Waxwork - a Reflection

A new wax exhibit has opened in town and Mark and his friends have been invited by the strange owner for a special midnight showing. Once they arrive they seem to be abandoned, free to explore the house at their will as one by bone they get sucked into the lives of the displays.

I was probably between eleven or thirteen when I first saw Waxwork. It was at the video store and the cover looked so damn cool. It had Zach Galligan from Gremlins, I figured why not. The movie ended up being everything I love about cheesy horror - terrible acting, complete disregard for story continuity, impressive special effects, and sweet gore with the occasional boob shot. It also introduced me to David Warner who wound up being a mainstay amongst most of my favorite pop culture phenomena. He usually played a villain, but he did a lot of voice acting in cartoons. He was excellent as the voice of Ra’s al Ghul in Batman: the Animated Series and was hilarious as the clueless Lobe on the short-lived Freakazoid cartoon.  

I liked the idea behind Waxwork, a cult craving immortality that lures victims into their living, trans-dimensional traps. The story brought together some of the greatest madmen of history and literature despite some awful makeup and costume designs. Johns-Ryes Davies (Lord of the Rings) played a werewolf, Miles O’Keefe (Iron Warrior) portrayed a comically awkward Dracula thanks to bad acting not the plot, and J. Kenneth Campbell (Abyss) was a sleazy, unkempt Marquis de Sade. The whole movie was bizarre enough yet not to be outdone by the climax which is an all out brawl between the wax figures and a wild pack of senior citizens and some of the worst swordsmanship feigned onscreen.

Anthony Hickox accomplished what most horror creators could hope for; making a memorable movie on a budget that a child’s neighborhood lemonade stand could probably double during the summertime, but there is every sense of determined passion behind it all. Hickox went on to direct some finer horror films such as Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth, Warlock 2: The Armogeddon, and has maintained a steady directorial career in movies and television.

Waxwork is by no means a perfect film, but it is entertaining and a beloved horror film. In fact, Waxwork was so beloved it spawned a sequel – Waxwork II: Lost in Time. How could it get any better? Two words - Bruce Campbell.