Anthony Hickox(1959-2023)
- Director
- Actor
- Writer
Anthony (Tony), started as a club promoter in London in the early
eighties and financed his first short 'rock-a-bye baby' by holding an
event at Le'quipe Anglaise, where all the door money went to finance
the film. In fact, when it was finished it was the clubs owner Shariffi
who showed it to producer Micheal White (Rocky horror show) who was so
impressed, he gave Tony a one way ticket to L.A.saying don't come back
until you have made it. Tony didn't return for eight years.
in L.A. Tony famously met the producer of 'Waxwork', Staffan Ahrenberg,
when he crashed into the back of his car in the motel they were both
staying at on Fairfax. Tony, broke at the time, talked Staffan into
letting him pay for the damage by writing him a script for $3000 only.
Staffan agreed, but wouldn't pay a penny until it was delivered. Tony
wrote it in three days. Waxwork.
The script then did the rounds getting turned down by every studio,
until an independent, Vestron was the only one left. They turned it
down two days before Christmas. it was over the vacation that their
friend, producer Mark Burg (Saw), said he couldn't believe that Dan
Ireland (the head of the studio) wouldn't have loved it. It turns out
he hadn't read it, it never made it past the readers.
The first day after the vacation, Mark sent 'Waxwork' to Dan himself,
the rest, as they say, is horror movie history.
eighties and financed his first short 'rock-a-bye baby' by holding an
event at Le'quipe Anglaise, where all the door money went to finance
the film. In fact, when it was finished it was the clubs owner Shariffi
who showed it to producer Micheal White (Rocky horror show) who was so
impressed, he gave Tony a one way ticket to L.A.saying don't come back
until you have made it. Tony didn't return for eight years.
in L.A. Tony famously met the producer of 'Waxwork', Staffan Ahrenberg,
when he crashed into the back of his car in the motel they were both
staying at on Fairfax. Tony, broke at the time, talked Staffan into
letting him pay for the damage by writing him a script for $3000 only.
Staffan agreed, but wouldn't pay a penny until it was delivered. Tony
wrote it in three days. Waxwork.
The script then did the rounds getting turned down by every studio,
until an independent, Vestron was the only one left. They turned it
down two days before Christmas. it was over the vacation that their
friend, producer Mark Burg (Saw), said he couldn't believe that Dan
Ireland (the head of the studio) wouldn't have loved it. It turns out
he hadn't read it, it never made it past the readers.
The first day after the vacation, Mark sent 'Waxwork' to Dan himself,
the rest, as they say, is horror movie history.