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WAXWORK (1988) Director: Anthony Hickox. Hacktors: Zach Galligan, Deborah Foreman, David Warner, Patrick Macnee. Rating/5: The lowdown: You have to love Eighties cinema if you were lucky enough to have grown up back then. Not only did you have the 3 G`s of goodness (Gremlins, Ghostbusters and The Goonies) to help your young noggin formulate what made a great film, you also had the golden age of prosthetic horror comedies to turn to when your tastes matured into liking something a little more gory! Fright Night, American Werewolf in London and Waxwork gave an entry for me as a sensitive young film fan to the world of horror and I, like many others, have a nostalgic love for these films. Luckily, Waxwork on DVD it still stands up as a horror film aimed purely at fans of the genre with a great premise, mad effects and no little humour. Good points: Waxwork has a simple premise. A creepy collection of classic horror scenes recreated in wax come alive and carry on their murderous ways in the real world, thus giving fans of the genre enough in-jokes, gore, character actors and humour to make for a really enjoyable film. For his debut, genre favourite Hickox managed to attract a great cast and the mix of established thesps like Warner and Macnee have fun with their rather camp roles while the eye candy youths all do a good job of, um, well, looking good in an Eighties fashion kind of way! The action rolls along at a fast clip and the gore gags come thick and fast. It is always amusing, at times outright funny. The concept of visiting different genres and at times specific films gives Waxwork a welcome variety and it crams a lot of action into its 97 minute running time. Bad points: It gets a bit silly at times. For instance, a subplot involving a takeover of the world from beyond the grave, and the climactic Casino Royale inspired monster-mash free-for-all, which personally I loved but may be a bit much for some! DVD Details: The disk reviewed is the Region 1 Artisan DVD double bill featuring both Waxwork and its sequel Waxwork 2: Lost In Time. As this is available at budget price, it is perhaps understandable that the only extras are the two respective trailers. Of more concern is the fact these are fullsceen transfers. However, this did not detract from the film and for the price this is a great value package. Overall: In essence this is way more of a comedy-horror than a horror-comedy. While all about classic horror characters and films, it is in no shape whatsoever scary! But as a comedy it works and that is a true rarity in this genre. Galligan makes an appealing lead and Foreman, also great in the under-appreciated April Fools Day, is her usual, slightly kooky self. Fans of this film will also enjoy director Hickox`s Sundown: The Vampire In Retreat, his rare alternative look at the vampire film with Bruce Campbell. Surprisingly gory, inventive and always good old fashioned FUN, this is well worth a space in your collection. Release Date: Available now on Region 1 DVD. A Region 2 Columbia Tristar single film fullscreen verion is also available in England. A Region 4 Magna Pacific single film fullscreen verion is also available in Australia. Reviewer: Jon Kelly [Check it out at Amazon US] [Reviews Menu] [Home] © Copyright Slasherama 2002-present