starred a fresh-faced crops of young actors who were popular at the time, including Chad Michael Murray, Elisha Cuthbert, Supernatural's Jared Padalecki, and Paris Hilton. Some critics were more neutral after its release, stating that it didn't bring anything new to the table, but it delivered the basics of what horror fans expected from a teen slasher movie. Others were less thrilled about the project. At the time of this writing, House of Wax has a 26% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Other horror directors have moved on to branch outside of the genre, such as James Wan, who got his start with the Saw franchise in the early 2000s and created The Conjuring universe before moving on to direct Aquaman. Jaume Collet-Serra's directorial debut might not have taken off with audiences, but it certainly showcased his talent early.
Black Adam's Director Started With House Of Wax (2005)
House of Wax is the perfect "guilty pleasure" for horror fans because, while it's no great feat for the genre on the whole, it's a pretty traditional slasher movie that delivers a lot of fun kills in unique ways. The effects hold up relatively well with age, and it's not completely predictable. The set design was a positive feat, and Collet-Serra's direction throughout was solid. Also, the film was a financial success, which worked in the director's favor as well. He moved on to direct another horror film, Orphan (2009), which starred Vera Farmiga, and was a slightly stronger effort for the director than House of Wax was.
With several films in between, such as Unknown with Liam Neeson, Collet-Serra eventually found his way back to the horror space in 2016 when he directed and served as the executive producer for the Blake Lively fronted shark movie, The Shallows, which was a very strong effort that not only saved the shark genre from films that turned the apex predator into a joke rather than it was back in the days of Spielberg's Jaws, but was visually stunning and well-composed. Though it was more based on realistic horrors rather than killer children or a slasher film, it showcased Collet-Serra's talent, and showed what he'd learned in a decade from his beginnings in the genre.
It's a far cry from House of Wax, but Collet-Serra's introduction to the DCEU by bringing Shazam's arch-nemesis to the big screen with Black Adam will likely mean even bigger things for the director's future. With many exciting opportunities for horror, including another resurrection of big franchises like A Nightmare on Elm Street, perhaps Collet-Serra will take another stab at a slasher movie again and bring his career full-circle.
