Waxwork

"Stop on by and give afterlife a try."

1988 1h 37m EN

😐

6.2

MID

🍅

60%

FRESH

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.1

IMDB

★6.2TMDB · 344🍅60%Rotten Tomatoes●41Metacritic★6.1IMDB · 14,898

HorrorComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Wealthy slacker Mark, his new girlfriend Sarah, and their friends, are invited to a special showing at a mysterious wax museum which displays eighteen of the most evil men of all time. After his ex-girlfriend and another friend disappear, Mark becomes suspicious…

“Stop on by and give afterlife a try.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Amazon Prime VideoSubscription

Amazon Prime Video with AdsSubscription

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Zach Galligan
Mark Loftmore
Jennifer Bassey
Mrs. Loftmore
Joe Baker
Jenkins
Deborah Foreman
Sarah Brightman
Michelle Johnson
China Webster
David Warner
Waxwork Man
Eric Brown
James
Clare Carey
Gemma

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Anthony Hickox
Writers: Anthony Hickox
Languages: English
Countries: Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 27% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

38 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Waxwork Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Anthony Hickox, shot by Gerry Lively. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Roger Bellon. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Christopher Cibelli shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Anthony Hickox directs. Gerry Lively behind the camera. Roger Bellon scores. Christopher Cibelli cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Earned back only 27% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
338 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4International production across 3 countries: Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America.
5Part of the "Waxwork Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
6Directed by Anthony Hickox, shot by Gerry Lively. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Roger Bellon. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Christopher Cibelli shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Zach Galligan and Jennifer Bassey and Joe Baker carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Stop on by and give afterlife a try.".
11IMDB entry: tt0096426 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 16 themes, including "vampire", "voodoo", "transformation", "wheelchair".
13Released under 13 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Gerry Lively
Original score: Roger Bellon
Editing: Christopher Cibelli
Production design: Gianni Quaranta
Costume design: Leonard Pollack
Makeup / hair: Nina Kraft
Sound: Jeff Gomillion
Stunt coordinator: Bob Bragg
Runtime: 97 min · 1h 37m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $3,000,000
Box office: $808,114
Return: 27% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Waxwork (1988)
Rotten Tomatoes: 60% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 41/100
IMDB rating: 6.1/10 · 14,898 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

2 wins & 4 nominations total

Part of

Waxwork Collection

American comedy horror series about a group of college students visiting a mysterious wax museum.

Also by

Anthony Hickox

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2014-04-18
★ 5/10
Monster mash-up in wax. Waxwork is written and directed by Anthony Hickox. It stars Zach Galligan, Deborah Foreman, Michelle Johnson, David Warner, Dana Ashbrook, Miles O’Keefe, Patrick Macnee and John Rhys-Davies. Music is by Roger Bellon and cinematography by Gerry Lively. A sort of portmanteau horror film made on a TV standard budget. Plot in simple terms has a bunch of pretty young adults unwisely accept an invite to visit the mysterious new wax museum that has suddenly appeared in town: At midnight! What follows is a number of stories that find members of the group magically transported into the realm of an exhibit, such as werewolf, vampire etc, and end up as part of the exhibit themselves. Can the hero in waiting save the day? It’s a fun homage of a movie, playing very much firmly with tongue in cheek. The presence of some horror stalwarts in the cast is reassuring, and the effects work isn’t half bad. Some of the acting is poor from the younger cast members, and while it’s not hard to forgive a low budgeted movie its failings, it’s still annoying that the actors playing the wax models can’t keep still, while the set nearly falls down at one point. The photography is also too cloudy at times, Gerry Lively’s filters straining for colour ambiance. Still, it’s a decent time filler that’s made with love by a horror fan for horror fans. 5/10
Wuchak2023-12-26
★ 6/10
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-