Truly one of those great lost gems of the late 80's, Waxwork is long overdue for the special edition treatment on DVD. I don't recall if Waxwork ever received a theatrical distribution in the US or not, I have fond memories of this film as one of those rare direct to video titles that just seemed to blow me away at the time. Luckily(?), Waxwork is now available on DVD as a Pal Region 4 no frills budget disc. I would have liked to see a bit more effort put in, but alas it's just great to have this title on DVD in the first place (and the price is certainly right).

A group of spoiled brat rich kids are invited to a special party at a new waxworks (wax museum) that sprung up over night in their neighborhood. Yeah, it strikes them as a bit odd that a waxworks was opened on a residential street, but they head over anyway (the film is handled in such a tongue in cheek manner that the viewer doesn't really mind either... more on this later). Our four friends roam the museum unattended and conveniently separate from one another. The museum itself is more like a chamber of horrors than anything else with one gruesome display after another. One by one each young adult steps into a display and are then transported directly into the exact scene and forced to play the part on display. Thrust into an alternate universe each one is made to fight for his/her life in a scene that resembles a classic horror flick whether it's involving a suave Dracula or the bite of a Wolf Man. If and when they don't succeed, they then become a permanent part of the scene as the waxwork becomes their new home. Two of them become part of the Waxwork while two escape, and needless to say they have a devil of a time convincing the police that something is wrong. Will our hero be able to put an end to the evil mastermind behind the waxworks before it's too late? Or will the prophecy be fulfilled allowing the Waxworks to take over the world?

Campy and fun, part of the appeal here is that Waxwork never takes itself too seriously. The setups are extremely clever and the transitions in and out of each "dimension" are handled near flawlessly. Add to this fact some really fun performances from a group of no name has-beens (sorry guys) that you'll no doubt immediately recognize (Zach Galligan of Gremlins, Michelle Johnson aka the chick that goes topless in Blame it on Rio, Dana Ashbrook of Twin Peaks and more!). If you want gore, you've certainly come to the right place as well. Not only is Waxworks an open forum to bring back some great creatures like the Wolf Man or The Mummy (in a great cartoon like fashion), but there's also plenty of the red stuff to satisfy the gore-hound in each of us.

Waxwork is never really a scary movie, although there are a few fun jumps (albeit forced scares at that). The film succeeds mostly in its camp value and its wicked sense of humor. A scene featuring the Marquis De Sade comes complete with classic lines like, "Lucky bitch, just because she's a virgin she gets to be beaten in front of the prince!" followed by "She had her first orgasm at the end of a whip!". Simply brilliant! Touching on just about every genre of horror (whether it's intentional or not). Major kudos have to go to the "Living Dead" / Evil Dead setup from its gut munching zombies to the evil severed hand with a mind of its own, in a scene shot in glorious black and white to boot!

Quality wise we're treated to a decent enough transfer. It's hard to tell where the print was sourced from, the print still bears the old Vestron logo. Colors are a bit muted and faded and there is evidence of some minor print damage in some specs and film dirt. There is also some minor grain but nothing too distracting. Black levels remain pretty solid throughout and there's really no sign of artifacting. The full frame transfer doesn't appear to be missing any information, I'm assuming this is just an open matte transfer considering the amount of headroom on display.

Audio is presented in a really nice surround mix. Dialogue is crisp and clear with no sign of distortion, audio fills the room nicely with the film's score and ambient sound. It's pretty groovy.

Extras? What's an extra? Once again, this is a flick that is screaming for a fun special edition. I mean the works, commentaries, deleted scenes, behind the scenes etc. C'mon folks, dig through those vaults! I'm sure these materials exist somewhere, get off the pot already!!

If you have PAL and multi region capabilities, this flick is an essential purchase on DVD until something better comes along. If you've never seen Waxwork before, you have got to check it out. It's a great time from start to finish, and a really well made film to boot. Check it out... at about 5 bucks American, you really have no reason not too.