The Willies (1990 Video) User Reviews

The Willies: Short anthology

[Platypuschow · 6/10 · 25 October 2017]

Starring Sean (Lord Of The Rings, Goonies) Astin this anthology is a curious creature as it only has two stories plus the wrap around.

Rather light hearted and more in the vein of Goosebumps this is suitable for more or less all ages.

The first story is about a monster residing the toilets of a school and the other regarding a weird kid whose hobby is pulling wings off flies and making them into characters in his dioramas.

Though looking very dated and with some appalling sfx the movie certainly has its charm but definitely shouldn't be confused with a horror.

Watchable though predictable stuff, the second story is at least rather disturbing.

The Good:

Clu Galager

Sean Astin

Second story gets under your skin

The Bad:

Looks rather tacky

Should have been at least three stories

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

A 3rd mini story in the opening of the film was removed due to being considered distasteful which involved a poodle and a microwave

two ghost tales.one good,one not

[disdressed12 · 5/10 · 18 October 2007]

this movie is basically about two brothers and their cousin who decide to scare each other by telling each other spooky urban legends while camping out.i guess you could compare it the TV shows Goosebumps or Are You Afraid of the Dark,although it's not as good as either of those two.anyway,what follows are two separate tales.the first one is pretty good.it's sort of a black comedy.it is quite amusing,and compelling.plus,it is well written.the second of the tales is not so good.much of the odd behaviour and events are given no reason or explanation.also this tale is boring and feels way too long.the ending makes no sense and doesn't tie into the rest of the story.long story short,the first tale is good-second one-not so much.for me,this movie is a 5/10

Creepshow for a younger audience—only not as good.

[BA_Harrison · 5/10 · 31 July 2011]

One of my earliest horror related memories is of reading a comic (I'm guessing it was a reprint of old EC tales) in which a kid who enjoyed pulling the wings off flies ended up having both of his arms torn off (I recall that he may have even been given giant fly wings as replacements, although I may have made that bit up over the years). This story seems to be the inspiration for the second of the two main tales in kiddie-centric horror anthology The Willies, whilst the first, about a boy who discovers a monster in the school bathroom, appears to have borrowed heavily from an early Stephen King short story called 'Here There Be Tygers'. Even the short stories in the pre-credits sequence are based on familiar urban legends—meaning that the film doesn't rate very well for originality. Writer director Brian Peck also loses points for the poor structuring of his film, with the second story in particular long outstaying its welcome.

As highly derivative and poorly paced as the film may be, however, The Willies is still just about worthwhile thanks to its tongue-in-cheek approach (loved the Goonies in-joke), nicely developed characters (the solid cast includes future hobbit Sean Astin, and James Karen and Clu Gulager from Return of the Living Dead), some hokey creature effects, and above all, a genuine sense of fun. Plus, it's hard for me to hate too much on a film that, despite being aimed predominantly at a younger audience, actually proves rather disturbing at times: fly-boy Gordy (Michael Bower) surveying his macabre dioramas featuring dead flies is nice and twisted (the Church even has a dead fly attached to a crucifix!) and his fate is as gruesome as it should be (which reminds me... if anyone can shed any light on the name/issue number of that comic I read many moons ago, please drop me a message—I'd love to read that story again).

A horror movie made for kids

[one4now4 · 23 October 2003]

This is a PG-13 movie made with a cast of mostly kids, written with humorous and yucky stories that appeal the most to kids (or, like "Tennessee Frickasee", are often TOLD by kids), and is ultimately a hearty attempt at a horror movie for kids. I found it to be pretty enjoyable myself, but I really think I would have liked this much more AS a kid. The stories would only scare a four-year-old (who, depending on the case of who the kid is, may not even be scared of them). Not that I was looking to be scared at all by a film like this, which I rented solely on how fun it could be. I did like it enough to consider it a fair horror-comedy/anthology, but I only wished I would've gotten to see it back in elementary school when I thought "Ghoulies 2" was the greatest movie ever made, because that's when I would have liked it the best.

Anthology movies need more than two stories.

