I've said it before and I'll say it again: Nicolas Cage is the world's greatest living actor. In Willy's Wonderland, a bizarrely effective horror/splatstick opus, his character is simply called The Janitor. Mr. Cage speaks nary a word in the film, and he completely owns every scene he's in. Literally. The Man's face is all he needs. And I have to tell you, his direct-to-DVD, or "limited release" material is getting to be every bit as interesting as his releases in his big budget days. Maybe more so.
After the horror trope known as "Local Yokels trap lonesome traveller for nefarious reasons" is executed by Donnie Darko veteran Beth Grant's sheriff's department, Cage's character is talked into cleaning out a Chuck E. Cheese ripoff restaurant to pay off the damage repairs to his hot rod.
This place is not what it seems. The freaky animatronic bastards contained within the joint are the current residential vessels for dead serial killer spirits. But you know what?
This is Nicolas Fucking Cage.
As the young (and excellent) female lead, Emily Tosta states in a line lifted from Watchmen, "He's not trapped in here with them, they're trapped in here with him!" Incidentally, I'd like to see more of the kid, as she's pretty damn good with the light weight given her here, but the same can't be said for the youngsters around her. So with that weakness, can a movie where a guy alternates between serious deep-cleaning and hydraulic-operated monster killing be interesting?
Oh, hell yeah. And Cage has the most interesting fictional product since Mandy's Cheddar Goblin. It's called Punch Pop. An energy drink he consumes so regularly, you wonder how his heart doesn't explode. This movie is a ton of fun, and a perfect Halloween entertainment. A real blast from front to finish, and oh yeah.......I once read that Rob Zombie's usage of Lynyrd Skynyrd's Free Bird in Devil's Rejects was somehow "next level". This movie removes Mr. Zombie's crown in that category. Just so you're aware.
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