WAXWORK
A wax museum owner uses his horror exhibits to unleash evil on the world.
About This Film
In a small suburban town, a group of college students—Mark Loftmore (Zach Galligan), China Webster (Michelle Johnson), Sarah Brightman (Deborah Foreman), Gemma (Clare Carey), James (Eric Brown) and Tony (Dana Ashbrook)--visit a mysterious wax museum, resulting from Sarah and China's earlier encounter with a taciturn gentleman (Warner) who claims to own the exhibit and extends them an invitation. There, they encounter several morbid displays, all of which contain stock characters from the horror genre. Tony and China unintentionally enter two separate pocket dimensions, as depicted by the displays, by crossing the exhibition barrier rope. Tony is at a cabin where a werewolf (John Rhys-Davies) attacks him. A hunter and his son arrive and try to kill the creature. The son fails and is torn in half, while the hunter shoots the werewolf, then shoots Tony as he begins to transform. China is sent to a Gothic castle where vampires attack her, and Count Dracula (Miles O'Keeffe) turns her into a vampire. Two of the other students, Mark and Sarah, leave the museum unscathed. Later, Jonathan (Micah Grant), "a college jock", arrives at the wax museum looking for China, but The Phantom of the Opera display gets his attention as David Lincoln (David Warner) walks him into the display. Mark goes to a pair of investigating police detectives. He and Inspector Roberts (Charles McCaughan) meet Lincoln as he lets Roberts investigate the museum. As Mark and Roberts leave, Mark recognizes Lincoln.
Later, Roberts realizes that some of the displays look like some of the other missing people, then comes back to the museum, cuts off a piece of China's face (revealing black tissue underneath), puts it in a bag, and walks into the mummy display; the mummy throws him in the tomb with another undead mummy and a snake. Later, Roberts's partner sneaks into the museum, and gets his neck broken by Junior (Jack David Walker), "a tall butler" Lincoln scolds for killing the partner.
Mark takes Sarah to the attic of his house, where he shows her an old newspaper detailing the murder of his grandfather (which was seen in the prologue); the only suspect was David Lincoln, his chief assistant, whose photograph closely resembles the museum owner. The two then consult the wheelchair-bound Sir Wilfred (Patrick Macnee), a friend of Mark's grandfather, who explains how he and Mark's grandfather collected trinkets from "eighteen of the most evil people who ever lived" and that Lincoln stole the artifacts; Lincoln, having sold his soul to the Devil, wants to bring their previous owners to life by creating some wax effigies and feeding them the souls of victims, a concept taken from Haitian Vodou. Providing all eighteen with a victim would bring about the "voodoo end of the world, when the dead shall rise and consume all things".
On the advice of Sir Wilfred, Mark and Sarah enter the museum at night and douse it with gasoline. However, Sarah is lured into the display of the Marquis de Sade (J. Kenneth Campbell), and Mark is pushed into a zombie display by the museum's two butlers. Mark is approached by a horde of zombies, but finds that if he does not believe in the monsters, then they do not exist and cannot harm him. Mark finds his way out of the display and into the Marquis de Sade display, where he rescues Sarah, while the marquis vows revenge.
Despite Mark and Sarah's attempts to escape, Junior and Lincoln grab Mark and Sarah, pulling them out of sight as Gemma and James return. Gemma gets lured into the Marquis de Sade display, and James attempts to steal something from the zombie display; moments later, the bodies of James and Gemma reappear as wax figures, the displays completed with the figures and their victims reanimating as evil entities. Suddenly, Sir Wilfred and a huge group of armed men, along with Mark's butler Jenkins, arrive, and in the ensuing battle, several waxworks and slayers are killed, including Lincoln's butlers and Mark and Sarah's former friends, now evil. Jenkins consoles Mark by saying the China-vampire he killed wasn't his friend; it just looked like her. Mark duels with the Marquis de Sade, who is finally killed by Sarah with an axe.
The reunited couple are confronted by Lincoln, who dies getting shot by Sir Wilfred and falls in a vat of boiling wax. Sir Wilfred is decapitated by a werewolf as Sarah and Mark manage to escape the burning museum with their lives and begin to walk home, not noticing that the hand from the zombie display is scuttling away from the rubble.
Wealthy slacker college student Mark, his new girlfriend Sarah, and their friends are invited to a special showing at a mysterious wax museum which displays 18 of the most evil men of all time. After his ex-girlfriend and another friend disappear, Mark becomes suspicious.
Later, Roberts realizes that some of the displays look like some of the other missing people, then comes back to the museum, cuts off a piece of China's face (revealing black tissue underneath), puts it in a bag, and walks into the mummy display; the mummy throws him in the tomb with another undead mummy and a snake. Later, Roberts's partner sneaks into the museum, and gets his neck broken by Junior (Jack David Walker), "a tall butler" Lincoln scolds for killing the partner.
