2021's Best Comedy Horror? Willy's Wonderland Review *NO SPOILERS*
6Willy's Wonderland Movie Review
Willy's Wonderland Review
Willy's Wonderland is a 2021 American action comedy horror film directed by Kevin Lewis from a screenplay by G. O. Parsons.[4] The film stars Nicolas Cage, who also served as producer, along with Emily Tosta, Ric Reitz, Chris Warner, Kai Kadlec, Christian Del Grosso, Caylee Cowan, Terayle Hill, Jonathan Mercedes, David Sheftell and Beth Grant. It follows a quiet drifter who is tricked into cleaning up an abandoned family entertainment center haunted by eight murderous animatronic characters.
The project was announced in October 2019, with screenwriter Parsons having conceived the idea based on his 2016 short film Wally's Wonderland, which was also the script's original name. It caught Cage's attention, who agreed to participate as both an actor and a producer.[5] Lewis was hired as director in December 2019 while the cast joined in February 2020.[6] Prior to its release, the film received a small cult following due to sharing its premise with the Five Nights at Freddy's franchise.[6
Willy's Wonderland was originally set for a worldwide theatrical release on October 30, 2020, but was postponed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, it was released through video on demand, with a simultaneous limited theatrical release in the United States, on February 12, 2021 by Screen Media Films. The film received mixed reviews from critics.
When his car catches a flat tire on a remote country road, a quiet drifter ends up stranded outside of Hayesville, Nevada. Mechanic Jed Love picks him up and tows his car into town, but the drifter is unable to pay for the repairs. Owner Tex Macadoo offers to allow him to work as a night-shift janitor at Willy's Wonderland, a once-successful abandoned family entertainment center, in exchange for repairing his vehicle. Tex and Jed then leave him locked in the building. Meanwhile, teenager Liv Hawthorne gets handcuffed by her parental guardian, Hayesville's sheriff Eloise Lund, due to her previous attempts to burn down Willy's Wonderland. When Lund leaves, Liv's friends Chris Muley, Kathy Barnes, Aaron Powers, Bob McDaniel, and Dan Lorraine come and release her.
As the Janitor begins his duties, the restaurant's now-withered eight animatronic mascots—Willy Weasel, Arty Alligator, Cammy Chameleon, Ozzie Ostrich, Knighty Knight, Tito Turtle, Gus Gorilla, and Siren Sara— are revealed to be sentient and homicidal. Ozzie attacks the Janitor, who beats Ozzie to death with a mop. While her friends douse the perimeter with gasoline, Liv decides to enter Willy's Wonderland through the vents to get the Janitor out. Meanwhile, the Janitor is attacked by Gus in the restrooms; he kills him by stomping his face into a urinal. In the vents, Liv is chased by Arty, but she escapes into a fairy-themed room where Sara attacks her. Liv manages to fend off Sara and encounters the Janitor, who ignores her warnings about the animatronics and refuses to leave.
Outside, Liv's friends climb to the roof, which collapses, causing them to fall into the building. While the Janitor cleans the kitchen, Liv explains that Willy's Wonderland was originally owned by notorious serial killer Jerry Robert Willis and his seven psychotic cannibalistic partners, who often murdered unsuspecting families by luring them into the Super Happy Fun Room. Eventually discovered by the authorities, they committed a Satanic ritual to transfer their souls into the animatronics before committing suicide. When she finishes, a few of the animatronics awaken and attack the group. In the ensuing chaos, Knighty impales Aaron with his sword, Sara and Tito devour Dan alive, and Arty mauls Kathy and Bob to death while they have sex. With Liv standing in awe, the Janitor decapitates Knighty and breaks Arty's jaws, killing them both. Stalked by Cammy in an arcade, Chris calls Lund for help; she goes there with deputy sheriff Evan Olson upon learning that Liv is in the restaurant. On the way, Lund reveals to Evan that after Willy's Wonderland was shut down, the animatronics continued murdering people around Hayesville until she, Tex, and Jed made a deal with them. Over the years, they tricked random travelers into cleaning up the building, offering them as sacrifices to the animatronics in order to stop their killing spree. A young Liv and her parents were among the victims with Liv being the only survivor and a guilty Lund adopted her.
When the Janitor and Liv arrive at the arcade, Cammy snaps Chris' neck, killing him. They subdue Cammy and attempt to leave before Lund and Evan stop them. Lund handcuffs the Janitor and leaves him to die as Evan takes Liv away. While driving, Evan is attacked and killed by a stowaway Tito as Liv injures Tito and escapes. Back at the restaurant, the Janitor subdues Sara, and twists Cammy's head, killing her. Enraged, Lund tries to lure Willy to kill the Janitor, only for Willy to tear her in half.
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