Waxwork 1988

In a quaint suburban town, a group of college students — Mark, China, Gemma, James, Tony, and Sarah — embark on a chilling adventure at a mysterious wax museum. Inside, they encounter an array of grotesque displays featuring familiar stock characters from the horror genre. As the night unfolds, Tony and China find themselves drawn into different wax exhibits.

Tony is transported to a remote cabin where he faces off against a fearsome werewolf. Just when his fate seems sealed, a brave hunter and his son arrive to help. Sadly, the son meets a gruesome end, torn apart, while the hunter manages to shoot the werewolf, but not before Tony’s transformation begins. Meanwhile, China is whisked away to a dark and foreboding Gothic castle. There, she encounters a pack of vampires led by none other than Count Dracula, who ultimately turns her into one of the undead.

Unbeknownst to them, two of their friends, Mark and Sarah, manage to leave the wax museum unharmed. Later, Johnathan, a college jock, arrives at the wax museum in search of China, but he becomes captivated by the Phantom of the Opera display. Guided by David Lincoln — who ominously walks him into the exhibit — Mark decides to seek out the help of some police detectives. He meets Inspector Roberts, who is intrigued by the unsettling atmosphere of the waxworks, and soon realizes that many of the displays bear an eerie resemblance to missing persons.

As they leave the museum, Mark recognizes Lincoln and a realization dawns upon Inspector Roberts regarding the hidden dangers of the exhibit. He returns to investigate further, but in a shocking turn of events, he faces his demise at the hands of a mummy that ensnares him within its tomb, leaving his partner to be brutally slain by Junior, Lincoln’s towering butler, as he scolds him for the unnecessary violence.

Determined to uncover the truth, Mark takes Sarah to his attic, where he reveals an old newspaper article detailing his grandfather’s murder. The only suspect was David Lincoln, whose likeness ominously resembles the sinister waxwork owner. They turn to Sir Wilfred, a wheelchair-bound friend of Mark’s grandfather, who shares the dark history of how he and Mark’s grandfather collected relics from the world’s most malign figures. It becomes evident that Lincoln, after selling his soul to the devil, aims to resurrect these malicious souls by creating wax effigies and using victims’ life forces — a chilling concept rooted in voodoo practices.

Sir Wilfred urges Mark and Sarah to take action. They return to the wax museum at night, armed with gasoline to set the museum ablaze. However, Sarah is lured into the surreal world of the Marquis de Sade, while Mark is thrown into a zombie display by the wicked butlers. Surrounded by terrifying undead, Mark discovers a powerful truth: if he does not believe in the monsters, they cannot harm him.

After narrowly escaping the grave threat, Mark finds Sarah trapped in the Marquis de Sade exhibit, and together they evade the malevolent grasp of Junior and Lincoln. As their friends Gemma and James return, they too fall victim; Gemma is drawn into the Marquis’s domain while James attempts a reckless theft from the zombie exhibit. Soon after, both are cursed to become wax figures, reanimating as wicked entities.

In an explosive climax, Sir Wilfred arrives with an army of armed allies, including Mark’s butler Jenkins. A fierce battle ensues, leading to the downfall of multiple waxworks and former friends, now turned into dark creatures. In an epic showdown, Mark faces off against the Marquis de Sade, who ultimately meets his demise at the hands of Sarah’s axe.

As order is restored, Lincoln finds himself outmatched and is shot by Sir Wilfred before falling into a vat of boiling wax. However, the horror doesn’t end there, as a werewolf swiftly claims Sir Wilfred. Mark and Sarah, narrowly escaping the inferno of the waxwork, begin their journey home, blissfully unaware that a sinister hand from the zombie display is stealthily creeping away from the remnants of the chaos.