Mark takes Sarah to the attic of his house, where he shows her an old newspaper detailing the murder of his grandfather (which was seen in the prologue); the only suspect was David Lincoln, his chief assistant, whose photograph closely resembles the museum owner. The two then consult the wheelchair-bound Sir Wilfred (Patrick Macnee), a friend of Mark's grandfather, who explains how he and Mark's grandfather collected trinkets from "eighteen of the most evil people who ever lived" and that Lincoln stole the artifacts; Lincoln, having sold his soul to the Devil, wants to bring their previous owners to life by creating some wax effigies and feeding them the souls of victims, a concept taken from Haitian Vodou. Providing all eighteen with a victim would bring about the "voodoo end of the world, when the dead shall rise and consume all things".
On the advice of Sir Wilfred, Mark and Sarah enter the museum at night and douse it with gasoline. However, Sarah is lured into the display of the Marquis de Sade (J. Kenneth Campbell), and Mark is pushed into a zombie display by the museum's two butlers. Mark is approached by a horde of zombies, but finds that if he does not believe in the monsters, then they do not exist and cannot harm him. Mark finds his way out of the display and into the Marquis de Sade display, where he rescues Sarah, while the marquis vows revenge.
Despite Mark and Sarah's attempts to escape, Junior and Lincoln grab Mark and Sarah, pulling them out of sight as Gemma and James return. Gemma gets lured into the Marquis de Sade display, and James attempts to steal something from the zombie display; moments later, the bodies of James and Gemma reappear as wax figures, the displays completed with the figures and their victims reanimating as evil entities. Suddenly, Sir Wilfred and a huge group of armed men, along with Mark's butler Jenkins, arrive, and in the ensuing battle, several waxworks and slayers are killed, including Lincoln's butlers and Mark and Sarah's former friends, now evil. Jenkins consoles Mark by saying the China-vampire he killed wasn't his friend; it just looked like her. Mark duels with the Marquis de Sade, who is finally killed by Sarah with an axe.
The reunited couple are confronted by Lincoln, who dies getting shot by Sir Wilfred and falls in a vat of boiling wax. Sir Wilfred is decapitated by a werewolf as Sarah and Mark manage to escape the burning museum with their lives and begin to walk home, not noticing that the hand from the zombie display is scuttling away from the rubble.
Wealthy slacker college student Mark, his new girlfriend Sarah, and their friends are invited to a special showing at a mysterious wax museum which displays 18 of the most evil men of all time. After his ex-girlfriend and another friend disappear, Mark becomes suspicious.
Film Details
Director
Anthony Hickox
Writer
Anthony Hickox
Tags
Keywords
Psychotronic Film
Torture
Whipping
Decapitation
Stabbing
Zombie
Vampire
Transformation
Supernatural Power
Sword
Male Female Relationship
Impalement
Title Spoken By Character
Sword Fight
Tied Up
Good Versus Evil
1980s
Possession
Mother Son Relationship
Hypnotized Woman
Cannibalism
Exploding Body
Written By Director
Torture Chamber
Fireplace
Werewolf
Man On Fire
Time Travel
Mexican
Butler
Haunted House
Female Vampire
Neck Breaking
Mummy
Masochism
Exploding Head
No One Believes The Protagonist
Human Flesh
Body Torn Apart
Crushed Head
Midnight
Wooden Stake
Head Ripped Off
Deal With The Devil
Vampirism
Mexican Woman
Raw Meat
Portal
Reference To Dracula
Dracula Character
Reference To World War Two
Disembodied Hand
Reference To Adolf Hitler
Bitten By A Vampire
Meta Horror
Silver Bullet
Brought Back To Life
Marquis De Sade Character
Backward Time Travel
Sexual Inadequacy
Title Appears In Writing
Turned Into A Werewolf
Turned Into A Vampire
Axe In The Back
Reference To The Marquis De Sade
Reference To The Devil
Mythical Creature
Creepy Waxworks
Reference To Marquis De Sade
Killed By Broken Neck
Wax Museum
Waxworks
Reference To The Phantom Of The Opera
Accidental Time Travel
Phantom Of The Opera
Reference To Vlad Dracula
Villainous Butler
Egyptian Mummy
Reference To The Mummy
Mummy Character
Human Versus Mummy
Time Portal
First Person Perspective
Death Of A Vampire
Burned By A Cross
Manacles
Bitten By A Werewolf
Werewolf Transformation
Shooting A Vampire
Vampire Staked
Axe Used As A Weapon
Improvised Cross
Mexican Maid
Mexican Stereotype
See You In Hell
Sudden Disappearance
Invisible Barrier
Vampire Bat
Also Known As
Illusione infernale, Waxwork - Reise zurück in der Zeit, Восъчни фигури, Waxwork - Il museo delle cere è arrivato in città, Музей восковых фигур, Museu de Cera, Waxwork - Benvenuti al museo delle cere, Reise zurück in der Zeit, La mansión del horror, Museo de Cera, Gabinet figur woskowych