Willy's Wonderland
Film,  Podcast

Hops and Box Office Flops: ‘WILLY’S WONDERLAND’

It’s Your Birthday

A poster for Willy's Wonderland

Willy’s Wonderland is delightful schlock.

An unabashed Five Nights at Freddy’s ripoff, it stars Nicolas Cage as the Janitor—the silent protagonist who is stuck cleaning Willy’s Wonderland to pay off a debt. It should come as no surprise that the titular establishment is not on the level.

In fact, its troupe of animatronic mascots are actually reanimated serial killers who committed ritualistic suicide before the authorities could apprehend them. Enter the Janitor. He’s there to take out the trash, literally.

He is supposed to be the prey, offered to Willy’s Wonderland as a sacrifice from the town. Instead, he is the predator, eliminating Willy’s crew one by one in a variety of violent ways. And it is glorious. I mean, where else can you witness Cage using a plunger to assault a birthday mascot?

Now, sit back, bash open a Neon Rainbows New England Style IPA from Ommegang, and keep out of the air ducts! I, the Thunderous Wizard (@WriterTLK), Chumpzilla, and Mayor McCheese are slamming Punch energy drinks and curb-stomping animatronic gorillas!

This Week’s Segments:

  • Introduction/Plot Breakdown – Let playtime begin! (00:00)
  • Lingering Questions – After a word from our brothers in beer at Hop Nation USA, we discuss whether any of us could survive the horror of Willy’s Wonderland. (27:59)
  • The “It’s Your Birthday” Trivia Challenge – The Double Turn Podcast body slams Arty the Alligator, and then I challenge the field to trivia about the movie. (38:30)
  • Recommendations – We offer our picks for the week and next up: We continue “Hops and Cage Match Flops” with Mandy! (43:52)

And, as always, hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram to check out all the interesting factoids—Cage’s AMA and more—from this week’s episode!

You can find this episode of Hops and Box Office Flops on Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsStitcherPodbeanSpotifyAcastTuneIniHeartRadioVurbl, and Amazon Music!

Thomas Kelly

Writer, Superman aficionado, lover of odd and underperforming sports teams, and co-host of the film adoring podcast, Hops and Box Office Flops