[Aaron1375 · 3/10 · 10 February 2004]

This movie starts out with kids telling each other urban legends such as the poodle in the microwave and getting something extra at a chicken place. Unfortunately, it then turns to your basic anthology movie. The first being about a janitor with a bit of a secret. This one is okay at best. Then it gets worse as the next story about this kid obsessed with dead flies is on and it goes on and on and on. It is way to long and not all that interesting to begin with. After that you get the typical shock scene and it ends. You need more than this in an anthology movie. You need at least three stories and one shouldn't be so long it becomes dreadfully uninteresting especially considering you can see how it is going to end a mile away.

"You boys aren't out here giving each other the willies are you?" - Insert your own sexual innuendo...

[poolandrews · 3/10 · 4 December 2006]

The Willies starts late one night as brother's Josh (Joshua Miller) & Kyle (Jason Horst) are camping outside with their cousin Michael (Sean Astin), they decide to pass the time by telling scary stories...

First up is Michael with a story entitled 'Bad Apples' in which a young boy named Danny Hollister (Ian Fried) is bullied at school, however the sinister new janitor Mr. Jenkins (James Karen) decides to help him out...

Next up is Kyle as he tells a strange story called 'Flyboy' in which an overweight bully with a worrying fascination with dead flies gets what he deserves in a horrible twisted way...

Written & directed by Brian Peck The Willies didn't do much for me & I doubt it'll do much for you either. The script is strange as far as episodic anthologies go, instead of the usual three or four stories it only has two main tales & a few bizarre 'urban myth' type mini scenes at the start, these consist of the person who orders food from a fast food restaurant only to find a dead rat in her chicken, a man who dies of a heart attack on a ride & someone who tries to dry her poodle off in the microwave only for it to explode. I have no idea what the purpose of these scenes are but they add nothing to the film, as for the two main stories they are both weak. For a start they are too long which is a huge mistake in these types of films, usually the stories in anthologies are short, sharp & quick with a nice twist at the end usually involving people getting what they deserved. However in The Willies the stories last for the best part of 40 minutes each which is longer than the average TV episode & I must admit I found both stories very boring, they have very little going for them & seem to be aimed at children. The first story is the better to watch as a whole but it has no twist ending as far as I could see while the second one has a nice 'just deserts' ending but the build up to it is weak & drawn out for no good reason. I really like horror anthology films so The Willies comes as a disappointment, frankly it lets the genre down.

Director Peck was obviously working on a low budget & as a whole The Willies is pretty tough to sit through, there's plenty of continuity errors & it's poorly made. There's no atmosphere, there's no scares, there's no gore, the special effects are poor & it features unnecessary shots of a dirty toilet several times. Overall it's a pretty unappealing film to sit through.

Technically The Willies is rough around the edges to say the least, the effects are far from special & it has an extremely drab & grainy look to the picture. The acting is poor, no ones going to win any awards thats for sure.

The Willies is a poor film, it's not scary, it's not fun, it's not entertaining & it only features two overlong stories. Definitely not recommended.

Goosebumps for sadists.

[McFrogg · 1/10 · 10 May 2017]

The Willies

From the description, it sounds like a scarier version of Goosebumps or Are You Afraid of the Dark. In reality, it's just a badly made, cruel and disgusting movie which for some strange reason got a PG-13 rating. I should have turned it off after the dog in the microwave, but since I like to torture myself I continued watching it.

The worst part is probably the second story, about the creepy kid who pulls wings off of flies. To me, it looked like they actually did it for real. I'm not a member of lunatic groups like PETA etc, but to torture even the smallest insects just for entertainment is wrong. And this movie is made in 1990, you would think they could fake a scene like that.

The Willies feels like it's made by a sadistic nine-year old. It's not scary, it has no message, no likable characters...it's just scene after scene of cruelty against people and animals. I wonder why people make movies like this.

Avoid this garbage.

I can't believe I'd never heard of the woman microwaving her dog before I saw this!

[lee_eisenberg · 7/10 · 27 May 2007]

"The Willies" is sort of an "Urban Legend" for kids trying to gross each other out. Sean Astin and two other boys are camping out and tell each other a bunch of nasty stories. This was actually the first time that I'd ever heard of the woman microwaving her dog; I was surprised when I later learned that it's a fairly common urban legend. The movie itself first portrays a school where the janitor (James Karen) turns out to be a hideous monster...fortunately, not totally malevolent. The next half portrays a boy who gets a little too obsessed with bugs.

