Wax figures always seem to get the least appreciation when it comes to three dimensional art. Unfortunately, the reason for that is their eerie presence and synthetic likeliness to that it was based on. It’s also because of these traits that they’ve been best used in horror pictures starting with films like Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933), House of Wax (1953), Nightmare in Wax (1969) and Terror in the Wax Museum (1973). All of which had the same idea but only the original and remake are known the best. After that, feature length films disappeared focusing on this concept…until this film came along. Thankfully this movie does something unique with the premise instead of rehashing for another round of familiarities. However, the way the premise is used tends to make it more camp than anything else.
Written and directed Anthony Hickox, who would later direct Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992), makes his debut with this feature. Sometimes when doing more than one task the end result is not the desired outcome, but here it fairs out okay. The story is about Mark Loftmore (Zach Galligan), China (Michelle Johnson), Sarah (Deborah Foreman) and some other friends who get invited to a mysterious waxwork building headed by a nameless man (David Warner). Little do they or other strangers know that behind the displays are parallel dimensions where people can be transported and trapped. As mentioned before, it’s a twist on the classic story, just this time it’s not a crazed psychopath going around killing people off the streets. There’s a little more fantasy involved here.
Sadly, this still doesn’t remove the campy experience viewers may feel. There’s a couple reasons for this. First, the main characters themselves lack any relatable charm. Zach Galligan best known from Gremlins (1984) plays what seems like a character who wants to grow up, yet he still cares about who China (his ex) sleeps with. Michelle Johnson known for also later playing in Dr. Giggles (1992) is okay but again her character seems conflicted in motivation. In fact, so does the character of Sarah. There’s too much flip flopping. Nevertheless, the actors perform well with what they have. And despite the main characters not feeling strong enough, they are well supported by other veteran actors like David Warner better known from Tron (1982), Joe Baker who’d voice Lon in Disney’s Pocahontas (1995), Patrick Macnee who had roles in The Howling (1981) and A View to a Kill (1985) and even a cameo from John Rhys-Davies.
Two other aspects that play against the experience of this film are the rules explained in the story. While there is a moment where a key part is explained, there is another scene where another variation to the proposed rule is countered. Some consistency or at least clarity would’ve been good. The other issue is just the plot itself and the antagonist’s motivation. In all honesty, it’s a rather vague and preposterous plot why this whole situation even occurs. This is why the experience of watching this film feels campy. It’s just a ridiculous idea. The effects in this film are credible for 1988. There’s a good volume of blood and gore to be had even though the tone does not convey serious horror. Working on those effects was Bob Keen, the same guy behind movies like Superman (1978), Alien (1979), Highlander (1986) and Hellraiser (1987).
Behind the camera for this film was Gerry Lively, who also worked on Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992) and even Friday (1995). The scenes shot by Lively are decent and show competence in their presentation. The best shot belongs to the waxwork building. Finally, composing the film score to this feature was Roger Bellon. Surprisingly, it is an interesting work that has gotten an album release. Bellon has a number of themes that occur throughout the run time and are memorable in their own way. The listening experience is very dated though by the instruments used. Almost anyone could tell it came from the 80s from certain tracks. For Bellon, this might be the work he’s most remembered for because much of the rest of his filmography is in the TV Movie realm where few scores get publications.
This movie puts an interesting spin on the old wax museum tale from past films. While the main characters feel inconsistent at times and the plot is just silly, it does provide mild fun. The camerawork is decent, the music is composed well and the supporting cast contain some big names.
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