Customer Reviews

Waxwork [VHS]

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First off, if you don't like horror movies, or just 80's movies in general, you're not going to like this one at all. But if you do, you MUST see this, becuase it is essential to any horror buff's collection. The plot centers around an Anytown,USA type place that suddenly has a local Waxwork mueseum. While walking to school Deborah Foreman and Michelle Johnson are invited to a private showing of the waxwork by the owner himself. Thus, the girls invite Zach Galligan and a few other friends from college to come along. It turns out that the waxwork specializes in murder scenes, and if you get close enough to an exhibit, you will be transformed into its world. That is how Dana Ashbrook meets and becomes a wolfman,and how Michelle Johnson gets a kiss from Dracula. Other classic villains shown; Marquis De Sade, the Mummy, and some zombies a la Night of the Living Dead. It is up to Zach Galligan to unearth some secrets about his family that will help him destroy the Waxwork and its evil owner. My favorite aspects of this movie: the fact that it is made in the 80's, giving it an automatic layer of cheese...Deborah Foreman's performance, as the stereotypical "nice girl," (though her character in April Fool's Day was much more convincing and entertaining)...and the way the director not only pays homage to horror classic, but also the way he pokes fun at it. I'm not completely sure he did this on purpose, but certain scenes involving Dana Ashbrook's character and the local sherriff suggest that the tone of the film was meant to be both comedic and horrific. Even though the movie is not completely brilliant or polished, it still provides entertainment to a certain audience who typically enjoys these kinds of flicks. P.S. Don't bother with the sequel.

Waxwork is arguably one of the most entertaining horror films of all time, and if it isn't a cult classic, it should be. I'm ashamed to say how may times I've seen it. The premise (teenagers and rich eccentrics vs. soul-sucking wax exhibits) is thoroughly original, the horror and gore are intense, and the characters, while not exactly of profound depth, are entertaining. If you're searching for art-house cynicism and soul-searching, you won't find it here. But if you're just out for a hellishly good time, no questions asked, then Waxwork will definitely deliver the goods. Standouts: The vile Marquis de Sade, the seductive Dracula, and the gently sarcastic Sir Wilfred.

I remember seeing Waxwork as a kid and I liked it then and like it somewhat now,it is lacking in many things but fun in others,Part 2 I didn't see until now And It seems a bigger spoof and less entertaining,Overall 2 Corny Movies, but the Sequel Is the Worst.

I saw this movie for the first time a long time ago and it was easily one of my favorite horror movies. So recently, I decided to go back and see it again just to see if I still liked it which I did. I still enjoyed the humor, the story, the characters, and the gore.

The movie itself is about a wax musuem that displays some of the most evil men/creatures to have ever existed such as a vampire, a werewolf, a mummy, and so forth. They appear to be harmless wax figures, most of which are missing victims. A closer look can prove to be fatal for whatever unsuspecting person enters the exhibit and is taken to the scene that is displayed. When all of the exhibits on display have claimed a victim then the creatures in the display will come to life and wreck havoc on the world.

Waxwork is a suspenseful and deceptive movie about a evil magician and a wax museum displaying famouse monsters like Dracula, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, Jack the Ripper etc. But there's one thing wrong with them, their missing a victim. When some college students are invited to see them after midnight one by one they start to disappaer and the waxworks become more complete. Only a few of them escape before their captured and then they discover the truth behind the sinister displays in WAXWORK!

I have seen this movie at least 20 times and it gets better each time I watch it! Who can resist David Warner in anything?? This movie has everything. Gore, sexuality, and comedy. Who can forget Dana Ashbrook's classic line "Who put the acid in my drink again, China!" Too funny for words.

You might think that a movie titled "Waxwork" is about some guy who kills people and turns them into wax mannequins, like in House of Wax starring Vincent Price. And for the first half of Waxwork, you'd be right.

But Anthony Hickox, who directed Waxwork, wasn't content to just direct a horror movie. He wanted to direct ALL of them. So he dreamed up this idea (he's also the writer) of a waxwork display serves as a gate to a pocket dimension, where unsuspecting visitors are put in the roles of the victims. If the victim dies, their dead bodies become part of the waxwork. Clever, huh?

Of course, this being an 80s movie, Waxwork is stuffed with characters from The Breakfast Club: the slut (China), the virgin (Sarah), the confused protagonist (Mark), miscellaneous female sidekick (Gemma), her "cool" boyfriend (Tony) and the prankster moron (James). They're all there to die of course.

Why? Does anyone really care? Oh all right if you insist...

Mark's grandfather was a benevolent adventurer who, for reasons that make sense only in movie-land, collected trinkets from eighteen of the most evil people who ever lived. Mr. Lincoln (David Warner) has sold his soul to the devil and plans to bring about a zombie apocalypse by feeding victims to the wax effigies of each of the villains. Lincoln kills Mark's grandfather in the first few minutes of the movie, stealing his artifacts and embedding them in his wax effigies. This makes no sense, but Waxwork is unconcerned by your petty notions of plot and narrative. It's only out to show cool monsters killing people.

What we get, then, is a bunch of vignettes where some poor unsuspecting idiot stumbles into a waxwork display and, discombobulated and suddenly in the role of the victim, struggles to survive. Let the Battle Royale begin (this review contains spoilers)!

DING DING!

