WAXWORK
7/10
WAXWORK 2: LOST IN TIME
6/10
Director Anthony Hickox was a relatively hot commodity for a short while on the horror genre front in the late ‘80s, thanks to a pair of highly enjoyable outings: WAXWORK and the even more playful WAXWORK 2: LOST IN TIME, both of which debut on Blu-Ray as part of Lionsgate’s new limited-edition “Vestron Video Collector’s Series.” The original 1988 "Waxwork" stars Zach Galligan ("Gremlins") and Deborah Foreman ("Valley Girl") as college students who become lost in David Warner's wax museum, where the various set pieces come to life, claiming unsuspecting victims who become part of “the show.”
This means co-star Dana Ashbrook ends up being stalked by the Wolfman; the lovely Michelle Johnson (“Blame It On Rio”) is consumed by Dracula (Miles O’Keefe); and Galligan ends up in a “Night of the Living Dead” nightmare. Hickox’s formula is simple but it makes for a highly entertaining movie that has aged extremely well – the top notch make-up effects might be enjoyably gory (and are seen here in their full unrated form), but the film’s sense of humor is effective without being overly silly. Production values – including Roger Bellon’s still-unreleased score – are high for a Vestron production that became a big hit on home video, especially for those of us in middle and high school who became huge fans of the movie in the heyday of VHS.
So popular did the film become that a surprise sequel was produced several years later. Zach Galligan returns in “Waxwork II” though Deborah Foreman was replaced by supermodel Monica Schnarre, apparently due to Foreman clashing with director Hickox. That’s not the only thing that’s changed: this freewheeling sequel abandons the concepts of waxworks altogether as it pieces together a story wherein Schnarre’s heroine is accused of murder, and has to head back into the “alternate universes” along with Galligan to find evidence that she’s not the one responsible.
This enables Hickox to once again offer up a series of film parodies that range from quite effective – a B&W send-up of “The Haunting” with cameos from Bruce Campbell, Marina Sirtis and Sophie Ward – to lame (a hackneyed riff on “Alien”). The worst section of the film sends Schnarre off to a medieval kingdom where she becomes the prisoner of the evil Lord Scarabis (Alexander Godonov), who’s plotting to take over the kingdom from an aging king (John Ireland).
Bob Keen returned to produce the make-up effects for “Waxwork II,” which went into production after Hickox’s superior vampire-western “Sundown” became a victim of Vestron’s financial woes. However, the sequel was produced on literally a fraction of its predecessor’s budget – Hickox says roughly 25% in his commentary – and it shows: everything from the creatures to the music (Bellon’s orchestral score was replaced with a poky electronic soundtrack by Steve Schiff) were impacted by the threadbare production. Hickox’s script doesn’t even match up with the original in terms of characterizations, as Galligan seems to be playing Billy Peltzer from “Gremlins” and not the stuck-up rich boy of the original (to say nothing of Schnarre, who doesn’t resemble Deborah Foreman in looks or personality). The slack pacing doesn’t help, either, as a good 10-20 minutes could have been jettisoned, especially from the drab “medieval” section of the movie.
That said, “Waxwork II” is still fun if expectations are dialed back, with Hickox throwing in “the kitchen sink” in an effort to make the slender budget appealing – there’s even a rap video with the cast and crew over the end credits!
Both movies were hot rentals for those of us in high school back in the day, and Lionsgate’s Blu-Ray treats both films to their first-ever widescreen presentations on home video. The remastered 1080p (1.85) transfers are, predictably, massive upgrades on their VHS and full-frame DVD editions, with strong color and detail present. The original “Waxwork” fares better than the sequel, which offers a comparatively drab appearance in keeping with its slender budget. 2.0 DTS MA soundtracks, meanwhile, preserve the original stereo soundtracks for both pictures.
Extras in the double-disc Blu-Ray include a full documentary on the production of both movies, including comments from Hickox and Galligan, who also provide humorous commentaries on each platter. Trailers and vintage EPK materials, including a half-hour on-set documentary, complete the most satisfying Vestron Blu-Ray yet from Lionsgate. The label would be wise to target Hickox’s “Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat” – with its widescreen lensing, attractive cast and great Richard Stone score – as a possible candidate down the road as well.