Yes, it's probably one of the sillier movies out there. But it knows that it is just that, so there's no problem. Sean Astin shows the same flair that he'd shown in "The Goonies" and would later show in the "Lord of the Rings" movies. Worth seeing.

PS: In case you don't recognize James Karen, he most recently starred in "The Pursuit of Happiness". He also starred in "All the President's Men", "Poltergeist" and "Return of the Living Dead" 1 and 2.

You can basically take or leave this one

[NeitherSparky · 5/10 · 4 November 2005]

I was about 20 when I first saw this, and I recently hunted down an old used rental VHS online because I wanted to see it again. Out of the short skits at the beginning I especially enjoy the old man's performance in the one about the "Haunted Mansion" ride, though the skit itself is rather lackluster. And something about the poodle skit bothers me: the dog was wearing a collar with a metal tag, why didn't that react to the microwaves? Have *you* ever put something with even a tiny trace of metal in a microwave? It starts flashing and sparking and catching fire instantly and there's this awful smell...Yeah I know, I probably wasn't supposed to even think about that. Nevermind the fact that the dog was *dry* after the lady supposedly just gave it a bath.

As for the two main stories: I greatly dislike the Monster in the Bathroom. It *may* have made a decent short story if written right, but on screen it's just deplorable, in my opinion. All of the adult actors give a decent enough performance, but every single child in that skit couldn't act his way out of a wet paper bag. *Especially* the completely unlikable main character, which makes it even more sad. I did however enjoy the kids' nickname for Miss Titmarsh: "Miss Breastswamp," I believe it was.

However, I have a big soft spot for the Tale of Gordy Belcher. Now *that's* good stuff. Great storyline, and good acting all around (with the possible exception of that blonde girl at Gordy's school). Love the manure guy, and Gordy's dad is so real, with his harping on his son to stop being "weird". Watch the dinner scene, and see if you can relate. I definitely could.

The "bookend" storyline, with the three kids in the tent, was a big yawn-fest though (with the notable exception of the excellent Goonies reference.) I *do* recommend this film, though mostly for the Tale of Gordy Belcher.

What's grosser than gross?

[Hey_Sweden · 6/10 · 16 October 2022]

"The Willies" is a so-so horror anthology, mostly consisting of shorts and two major segments, aimed at a juvenile audience. It's made by and features several alumni of "The Return of the Living Dead", so that gives it enough of a curio factor going in. At its best, it's good for some decent laughs, and has enough familiar faces on screen to make it palatable.

The initial story is that of three kids (Sean Astin, Jason Horst, and Jeremy Miller) having a backyard campout in a tent. They take turns telling each other "scary" stories, including the urban legend of a poodle being dried in a microwave, and a customer at a fried chicken restaurant being served a breaded rat.

The film then segues into the tale of a bullied kid (Ina Fried) discovering a voracious monster in the school restroom. The kid finds that the monster comes in handy when it comes to the dispatching of his tormentors and his harridan of a teacher (the very well cast character actress Kathleen Freeman). Overall, this segment was pretty damn amusing, and at least a sight better than the next one.

Gordy Belcher (Michael Bower) is a portly, outcast child who obsesses over his vast insect collection. And he'll spend an eternity in his basement, fussing over his dead flies, pulling their wings off, and even putting them in little dioramas. But when he's given an "extra special" fertilizer by a demented farmer (Ralph Drischell), it affects his subjects in a monstrous way. Now, this segment really goes on too long, forcing us to spend all this time with a character we don't really like and making us wait an eternity for his comeuppance. The punchline is fine, though.

Complete with creature effects by Tony Gardner, and featuring a wonderful turn by reliable old James Karen ("Poltergeist", the aforementioned "The Return of the Living Dead"), this is mildly entertaining stuff, with some highlights here and there. A particular hoot was seeing a scene with 'Growing Pains' cast members Kirk Cameron and Tracey Gold (since Miller was also on that sitcom at the time).

As I said, this is more for a family audience and not hardcore horror fans, but some of your own kids may find it worth their while.

Six out of 10.

I either give it a two thumbs up... or a two thumbs down...

