Waxwork II: Lost in Time

Last updated
Waxwork II: Lost in Time
Poster of the movie Waxwork II.jpg
Directed by Anthony Hickox
Written byAnthony Hickox
Produced byNancy Paloian
Starring Zach Galligan
Alexander Godunov
Monika Schnarre
Martin Kemp
Bruce Campbell
CinematographyGerry Lively
Edited byChristopher Cibelli
Music bySteve Schiff
Distributed byElectric Pictures
Release dates
  • March 26, 1992 (1992-03-26)(Philippines)
  • June 16, 1992 (1992-06-16)(US)
Running time
104 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Waxwork II: Lost in Time is a 1992 American dark fantasy comedy film written and directed by Anthony Hickox. It is a sequel to the 1988 film Waxwork . The film premiered in the Philippines on March 26, 1992, while it was given a direct-to-video release in the United States on June 16, 1992. [1]

Contents

Plot

Beginning where the previous film left off, Mark and Sarah leave the burning waxwork. They board a taxi but the severed hand from the zombie exhibit also escapes, follows Sarah home, and kills her stepfather with a hammer. Shortly after, Sarah is on trial for the murder and, much to the dismay of her defense attorney, tells the skeptical jury about what happened at the waxwork. Mark rashly tries to corroborate her story from the spectators gallery but is removed from the courthouse.

Desperate to help their situation, the two visit the late Sir Wilfred's home, where they find a film reel of Sir Wilfred speaking of his and Mark's grandfather's adventures and of the supernatural artifacts they collected together. A secret switch in Sir Wilfred's chessboard opens a door to a room full of objects where Mark and Sarah find a small compass-like device. The device is revealed to be Solomon's Locket, which was used by both light and dark angels to travel through another universe, called Kartagra. According to Sir Wilfred, the many worlds of Kartagra comprise the plane where the cosmic eternal battles between good and evil occur. Each victory or failure is reflected in the real world as peace or natural disasters. Most but not all of these worlds consist of fictional stories that have become realities, including Frankenstein , The Haunting , Alien , Godzilla , Nosferatu , and Dawn of the Dead , among others. Much like the waxwork exhibits, whenever Mark and Sarah arrive in a new world they take on the persona of characters in those stories, sometimes having their personalities taken over by those characters until they regain their senses. Those who remain in Kartagra to take up the fight against or for evil are referred to as time warriors.

Mark plans to gather evidence of the reanimated dead to bring back to their world as proof of Sarah's story in court. After jumping from one world to another making little progress, they arrive in a medieval world where Sarah is the sister of the evil sorcerer, Master Scarabis. After foiling Scarabis' plans to take over the throne of England by transmogrifying into the visiting king, he and Mark engage in a sword fight. When Solomon's Locket is accidentally opened, the two fight through various worlds. In one world where a zombie invasion is happening in a mall, Mark slices off a zombie's still-animate hand and keeps it to use as evidence for Sarah's trial. The two wind up back in Scarabis' castle where Mark gets the upper hand, causing the sorcerer to violently die at the hands of a woman who was turned into a grisly panther creature during a ritual to give him his powers.

When Mark and Sarah attempt to return to their universe, the doorway is smaller this time, only allowing one to enter. Mark reasons that Sarah must go through and clear her name, adding that she would never be happy staying in Kartagra. Even though she resists, claiming she would be happy as long as she is with him, Mark sends her through the portal and the two bid a tearful farewell. Sarah returns in Sir Wilfred's secret vault with the zombie hand in tow. She happens upon a partially covered painting she saw earlier and finds it is of Mark, dressed as an armored time warrior.

At the conclusion of her trial, Sarah's incredulous evidence proves her innocence. When leaving the courthouse, a courier delivers her an antiquated package containing Solomon's Locket and a parchment from Mark that reads: "Join me." Sarah happily boards a taxi as the crowd outside watches her disappear in a flash of light.

Cast

Release

The film was released in Philippine theaters by Jemah Films on March 26, 1992. [2] Originally intended as a theatrical release in the United States like its predecessor, Waxwork II instead went direct-to-video on June 16, 1992.

