Review of Waxwork (1979) by Timothy S — 09 Sep 2013

"Waxwork" is a silly but mostly enjoyable throwback horror film that harkens back to two of the best era the genre has ever known, the 1930's and 1940's classic monster movie and the 1980's where make-up artists actually crafted special effects rather than putting them together via a computer. It's not a great film, but it is good fun most of the way, showing a healthy respect for the films of the past the way most modern horror films would never dream of doing.

Granted, some of the make-up, especially the werwolf, seem simple and cheap, but they were also clearly lovingly and painstakingly created by the extensive effects team. I'll take that over lazy CGI any day of the week.

Writer/director Anthony Hickox would hone his craft and become a decent B-movie maker, but the pacing in his debut feature is spotty at best. It's really his imagination as the screenwriter that shines in this. And even though there are a lot of great homages to classic films of yesteryear, this doesn't shy away from the grislier aspects of the genre.

The bright, young cast is appealing, and the epic fight that concludes it is marvelous despite (or maybe because of) the clunky choreography and clumsy camerawork. There's plenty to like in "Waxwork" despite all the obvious flaws, but I mostly admired it because its ambition is clearly larger than its budget. It's good old fashioned fun that was evidently made with great love and affection that helps you to overlook the lax pacing and familiar story.