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WAXWORK 2: LOST IN TIME 1992 Director: Anthony Hickox. Hacktors: Zach Galligan, Martin Kemp, Bruce Campbell, Patrick Macnee. Rating/5: The lowdown: Maintaining the original's fondness for horror movie homages, Waxwork 2 proves to be a watchable if wildly uneven sequel. Galligan is back as Mark and although the film follows on immediately from the events of the first, his girlfriend has changed into Monika Schnarre, a less impressive actress than the original`s Deborah Foreman. Finding a mystical compass, they whisk through time trying to prove the events at the Waxwork museum actually happened, as she is suspected of multiple murder after the first film's inexplicable carnage! This time they face up to Frankenstein, Aliens and other horror legends in a frantic search for a uncooperative severed hand that will provide them the evidence they need to prove their innocence. Good points: Waxwork 2 has some great set pieces, particularly a Haunting-inspired black-and-white section featuring the legend that is Bruce Campbell. Sadly however, as laugh-out-loud funny as that segment is, the Alien riff and main finale are awful, suffering from the film's seriously low budget. The rest of the film is similarly variable. On a positive note, Waxwork 2 has a great cast: watch out for Drew Barrymore in a brief cameo and it is interesting to see Martin Kemp in a rare Hollywood role. The horror homages prove fun to watch out for, despite being less plentiful this time around. Bad points: At times this film is downright bad: the low budget really hurts it. Sometimes resembling a cheap cash-in, it moves too far away from what made the first film so much fun. As it proved, this was a franchise-killer, which is a shame as the Waxwork premise had so much more potential than this sequel suggests. DVD Details: The disk reviewed is the Region 1 Artisan DVD double bill featuring both Waxwork 2: Lost In Time and the original Waxwork. 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: With little rewatch value this would normally be a hard film to recommend. Packaged as it is with the original movie, though, this makes for a great value budget-buy curiosity. It is a poor sequel, as it lacks the humour and heart that made the original so endearing, but it does have some watchable moments and is worth viewing. Release Date: Available now on Region 1 DVD. Reviewer: Jon Kelly. [Check it out at Amazon US] [Reviews Menu] [Home] © Copyright Slasherama 2002-present