Production

Although written by a British writer, the American actors were allowed to speak the dialogue in their own words, replacing common British speech mannerisms with American ones. Many of the anachronism in the movie were on purpose as a type of Easter egg for the fans [3]

Reception

TV Guide liked this sequel more than the original, and gave it two out of 5 stars, but in the end found "ends up little more than a good idea that needed a steadier hand at the helm." [4] John Stanley's Creature Feature review book found that the movie was worth 3.5 out of 5 stars, and said that it would especially appeal to horror fans. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monster</span> Fearsome and/or grotesque fictional being

A monster is a type of fictional creature found in horror, fantasy, science fiction, folklore, mythology and religion. They are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive, with a strange or grotesque appearance that causes terror and fear, often in humans. Monsters usually resemble bizarre, deformed, otherworldly and/or mutated animals or entirely unique creatures of varying sizes, but may also take a human form, such as mutants, ghosts, spirits, zombies, or cannibals, among other things. They may or may not have supernatural powers, but are usually capable of killing or causing some form of destruction, threatening the social or moral order of the human world in the process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frankenstein's monster</span> 1818 fictional character by Mary Shelley

Frankenstein's monster, commonly referred to as Frankenstein, is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus as its main antagonist. Shelley's title compares the monster's creator, Victor Frankenstein, to the mythological character Prometheus, who fashioned humans out of clay and gave them fire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zach Galligan</span> American actor

Zachary Wolfe Galligan is an American actor. He is best known for starring as Billy Peltzer in the comedy-horror films Gremlins (1984) and Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solomon Grundy (character)</span> Fictional DC Comics supervillain

Solomon Grundy is a supervillain and occasional antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He was originally depicted as a murder victim brought back to life as a corporeal revenant or zombie, though subsequent versions of the character have occasionally depicted a different origin. His name is taken from the 19th century nursery rhyme "Solomon Grundy".

<i>White Zombie</i> (film) 1932 film by Victor Hugo Halperin

White Zombie is a 1932 pre-Code horror film independently produced by Edward Halperin and directed by Victor Halperin. The screenplay by Garnett Weston, based on The Magic Island by William Seabrook, is about a young woman's transformation into a zombie at the hands of an evil voodoo master. Bela Lugosi stars as the zombie master "Murder" Legendre, with Madge Bellamy appearing as his victim. Other cast members include Joseph Cawthorn, Robert W. Frazer, John Harron, Brandon Hurst, and George Burr MacAnnan.

<i>Monster Force</i> Television series

Monster Force is a 13-episode animated television series created in April 9, 1994 by Universal Cartoon Studios and Canadian studio Lacewood Productions. The story is set in approximately 2020 and centers on a group of teenagers who, with help of high tech weaponry, fight off against classic Universal Monsters and spiritual beings threatening humanity. Some of the crew have personal vendettas, while others fight for mankind out of a sense of altruism. The series aired in syndication alongside another Universal animated series, Exosquad. Universal Studios Home Entertainment released the first seven episodes to DVD on September 15, 2009.

<i>Commander USAs Groovie Movies</i> American movie showcase series

Commander USA's Groovie Movies is an American movie showcase series that ran weekend afternoons on the USA Network.

<i>Frankenstein</i> in popular culture

Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, and the famous character of Frankenstein's monster, have influenced popular culture for at least a century. The work has inspired numerous films, television programs, video games and derivative works. The character of the Monster remains one of the most recognized icons in horror fiction.

<i>Waxwork</i> (film) 1988 film by Anthony Hickox

Waxwork is a 1988 American comedy horror film written and directed by Anthony Hickox in his directorial film debut and starring Zach Galligan, Deborah Foreman, Michelle Johnson, David Warner, Dana Ashbrook, and Patrick Macnee. It is partially inspired by the 1924 German silent film Waxworks.

