Waxwork review.
This cycle’s Full Moon Feature takes a look at something a bit different. A wax museum horror movie that manages to do its small werewolf story better than most.
Classic movie reviews will contain spoilers.
Waxwork
Directed by Anthony Hickox
Written by Anthony Hickox
Starring Zach Galligan, Deborah Foreman, Michelle Johnson, David Warner, Dana Ashbrook, Miles O’Keefe and John Rhys-Davies
Waxwork Review
Why are we covering a horror movie about a wax museum as this month’s Full Moon Feature? It’s simple. Waxwork does more with its limited werewolf story than many of the full-fledged werewolf movies we’ve covered. Of course, doing so puts this review into a bit of a bind. Full Moon Feature’s tend to stick to the ins and outs of the wolf action in the covered movies. Waxwork is mostly not about werewolves. We’ll just hit the key parts of the story and then move on to what we’re here for.
Waxwork is a 1988 horror movie from the director of Hellraiser III. It’s listed as a horror comedy. I don’t remember laughing at it…but sure, the tone is there. More specifically…the tone of Waxwork is “80s”. Despite coming out near the end of the decade the movie is unmistakably 80s. It stars Zach Galligan of Gremlins fame and Deborah Foreman of much less April Fool’s Day fame. Accomplished actors David Warner and Patrick Macnee are on hand to chew some scenery as well. For the purposes of werewolf discussion…the two actors we’re going to spend time with are a pre-Twin Peaks Dana Ashbrook and a post-Raiders of the Lost Ark John Rhys-Davies.
That’s a solid cast for a late 80’s horror comedy. The central plot of the story is surprisingly interesting. A wax museum pops up in town and the exhibits are claiming lives. Instead of having wax figures doing the killing…approaching them sucks you into an alternate world where the horrible thing depicted ends up happening to you. Characters repeatedly find themselves in a pocket horror story…and end up becoming a permanent part of the exhibit. It should be noted that the wax figures here are clearly actors who are struggling to remain still for shots. It’s kind of funny. At times it’s even a bit unsettling.
The movie is about Mark (Galligan) and Sarah (Foreman) investigating the disappearances of their friends. They uncover a generational evil connected to Mark’s family. Basically, the owner of the museum (Warner) is trying to resurrect some of the evilest people in history by claiming the souls of the innocent. Once his collection is complete…the bad guys return. In this universe those evil people include Dracula, a mummy, the Phantom of the Opera, the Marquis de Sade, zombies, and yes…a werewolf. Or two.
The bulk of Waxwork is inoffensive fun. A decent late 80s attempt at something strange and different. Mark is a weird lead character though. The movie strips Galligan of all his Gremlins likability and makes him kind of a tool. It isn’t done for any specific character arc. Sure, he ends up a hero…but there isn’t really growth or anything like that. Just an oddly introduced rich kid who is jealous of an ex and kind of a dick to people. Once the action starts…Mark sheds the more annoying aspects of his character and becomes a stock hero. Which is fine, I guess. Nothing really happens to elicit the change. Maybe it’s a case of crisis revealing true character. Maybe they didn’t think about it.
What is of interest to this Full Moon Feature is the character of Tony (Ashbrook). He’s part of the friend group and the first character we see transported to a pocket horror universe. His, obviously, involves a werewolf. Tony enters a house and meets a man who gives him a dire warning. Run. The full moon is out…and something bad is about to happen. John Rhys-Davies plays our first character suffering from the curse of the werewolf. His transformation happens offscreen…usually a bad sign. Tony is bitten by the wolf before it is shot by a werewolf hunter and his…assistant? Son? Someone.
The fully transformed wolf looks way better than you’d expect it to in a movie about a wax museum. The face isn’t the most articulate…but the overall costume is great. Even better…Tony begins his own transformation, and this time Waxwork delivers the goods. Through a mix of make-up effects and editing…Tony makes it about halfway through his turn before the hunter shoots him. His dead body now sits in the corner of the exhibit he initially approached.
This isn’t the last we’ll see of Tony. It isn’t even the last we’ll see of the first wolfman. The end of Waxwork involves a large-scale battle (that isn’t very good). The owner manages to collect all the necessary souls. As a result, the figures are returned to life. That means our wolfmen are back in the game. Briefly. Tony, still stuck in mid-transformation, is felled by Mark’s silver sword. The full werewolf gets the last laugh, however. As the wax museum burns around them…the wolf rips the head right off Patrick Macnee’s Sir Wilfed. A character connected to the movie’s convoluted backstory.
A head rip in the distance isn’t the only wolf action Waxwork delivers despite the relatively small amount of time with the characters. Inside of Tony’s pocket world…the full wolf kills the hunter’s assistant (son?). Not before one of the most amazingly silly moments we’ve seen in a werewolf story yet, however. The assistant hits the werewolf with a chair (as one does). The wolfman turns to him, brushes the dust off his shoulder, and tears the man in half. It’s awesome.
Waxwork may not be a traditional werewolf movie…but it delivers some truly fun wolf moments. The costume is fun. Kills are vicious. The partial transformation is a great idea. It looks even better. I wish every werewolf movie would have as much fun with the characters in 90 minutes as Waxwork has in just a handful. The rest of the movie isn’t bad either. There’s something for fans of vampires (including a terrific gore effect on a gnawed off leg). Mummies and zombies make an appearance. There’s plenty about the story that is…whatever…but the usage of traditional horror characters is a real highlight.
Scare Value
Waxwork is a decent late 80s horror comedy that contains a strong werewolf block inside of it. While not a traditional werewolf story…it delivers memorable wolfy fun. Transformation…check. Look of the beast…check. Innovation within those things…check. Fun kills…check. It even throws in a werewolf doing a shoulder brush. If only all lycanthrope movies took these notes.
2.5/5
Waxwork Links
Streaming on Prime Video and Tubi
Rent/Buy on VOD from Fandango at Home
Buy on Blu-Ray on Amazon
