Waxwork, Hellraiser III director Anthony Hickox has died at 64

Sad news today as it’s been reported that genre director Anthony Hickox recently died at the age of 64. The under-appreciated director is best known for helming Waxwork, Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth, Warlock: The Armageddon, and more.

Filmmaking was in Anthony Hickox’s blood from day one. He was born to Douglas Hickox, who directed Theatre of Blood and Zulu Dawn, and Anne V. Coates, the Oscar-winning editor of Lawrence of Arabia. After initially working as a club promoter in London, Hickox moved to Los Angeles to become a writer and director. His first feature film was Waxwork, quickly followed by Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat. He went on to helm Waxwork II: Lost in Time, Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth, Full Eclipse, Warlock: The Armageddon, and more.

Anthony Hickox later shifted towards the action genre, including several movies starring Dolph Lundgren (Storm Catcher, Jill Rips), but it’s the one starring Steven Seagal that has the best stories behind it. Submerged was originally developed as a sci-fi/horror movie about a crew stuck in a submarine invaded by aliens, until Seagal decided he didn’t want to do that, just three weeks before production was to begin.

Hickox said that Seagal had called him and said “I don’t think this movie should be on a submarine… I’ve decided I don’t like aliens and I don’t like monsters. I don’t want to be in a monster movie.“. The director added, “that’s why it ended up like it did. We had no clue what we were doing: no script, and the whole mind control thing in the final film was made up the last week before shooting! It was really insane. At that point, again, I should have quit, but I needed the cash.“

Seagal’s attitude about the work was frequently a source of frustration. “He’ll never be on set for any other actor because he just walks away as soon as he’s done his lines,” Hickox said. “Literally you’d light one side of the room. He would come on the other side of the room, shout action, say his lines, shout cut, and walk away. And me and the camera crew would be like, ‘What just happened?'” When Submerged finally wrapped, Hickox confronted Seagal. “I said, ‘Steven, why do you make movies? You hate the f***ing process — everything about it you hate.’ And he didn’t say anything about it and walked away. Luckily he didn’t hit me.”

You will be missed, Mr. Hickox. I think I’ll be firing up Hellraiser III in your honour tonight.