<i>Mad Monster Party?</i> 1967 film

Mad Monster Party? is a 1967 stop-motion animated musical comedy film produced by Rankin/Bass Productions for Embassy Pictures. The film stars the voices of Boris Karloff, Allen Swift, Gale Garnett, and Phyllis Diller. It tells the story of a mad scientist who achieves the secret of total destruction as he summons all the monsters to his island home to show it off while planning to retire as the head of the "Worldwide Organization of Monsters".

<i>Waxworks</i> (1992 video game) 1992 first-person dungeon crawl horror role-playing video game

Waxworks is a 1992 horror-themed first-person dungeon crawl video game developed by Horror Soft and published by Accolade for Amiga, Macintosh, and DOS. The game consists of the player traversing historically themed dungeons, solving puzzles and fighting enemies, in order to fix a curse that has been placed on the player character's family.

<i>Kyoufu Densetsu Kaiki! Frankenstein</i> 1981 film by Toyoo Ashida

Kyōfu Densetsu Kaiki! Frankenstein, is a 1981 Japanese anime monster movie television film, loosely based on Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus and the Marvel comic book Monster of Frankenstein. In this 98-minute violent, adult-oriented film, the creature was portrayed as a misunderstood monster, who only wanted to be loved. The film was dubbed and released in the U.S. in 1984. The dubbed version never had a title but was advertised as both Monster of Frankenstein and Frankenstein Legend of Terror.

Sir James "Jimmy" Enrique Carreras was a British film producer and executive who, together with William Hinds, founded the British company Hammer Film Productions. His career spanned nearly 45 years, in multiple facets of the entertainment industry until retiring in 1972.

<i>Frankenstein – A New Musical</i> Musical

Frankenstein – A New Musical is a stage musical adaptation of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, with music by Mark Baron and book and lyrics by Jeffrey Jackson, based on a story adaptation by Gary P. Cohen. It premiered in New York City on November 1, 2007 in the off-Broadway theater 37 Arts and was directed by Bill Fennelly. The cast featured Hunter Foster as Victor Frankenstein, Steve Blanchard as The Creature, and Christiane Noll as Elizabeth. The show was produced by Gerald Goehring, Douglas C. Evans, Michael F. Mitri, and David S. Stone, in association with Barbara & Emery Olcott.

<i>Frankenstein</i> 1818 novel by Mary Shelley

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is an 1818 Gothic novel written by English author Mary Shelley. Frankenstein tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment. Shelley started writing the story when she was 18, and the first edition was published anonymously in London on 1 January 1818, when she was 20. Her name first appeared in the second edition, which was published in Paris in 1821.

<i>Monster Brawl</i> 2011 Canadian film

Monster Brawl is a 2011 independent Canadian horror comedy film directed by Jesse Thomas Cook.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bride of Frankenstein (character)</span> Fictional character

The Bride of Frankenstein is a fictional character first introduced in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus and later in the 1935 film Bride of Frankenstein. In the film, the Bride is played by Elsa Lanchester. The character's design in the film features a conical hairdo with white lightning-trace streaks on each side, which has become an iconic symbol of both the character and the film.

<i>Tales of Frankenstein</i> Multi-national TV series or program

Tales of Frankenstein is an unsold TV pilot filmed in 1958. It was a co-production of Hammer Film Productions and Columbia Pictures. The film is a mixture of elements from both the Hammer and Universal Pictures versions of Frankenstein, based on Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. The episode title, which does not appear onscreen, is "The Face in the Tombstone Mirror". The film is in the public domain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mummy (undead)</span> Undead monster

Mummies are commonly featured in horror genres as undead creatures wrapped in bandages. Similar undead include skeletons and zombies.

References

  1. "Waxwork II: Lost in Time (1992)". 16 December 2009.
  2. "Grand Opening Today". Manila Standard . Kamahalan Publishing Corp. March 26, 1992. p. 23. Retrieved 14 February 2020. 'An Entirely New Dimension in Horror Filmmaking!!'
  3. "Zach Galligan Talks Waxwork Blu-ray & Gremlins 2". 24 October 2016.
  4. "Waxwork II: Lost in Time".
  5. Stanley, J. (2000) Creature Feature : 3rd edition.