This remake of a classic horror film “House of Wax,” originally starring Vincent Price is far different from the original in many ways. Hardly a remake, the movie is loosely based on the 1953 3-D film of the same name. The remake’s plot smells just like “Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” adding another film to the growing list of knockoffs.

The premise, as you probably already know, goes something like this: Young people who like to drink and have sex are on a road trip. They pick the wrong place to camp for a night and end up getting chased by crazed serial killers bent on torture and driven by a lust for mayhem.

Sound familiar? It is. The movie just misses the mark on horror. The background story, introduced in the beginning, is a far more interesting and horrifying idea, one that this movie fails to use to its fullest potential.

There are a few things saving this movie from total disaster. The acting is pretty good (except Paris Hilton, of course) and the two main characters are believable and interesting. Elisha Cuthbert (“The Girl Next Door”) stars as Carly, the good twin on her way to college, and Chad Michael Murray (“One Tree Hill”) stars as Nick, the evil twin who just got bailed out of jail. This brother/sister duo has a good chemistry that makes their strength as a team more believable.

The special effects are especially entertaining at the end of the movie, when the action is most intense. The end is interesting to those who don’t question too much. Plot holes abound in these kind of movies, and thinking too much when watching is not recommended.

Don’t worry, Hilton, who plays Carly’s best friend Paige, isn’t given the opportunity to ruin the movie, and instead seems to be a good sport about all the subtle references to her sordid past in real life. Yes, the movie makes jokes about Hilton, and she seems either oblivious or congenial in that.

People cannot honestly recommend this movie to anyone who doesn’t have an already established affinity for some aspect in particular, either the actors or a fixation with the original. Then again, if it’s date night and time for you to make your first move, there are plenty of opportunities to make him or her jump right in your lap.

“House of Wax” opens today nationwide and is rated R for 0horror violence, sexual content, language, and Paris Hilton.