Post 1, Group B: Willy Wonka and Murder Castle

Fears really dominate our every move. So apparently does our subconscious that really just wants to have a penis (or rather fear of losing one). This idea has been the staple of our film culture for so long that there are even certain jokes or nuances that are built into movies that cannot be understood without it. I would like to focus on the fear that is brought upon in the movie of “Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” Not usually on the list of scary titles for most people but believe me there are some intense moments that bring suspense together with fear but are then wrapped up in a package of candy and brightly colored little men to make it more palatable.

                First let us discuss the movie for just a moment. I will not bore you with the details of the story line just to fulfill a word count, but rather let us discuss what we see Willy Wonka, deftly played by Gene Wilder, do to the other characters in this story and then the unknown that they are passed into. These children and accompanying parents ‘win’ tickets and then willingly step into Willy Wonka’s personal version of Murder Castle, a group of buildings that were specially designed by H. H. Holmes to murder people during the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, where they do not know what will happen. It is perfectly established in the first scene of the factory that “[t]here’s a little surprise around every corner, but nothing dangerous” a promise that we clearly see does not ring true as all but one of the children and even one of the parents, Mr. Salt, are most likely dead by the end of the movie. The situations these people are placed into and then run afoul of are depicting various virtues and showing how not to raise a child into them… sure, but isn’t it interesting that Wonka does nothing to try and stop them in fact he almost encourages them with his sarcastic “No don’t” that he occasionally sends their way, and then once the atrocity is set upon them he offers ‘help’ to fix it.

There are some interesting horror film tropes built into the making/cutting of this production. In particular the music and the camera angles really drive this home. The music… well what is there to say it is classic horror. Even the ‘happy’ songs have dissonance, notes causing tension, that make you feel that there is something wrong with the situation. The intense moments use music that could have easily been from Halloween or The Shining in that it brings your hair on edge and you almost do not want to watch with the horrors brought before you. The camera angles however can be somewhat tricky to nail if you were not paying close attention because they are subtle. They help express who is really in charge and who the victim is. You can even tell, though it is easier from the story line, who will be the next victim because if you look those characters are always lit from slightly different angles than everyone else usually it is a low angle casting rings around their eyes and highlighting their teeth, which ultimately makes them look like they are dead already.

Why is any of this interesting or important? Let us look at when this movie was produced, 1971, this is when the stranger danger movement was big in the United States. And what is the first thing that comes to mind when stranger danger is mentioned a man in a van with candy… a Willy Wonka type if I have ever seen one. So I suppose to really bring this home I believe that “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” is a frankly horrific stranger danger film that teaches not just children but also parents.