[kharing · 5/10 · 1 January 2008]

This is one of those movies that's so campy you can't help but laugh at it, but at the same time, the kid-audience orientation of the movie almost justifies some of the campyness... like, the acting is definitely on par for what a kid-tailored movie would look like, but there are so many weird little faux pas that make me also think it's just a movie that's so bad it'd good. There are a lot of things you see that may be interesting as a thought, but when executed in filming are not so great (like that weird plastic spider hanging down in the fly kid's basement while he is working... it's obviously fake, but has no purpose anyway).

Dark and cruel as a kid's movie can be, this virtually unknown anthology movie is a bit of a gem!

[Foreverisacastironmess123 · 8/10 · 19 December 2015]

A surprise even to me, I ended up liking this a lot, it's straightforward yet effective style really worked for me. It was like it had the charming simplicity of a children's spooky show, crossed with something that was much more ruthless and grim, it was like "Are You Afraid of the Dark" with real venom! For me it really blurred the line between what constitutes kid friendly and child nightmare inducing, like you had the blood and gore, not much at all but it was definitely there, you had the nauseating scene of the old lady taking a big 'ol juicy bite out of the fried rat, it had one use of the word s**t! And most noteworthy, it actually had violence and death perpetrated against young children! I'm not gonna pretend it wasn't, the acting was mostly terrible, especially from the kids in the wraparound campfire scenes(Sean Astin not included), and in the story of the kindly janitor who was really a monster in disguise who had an appetite for school bullies! I loved that, bullies and mean teachers simply being devoured, you'd never get that in a movie like this these days, it's not P.C. enough! A lot of the stuff that goes down in this picture is more than a little out there! I did find it to be moderately unnerving at points. Like when the kid goes to the school bathroom and the spindly fanged beast crawls out of the toilet, I sure wasn't expecting something so spooky and threatening to appear! And the story with the fat kid I liked best because I found something interesting and almost sympathetic about him, how his parents had opposite opinions about him, and how he only seemed able to communicate with other kids by playing sick pranks on them. I loved the bizarre visuals of his twisted little model town populated by dead flies, that was so striking and creepy! Very neat and weird, never seen anything like that. Nice grisly ending too, with the sadistic boy getting the 'wings' pulled off him in return! The effect of the giant flies was funky, but to me it was kinda scary all the same. And the movie's ending was quite mean-spirited also, those boys asked to know the truth and they certainly got it! I'm not saying this was a brilliant film or anything, it could've benefited from a third story although I reckon the vignettes could serve as that, but it was overall a fun scary time, its overtly dark elements make it notable amongst most other child horror movies that I've seen. No real Boo! type scares, it's more about gross sight gags and monsters coming to get you, which is fine and dandy with me from time to time. Oh my, the kinds of interesting tales that kids can tell... Give it a shot!

A good gross-out for youngsters

[LukeNickels88 · 6/10 · 7 April 2012]

The VHS culture of the 90's was still booming. As a child I would automatically travel to the horror section in my local video store,and I would be intrigued by various movies. But The Willies always seemed to interest me. After multiple viewings of this film I have grown quite fond of this film. The film begins with three boys in a tent trying to gross each out by telling urban legends, you know stories about a woman microwaving her dog and a woman eating a rat at a fried chicken restaurant. But then we get to the stories of the movie. The story is about a weirdo who has a fetish for collecting flies and the other story is about a kid who discovers a creep in his High School bathroom.Not really going into a lot about the stories cause you needs to watch. The film has it's moments of pure grossness and is filled with cameos by Clu Gulager and James Karen both from Return of the Living Dead (the film is directed by a star of that film as well), it also has a wink to The Goonies (in which Sean Astin stars). But if you are a fan of "Are you afraid of the Dark" and other type of Anthrology type stuff like that you'll most likely love The Willies. It is filled with great imagination and it has the right amount of cheese of a B-movie. Also after years of owning the film on VHS I never knew that it came with an alternate VHS slip cover so that is another plus to this amazing film.

Not suitable for kids...or for anyone else.

