"Waxwork" (1988)

Alright, kids, we're going to be trying something different from now on.  In case you haven't noticed, it's been a long time since I've done these reviews with any regularity.  I'd like to give my legions of (four) fans some hare-brained excuse as to why this is, but, really, there isn't any, other than being really, really tired of doing the reviews the way that they had gotten to be.  Namely, gigantic.  Hopefully, this is the beginning of semi-regular updates for the immediate and not-so-immediate future, and after some deep soul-searching that lasted all of five minutes, I decided that the best way to accomplish this was to preserve my own sanity.

Thus, consider this the fun-sizing of the Lick Ness Monster reviews.  Instead of detailing every last nuance of these films, I'll be hitting the high spots as far as what I look for in horror movies - plot, characters and acting, and cool factor, along with a few (but much less) visual aids along the way.

See?  That introduction was only two paragraphs.  I'm already making progress.

YEAR: 1988
DIRECTOR: Anthony Hickox
STARRING: Zach Galligan, Deborah Foreman, Michelle Johnson, Dana Ashbrook, Patrick Macnee and David Warner

THE PLOT: This movie is one of the best examples of "let's get going already right now" I've seen.  It wastes precious little time with anything resembling exposition, instead jumping right into its constant barrage of weirdness and movie/folklore references.  In a nutshell, the movie is about a nutball (unintentional repeated use of a word, I swear) wax museum curator who convinces a group of suburban college students to go for a little night perusing on his property.  The museum itself is basically alive, with different famous horror characters (the werewolf, Dracula, the Mummy, etc.) being represented as well as a few historical figures (the Marquis De Sade, Jack the Ripper).  In the early stages of the movie, we witness a few of these characters wandering onto the wax displays, being transported to the world of the character, and summarily being murdered in some exquisitely gruesome ways.  As the flick enters its second half, we're clued in to the plan of one Mr. David Lincoln (that would be the AFOREMENTIONED museum curator), who is some sort of occultist who needs to sacrifice victims to all of his waxworks in order to take over the world.  Or something.  It comes off a lot better on film than in this description, believe me.
PLOT RATING: *** out of ****.

CHARACTERS AND ACTING: Of course, I should have mentioned that David Warner plays David Lincoln.  Warner is a really, really awesome actor with a pretty long horror pedigree.  If you don't trust me, google him.  Zach Galligan is basically your star as the most prominent of the college kids who find themselves wrapped up in the museum's weird goings-on, and he's not quite Billy Peltzer-likable but far from throw-your-remote at the TV grating.  The rest of the kids, however, are just as disposable as one would expect.
CHARACTERS AND ACTORS: ** 1/2 out of ****.

COOL FACTOR:  My definition of 'cool factor' is just as varied as all the reasons why people enjoy horror movies.  Sometimes, it can mean good gore effects, and that's one thing that [i]Waxwork[/i] has in abundance.  Special FX guru Bob Keen is your makeup maestro for this one, and does a great job creating several truly over-the-top, splatterful set pieces (see above).  Having David Warner around also ups the coolness for pretty much any movie where this statement is true.  If you're in the mood for some decent self-referential (read: non-annoying) humor, look no further than this movie, as seeing all of the various characters together in one movie is a real treat.
COOL FACTOR: *** 1/2 out of ****.

SUMMARY: Waxwork is a very enjoyable, very underrated little gem from the late '80s that somehow flies under the radar of even some hardcore horror fans.  Anthony Hickox, who also directed Hellraiser III as well as the sequel to this film brings a genuine love for the horror genre that shines through in almost every frame.  The finale might get a little Hal Needham-ish, as an army of characters connected to Galligan's grandfather (don't ask) duke it out with Warner's troupe of monsters, but it only dampens the experience slightly from a movie that comes very close to being a bit of a small classic. 
OVERALL RATING: *** out of ****.  Recommended.