Two Horror Film Reviews
Two film reviews by Ken Johnson
Copyright 1992 Ken Johnson
I was just going to review the new film WAXWORK 2: LOST IN TIME, but I figured while I was at it I might as well write one for WAXWORK as well, so here goes...
WAXWORK
100 min., not rated, Horror, 1988
Director: Anthony Hickox
Cast: Zach Galligan, Deborah Foreman, Michelle Johnson, Dana Ashbrook,
Miles O'Keeffe, Charles McCaughtan, J. Kenneth Campbell,
John Rhys-Davies, Patrick McNee, David Warner
Deborah Foreman and Michelle Johnson get invited to the premiere opening of a wax museum run by David Warner. Warner tells them that the showing is at midnight and they can bring four friends with them. Johnson and Foreman invite four friends but two chicken out. The two remaining are Zach Galligan and Dana Ashbrook. Galligan and Foreman leave after they find out that Ashbrook and Johnson had left the wax museum, but the next morning Galligan and Foreman find out that Ashbrook and Johnson never got home. Galligan suspects that they never left the waxwork and finds out that Warner is trying to bring hell to Earth.
WAXWORK is an excellent horror film with a neat new idea (at least I haven't seen it before). I highly recommend that you see this film; it is definitely worth a rental. On a scale of zero to five, I give WAXWORK a four. WAXWORK is not rated but contains explicit language, violence, and adult situations. There is also an R rated version of WAXWORK out, but the only version I have been able to see, or find for that matter, is the unrated uncensored version. There is nothing really bad in the uncensored version so I would recommend that you watch that one for it will contain more than the R rated version, at least that is what I would assume.
The part that I like the most about WAXWORK is how it combines old horror films with this new one. I like the idea of when a person walks into an exhibit they get transported into a world where that exhibit is going on. It is also interesting that some of the worlds, like the NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD exhibit, are in black and white, like in the original version.
The sets are very well done, and look like the films that they are pretending to be. The script is very well written and the acting is great. Most of the people in this film end up with cameos because they are only in one waxwork exhibit.
WAXWORK 2: LOST IN TIME 104 min., R, Horror/Science Fiction/Comedy, 1991 Director: Anthony Hickox Cast: Zach Galligan, Monika Schnarre, Martin Kemp, Bruce Campbell, Michael Des Barres, Jim Metzler, Sophie Ward, Marina Sirtis, Billy Kane, Joe Baker, Juliet Mills, John Ireland, Patrick Macnee, David Carradine, Alexander Godunov, Kate Murtagh, Drew Barrymore
The opening paragraph contains spoilers for WAXWORK.
This sequel to WAXWORK starts off right where WAXWORK left off with Zach Galligan and Monika Schnarre (played in WAXWORK by Deborah Foreman) leaving the burning waxwork. Schnarre is put on trial for the murder of her father, which was really done by a zombie hand that escaped from the waxwork. Galligan finds a time key, that allows you to travel forward or backwards in time, and they try to travel back in time to try to prove that such thing as a zombie hand could exist.
WAXWORK 2 is, I feel, just as good as WAXWORK and a true sequel. Unlike the first film, the idea for this one is a bit recycled, the last time I remember this idea being used was in BILL AND TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE, but it is still fun to watch. Before watching this film, I suggest you should watch, or re- watch, WAXWORK because it is important to remember what happened in the first film. In fact, the ending scenes of WAXWORK are the opening scenes for this one to remind you what happened at the end. On a scale of zero to five, I give WAXWORK 2 a four. WAXWORK 2 is rated R for explicit language, adult situations, and violence.
WAXWORK was, what I thought, a film that would be impossible to make a true sequel to. I consider a true sequel to be a film that continues a story. Like SHOCK TREATMENT was not a true sequel to THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW but POLICE ACADEMY 2: THEIR FIRST ASSIGNMENT was a true sequel to POLICE ACADEMY. WAXWORK 2 is a true sequel, and I feel that it is just as good as the original film (something that is very rare). I hope that there will be no more WAXWORK films because I don't think they could make another good one, but I may be wrong.
It took me a while to rent WAXWORK 2 because my local video store was out every time I went in. I am glad that I finally got to see it for I definitely think it is worth watching. Unlike WAXWORK this film is partially a spoof of horror films. The climatic sword fight through monster films is priceless, and I feel it is worth watching the film for that if nothing else.
The film was very well written and well acted. Many of the actors have cameos because they are in one scenario and not in others, but they all do a good job. The cinematography was great. I especially liked the parts where, when the people went into old films, the picture became black and white. The sets were very well done and all together the film is technically above most horror films today.
Ken J. blj@mithrandir.cs.unh.edu
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