The Willies (1990)
Two brothers camping with their cousin try to frighten each other by telling stories. They start with urban legends, but then there are two main narrations: one involves strange happenings at an elementary school; the other, a teenage boy with a peculiar interest.
Introduction"The Willies" is a 1990 American horror-comedy film crafted in anthology style and directed by Brian Peck. Focusing on urban myths and campfire tales, this motion picture features two primary scary stories embedded within the primary plotline. The film features an ensemble cast including Sean Astin, Michael Bower, and Danny Cooksey.
The Primary NarrativeThe motion picture begins with three kids, Doug, Kirk, and Brian, sitting in a camping tent and sharing scary campfire-type tales showed as brief movies. Brian leads things off by recounting some minor weird tales, including a story about the infamous "killer-clown in a restroom" story, which goes on to be exposed as a playful trick orchestrated by kids in the school setting.
The First Story: Fly Boy
The first actual creepy story, "Fly young boy", is told by Doug. It informs the tale of Gordy, a lonely, strange boy who has a fascination for insects. After rescuing a massive fly from the school bully, the fly becomes Gordy's family pet and grows to a worrying size due to a sped up development hormone it was exposed to at the laboratory. Later, Gordy gets bullied once again, this time trapped in the school restroom. His abnormally large fly pertains to his rescue in a scary way, shaking the bully to his core. Therefore, the bully is penalized, while Gordy, with the help of his uncommon family pet, gets his vengeance.
The Second Story: Mr. Jenkins' Dog
"Mr. Jenkins' Dog", the 2nd story, is informed by Kirk. It revolves around the life story of Danny Hollister, a young mischievous young boy notorious for his cruel pranks. Danny targets his singular next-door neighbor, Mr. Jenkins, by spreading out rumors about his animal poodle being monstrous. Danny chooses to take his trick a notch greater by using ketchup as phony blood, leading everyone to think the pet threatened. This results in the dog being put down. Filled with guilt and regret over his actions, Danny is later frightened to death when he supposedly encounters the resurrected, monstrous version of the poodle he had mistreated, causing everyone to ponder if it's Danny's guilt playing on him or a real supernatural phenomenon.
Conclusion Scene
The movie wraps up with the boys in the camping tent once again, where they are disrupted by Brian's dog, Buster. The film ends on a cliffhanger, exposing that the campfire stories were being told throughout a slumber party at Brian's house. The young boys get alarmed by Buster bring something, which seems a severed human hand tugging at the audience's anticipation.
Overall, "The Willies" entices and handles to captivate audiences with its horror-comedy narrative design. Through its funny yet intense storytelling, it beautifully links apparently safe youth tales with aspects of horror, making it a cult favorite amongst 90's scary funnies. The movie, while not a big-budget production, succeeded in invoking nostalgia for traditional frightening stories typically shared among good friends throughout slumber parties or around campfires.
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