The modern horror classics Waxwork and Waxwork II: Lost In Time are coming to Blu-ray for the first time thanks to the new Vestron Video Collector’s Series releasing October 18, 2016. The first movie, about teenagers surviving scenes from deadly wax museum which come to life, and the second movie, about Mark and Sarah travelling through time to prove her innocence for a murder, both star Zach Galligan, whom readers may also know as the star of Gremlins. I had the opportunity to sit down with Mr. Galligan at Monsterama, an Atlanta-based horror convention, to briefly discuss the Blu-ray release.
GeekDad: “I noticed on the new release that you sat down for a commentary track with the director of the movie. Had it been a long time since you had seen the movie? What was it like sitting down for that?”
Zach Galligan: “I hadn’t really seen the first Waxwork in its uncut entirety in probably about fifteen years, and I certainly can’t even remember the time I saw the film in such good quality. My guess is this is probably the best print there’s ever been of this movie. I remember seeing the premiere at Mann’s Chinese Theater and the print was pretty nice there, especially on the big screen, but something about digital technology now and the way they can do these Blu-rays and the 1080p or 4K or whatever the resolution is on it. The thing that’s really startling about it, and I think most people will see that I’m not really exaggerating—unlike the Gremlins Blu-ray, which to me looked pretty much like the movie, I didn’t really see any giant leap from the DVD to the Blu-ray. The print pretty much looked about the same. The Waxwork Blu-ray looks like we shot the movie last week. the print looks like it is dripping wet it looks brand-spanking new, except the movie is almost 30 years old and I’m 23. And it’s a little alarming because everyone in the film is so young. We’re all basically fresh out of college, you know what I mean? And it’s kinda amazing, and I think you’ll really appreciate two things in the Blu-ray. You’ll appreciate Gerry Lively’s cinematography, which looked fantastic, especially given the micro budget we were working on. We really did not have that much tiem or that much to work with and did a beautiful job. And then the guy who did the score, Roger Bellon, his score sounds absolutely fantastic in the stereo mix that they did. So it really is a giant leap from the VHS version that most people were watching to this version. I think some people will be borderline startled. I know I was.”
GD: “So having watched it recently, what do you think it is about the movie that has been celebrated for so long that is prompting companies like Vestron (Lionsgate) to rerelease these things? What’s the timeless appeal?”
ZG: “Well, I think if you like horror, Waxwork is basically a valentine or love letter to horror movies. Tony Hickox came up with a very clever idea that each display is kind of like a world, a separate world unto itself, almost a separate dimension unto itself. So it is very imaginative and it kind of anticipates the limited attention span people have nowadays where it’s like instead of a two-hour movie about werewolves, you get fifteen minutes of werewolves, and then you get fifteen minutes of vampires, and fifteen minutes of zombies. So it’s kind of like a potpourri platter, or rather a pu pu platter at a Chinese restaurant. There’s an Applebee’s sample platter for horror fans. There’s a little bit of this and a little bit of that, so people kind of like that and it still kind of plays. And if you look at Cabin in the Woods, toward the end of Cabin in the Woods, it kind of has a Waxwork-y feel towards it at the very end. Joss Whedon was either influenced consciously or maybe unconsciously by that movie.”
I have to say, after watching the Blu-ray of Waxwork and Waxwork II: Lost in Time, I wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Galligan’s assessment about the video quality. It is the best presentation of the movie I’ve ever seen. I watched the film with the commentary on and the behind the scenes insight about how this movie was made is really incredible to hear. Despite the low budget of the movie, the new Vestron Video Collector’s Edition definitely preserves the film as it was meant to be seen and captures it for a new generation of horror fans to enjoy.
Blu-ray Details:
Waxwork Special Features:
- Audio Commentary with Anthony Hickox & Zach Galligan
- Featurettes:
- “The Waxwork Chronicles” (Parts 1–6)
- Vintage “Making of” Featurette
- Isolated Score & Audio Interview with Composer Roger Bellon
- Theatrical Trailer
- Still Gallery
Waxwork II: Lost in Time Special Features:
- Audio Commentary with Anthony Hickox & Zach Galligan
- Theatrical Trailer
- Still Gallery
MSRP: $39.99
Disclaimer: I received a Blu-ray copy for review purposes.