TONY VS. WEREWOLF: Actually, it's Tony vs. John Rhys-Davies as the werewolf, who must have been hard up for work. No matter, he promptly becomes a werewolf after sending Tony out for firewood. Tony, confused and thinking this is a trick (because that's of course what victims do), plays along until the werewolf bites him. Seconds later HE'S a werewolf and two hunters come in to finish the job. So actually it's TONY VS. OLD GUY WITH SILVER BULLET. Two guesses who wins.

But that was just the warm up act. What we really want to see how China, ahem, handles herself.

CHINA VS. DRACULA: Oh this is going to be good. China is in a gothic-style mansion where Dracula and his host as eating raw meat. What ensues is an oddly slow, creepy dinner scene that features no violence whatsoever. Until China goes to bed, a vampire tries to eat her, and as she flees she stumbles upon her fake fiancée strapped to a table. That's when the fun starts: the vampires have kept him alive while they feast on the bloody remnants of his leg. This leads to China fighting off a whole host of vampires, until she finally meets Big D himself. Does China "can't a girl get laid around here without being burned at the stake" have a chance? That's foreshadowing folks.

The movie then injects an odd dose of reality as Sarah and Mark go to the police to plead their case. Detective Roberts is unimpressed but decides to check it out on his own along with his silent partner (the one in the bad Miami Vice getup). But who cares about him? What we're really here for is...

DETECTIVE ROBERTS VS. THE MUMMY: Roberts, unlike the other idiots, knows how to handle himself. Roberts is thrust into the role of an adventurer along with his helpless female sidekick and a Howard Carter stand in. They open the tomb, only to release a black-ooze drooling mummy, who proceeds to kill fake-Carter and throw everyone else in the sarcophagus. See, even kick-ass cops get killed in Waxwork.

Of course, Sarah and Mark then have to investigate things themselves. Which leads to...

MARK VS. ZOMBIES: Mark ends up in Night of the Living Dead. He escapes by shouting that old D&D maxim, "I disbelieve!" And it actually works. Except for the whole dismembered zombie hand...

ZOMBIE HAND VS. WAXWORK: This zombie hand actually launches its own franchise later. Seriously, this has to be the first case of a zombie hand becoming so pivotal to a plot that it launches a sequel.

SARAH VS. THE MARQUIS DE SADE: Now don't get me wrong, de Sade is pretty villainous but...really? The Marquis de Sade? Fine. Sarah, virginal, sweet Sarah, falls under his hypnotic spell, whereupon R-rated tortures take place, including a prolonged whipping scene with lots of moaning. In fact, this whole scene drags for a while and starts to get a little uncomfortable. Eventually, Mark shows up to rescue her. The Marquis de Sade, who we didn't realize until now is apparently the main villain, promises revenge.

JAMES AND GEMMA VS. PLOT DEVICE: Lincoln needed four victims (poor Roberts doesn't count, I guess), so James and Gemma have gotta go. They take Sarah and Mark's place as corpses in the waxwork displays.

BABY FROM IT'S ALIVE!, AUDREY FROM LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, RANDOM AXE MURDERER...YOU GET THE IDEA VS. EVERYBODY: Mark's wheelchair-bound uncle Sir Wilfred, his butler, and a bunch of guys with pitchforks and guns come in and burn the place down in a grand, awkward melee. Rubber masks are smashed with bats, miscellaneous extras are hurled through the air, and much mayhem is made. In the fracas, de Sade has a sword fight (?) with Mark, who wields his grandfather's magical saber (?!) bestowed upon Mark by his uncle. And then somebody falls into a vat of wax, because this movie is named Waxwork and somebody has to.

The end.

Waxwork was made by a horror buff that loved all these old horror movies but didn't feel like they had enough gore, so he went and filmed his own versions with a bigger special effects budget. By far the best effect is the dimensional transition between the scenes.

Oh sure, the acting is terrible, the jokes aren't all that funny, and the plot makes no sense whatsoever. But you know what? This movie is so fully of cheesiness, special effects, and gore that it rises above it all to turn into some kind of monumental tower of waxy, cheesy awesome.

And for that this movie gets three zombie fingers and a thumbs up.

AN ALL TIME CLASSIC, ABOUT A SCARY WAXWORK! I NEVER LIKE TO DIVULGE TO MANY PLOT POINTS, HATE TO SPOIL, BUT IF YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN, DEFINETLY WORTH A "CLOSER LOOK". I HAVE SEEN THIS MOVIE, OVER A DOZEN TIMES AND IS A CLASSIC 80'S CAMPY HORROR FLICK, IT WILL MAKE YOU LAUGH, BUT YOU BETTER HAVE SOME ONE TO WATCH IT WITH, OR ITS KINDA SCARY!

I was amazed on how well this movie was put together. There was well thought out plotline. good acting and a the budget money was put to good use with the special effects. A must see movie.

I resent the use of teenagers in a horror movie (or any other type). By nature they are too unreal and scare the children. However, as the box promises, this movie is more fun than a barrel of mummies. The cinematography is very good and so is the art design. The plot (?) advances quickly, constantly changing characters. Old timers, like Patrick McGee, have a field day and and it is nice to see them enjoying themselves. The movie is dedicated to Romero, Wells, Dante, Carpenter, Spilberg,... mom and dad. It serves them right! Join the fun.