Willy's Wonderland

While Scott Cawthon’s smash hit Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNAF) didn’t invent the horror subgenre of killer animatronics originally designed for amusement, one need only look at Michael Crichton’s 1973 film Westworld to see where the seeds were truly planted, it’s pretty safe to say that the runaway success of the game brought this concept to new heights, leading to other media utilizing it inevitably being compared with the series. In the time during the official FNAF film’s rocky development came a pair of films with their own takes on the genre, the first being the infamous The Banana Splits Movie, whose background details have raised suspicion of reusing a rejected FNAF movie screenplay for a quick cash grab. The second, Willy’s Wonderland, is an independent project made on a shoestring budget originally slated for release in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic forced it to move to 2021 instead, gaining attention for starring Nicolas Cage and putting its own unique twist on the subgenre. With it being a horror film and me having a low threshold for the genre, I hesitated at first to watch it even after it piqued my curiosity, only to finally watch it in preparation for the then-upcoming FNAF film and finding myself thoroughly enjoying it for what it is.

A mysterious stranger (Nicolas Cage) finds himself with flat tires on his car after driving over suspiciously-placed road spikes in the road outside of a small town. After taking his car to a repair shop, he is told that, due to the shop only accepting cash, he is going to have to work off the funds for the repairs, with the suggestion of taking up a cleaning job at the abandoned entertainment center Willy's Wonderland. Upon accepting the job, he is told he needs to clean the place top to bottom while taking regular breaks, and is officially put on staff during his time there. While things go smoothly at first, it isn't long before the seemingly-docile animatronics on the stage suddenly begin to move.

 

The Janitor (Nicolas Cage, foreground) must clean a rundown restaurant to pay
off car repairs.

One thing that makes this film’s plot stand out from others in its subgenre is that, while it does follow the usual slasher film tropes, especially when a group of teens break into the establishment on an ill-conceived rescue mission, it actually presents an interesting inversion on the formula, in that it’s the killers who are being picked off rather than the victim(s), with the hunters not knowing what to do when their prey fights back. To that end, it is extremely cathartic to see the protagonist (credited as the Janitor) absolutely body the animatronics with nothing but a combination of cleaning supplies and his own strength, leading to a lot of black comedy in the process. For what it is, the plot is very simple and straightforward, even as the truth behind the killer animatronics is revealed, which works in this film’s favor.

Given that the film was made on a small budget, it’s amazing that it looks as good as it does, with Willy’s Wonderland being thought out enough to look convincingly like a real location, as well as the surprisingly good practical effects and some admittedly creative camera angles. When the Janitor is not dealing with killer robots, the audience is also treated to some well-shot cleaning montages that are oddly satisfying to watch. Its low budget still shows at times, however, with particular mention to the cheap-looking blood effects. While the acting is generally so-so, Nicolas Cage shows off some amazing skills in physical acting as he manages to convey his entire character without uttering a single word (outside of some occasional vocalizations), a creative decision that was notably Cage’s own as a personal challenge to himself.

 

The cleaning montages are oddly satisfying.

Aside from the practical effects and Nicolas Cage’s performance, one of the strongest aspects of this film is the fitting soundtrack by Émoi, which features a number of memorable and very catchy vocal tracks that sound straight out of an establishment like Willy’s Wonderland without detracting from the horror atmosphere. “The Birthday Song And Willy’s Jingle” and “Six Little Chickens” are two such standouts for their significance to the scenes in which they appear, the former having some sinister undertones in its lyrics and the latter for putting a darker twist on a children’s nursery rhyme in context. Without spoiling anything, the film also makes a very fitting use of “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd, with the context and song’s lyrics making its usage feel earned.

Willy’s Wonderland is not a great film by any means, but Nicolas Cage’s performance elevates what would have otherwise been an unremarkable film into “so bad it’s good” territory, making it worth watching at least once for that alone (that and seeing him beat up killer animatronics in spectacular fashion). For those unsatisfied by The Banana Splits Movie looking to scratch that FNAF movie itch before watching the actual FNAF movie, this is it.