Fun 80’s monster mayhem
Several college students in Los Angeles are invited to a midnight showing of a wax museum at a manor hosted by a mysterious man with diabolical plans (David Warner). Some of the students include: Zach Galligan (Mark), Deborah Foreman (Sarah), Michelle Johnson (China), Dana Ashbrook (Tony) and Micah Grant (Johnathan).
“Waxwork” (1988) is a horror comedy whose protagonists somehow enter into the worlds of the wax displays wherein they encounter a werewolf, vampires, a torture chamber, mummies, zombies and so on. The tone is uncertain at first, but the film finds its footing and delivers an entertaining experience as a horror mishmash.
It’s more fun than scary, but there’s at least one good shock and the werewolf, mummies and zombies are very well done in a horrific sense. Meanwhile J. Kenneth Campbell offers a notable performance as French sadist Marquis de Sade.
A sequel manifested four years later: “Waxwork II: Lost in Time," which I have yet to see.
The movie runs 1 hour, 37 minutes, and was shot in Los Angeles.
GRADE: B-