Waxwork(1988)
1988 · Anthony Hickox · 97 min
Wealthy slacker Mark, his new girlfriend Sarah, and their friends, are invited to a special showing at a mysterious wax museum which displays eighteen of the most evil men of all time. After his ex-girlfriend and another friend disappear, Mark becomes suspicious…
Horror · Comedy
6.2340 votes
TMDB score
2/5
Intensity
3/5
Gore
1/5
Stays with you
How Waxwork scares
Waxwork is basically a haunted house ride dressed up as a movie, where each wax figure drags characters into its own mini monster movie complete with vampires, werewolves, and other classic horror throwbacks. It's playful and tongue-in-cheek rather than truly scary, leaning on gross-out gags and campy creature effects instead of real dread. The pacing bounces between goofy hangout scenes and short bursts of monster mayhem, so it never settles into slow tension or heavy atmosphere. This is a fun, silly pick for horror fans who love old monster movies and don't want to be genuinely unsettled.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, Waxwork rates psychological 1/5, visceral 3/5, gore 3/5, lingering effect 1/5, and overall intensity 2/5.
- Psychological: 1 of 5
- Visceral: 3 of 5
- Gore: 3 of 5
- Lingering: 1 of 5
- Intensity: 2 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 55 of 100 — balanced
Supernatural vs Real-world: 15 of 100 — leans Supernatural
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 15 of 100 — leans Fun-scary
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
Starts as a playful, curious hangout that keeps dipping into short sharp scares before building into a chaotic, all-out finale.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5.
How scary is Waxwork?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, Waxwork rates 2/5 — moderately scary, balancing creeping dread with well-placed shocks. It attacks the body more than the mind — physical, in-your-face horror. Expect it to be moderately gory and fun-first. The dread fades once the credits roll.
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