[gridoon · 2/10 · 14 May 2003]

Grim instead of amusing, mean-spirited instead of playful, boring instead of interesting. It won't give you "the willies", but it just may gross you out or send you to sleep. And it will certainly make you wonder: "what were they thinking?" (*1/2)

this movie is funny and scary, thats why I like it

[m_hebner · 22 August 2000]

This is a very funny movie. It is about these 2 brothers camping out with their cousin played by Sean Astin, they decide to tell scary stories, the first one is about this woman the goes into a chicken restaurant and orders a bucket of chicken and when she takes her first bite she notices that it doesn't taste like chicken she looks and its a big rat that she took a bite out of. the second one is about a old man that goes on a haunted house ride and dies of a heart attack. the next story is about a woman that dries her wet poodle off in the microwave after giving it a bath in the kitchen sink. the next 2 stories are the main stories of the movie. the 1st one is about a monster living above a boys bathroom in an elementary school. The second is about a boy that has a weird hobby collecting flies and doing stuff with them. If your looking for a movie that is funny and scary you should check out the Willies because this movie is funny and scary.

Boring movie

[tampaaries · 1/10 · 4 December 2021]

This movie was garbage it's no other way to put it, both stories were stupid. Maybe to a 7 year old kid this movie is awesome but to all others its a stupid movie.

Hell of a Kid's Movie

[RottenPop-Sid · 5/10 · 10 May 2015]

First off this movie would never have the ability to qualify for a PG-13 rating now-a-days. It is frightening. It's like a Nickelodeon horror movie. It has some really adult size horror, but can't shake that safe feeling that children's programming provides. This is an Anthology horror film that features a couple of different tales. These are always fun as they tend to provide some much needed variety.

The film is about a group of kids, camping out and telling scary stories around the fire. They make reference to The Goonies and apparently Sean Astin is playing the same character that he was in that movie. Or at least that is what the rumor mill was saying. The kid's give us a lot of quick, short stories to kick it off. Surprisingly this is all part of a cold open that seems to take forever.

They finally delve into some really bizarre tales. The first is about a scrawny, kid that has a problem with getting bullied at school. He discovers some strange, gargoyle-like monster hiding in the Boys Room. He also discovers that this monster has ripped the head off of his favorite janitor. He tries to find help, but one by one the Monster kills every intruder. It's actually kind of neat.

The second feature is about this ass-hat of a kid named Gordy Belcher, that is obsessed with flies. Especially if they are dead flies. He puts the flies in a tiny diorama that he has in his basement. The flies are all set-up in these everyday life poses. It's kind of lame. He pisses everyone in town off with his ghoulish behavior, and kicks up a rivalry with a mad scientist of sorts

This movie isn't hurting for star power. Sean Austin, Jeremy Miller, James Karen, Kathleen Freeman, Michael Bower, Bill Erwin, Dana Ashbrook, Kirk Cameron, and even Doug Benson have a part in it. The writing and acting are all television quality but that doesn't take away from anything. The weirdest thing is the cold open. It's strange. And the individual scenes seem to go on for way too long and the plot just gets muddy.

The nostalgic factor really played a part with me here. I think I may have seen this when I was a child. It seems so familiar. I didn't expect much and I felt okay with what I had gotten. Others seem to really hate this movie, but I don't understand the hate. It's not the best so don't go into this expecting anything. Just watch it for what it is. A really weird early 90's kids horror movie.

This would have gotten an 8 from me....When I was 8 years old!

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 4 July 2020]

Obviously made with the idea of grossing out little girls and make little boys laugh at the little girls as they squealed with delight at the silly grossness of this comedy horror film, this is a mixed bag of very short sketches and two major stories, featuring a youthful cast placed among some seasoned veterans. Between the monster in the bathroom and the boy who makes fly cookies, there's enough to keep the audience entertained, even if some of the film is not in good taste. Among the sketches that last less than a few minutes, there's a heavyset woman ordering a 15 piece bucket of chicken finding without looking that her first big bite came out of Ben's descendant, a lovable old man who finds out too late that the new fun house isn't for him, and the most disturbing, the drying of a family pet in a place it shouldn't be placed into.

Ian Fried is the misunderstood, put upon class nerd, taunted by his bully classmates and considered a disgrace by his disgruntled teacher, Kathleen Freeman (hysterically named), but cared for by the janitor with a secret (James Karen). Freeman, best known for her lengthy term as Jerry Lewis's foil in many films, seems to have been typecast as unlikable characters, but it is difficult not to like her, the actress. She always has a wink towards the audience that she knows that most of these characters are vile, but is having a ball playing them. Karen is terrific as the janitor, and the story does not overstay its welcome.

Even at only 30 minutes, the story of Gordy Belcher (Michael Bower), is hard to like. You're always supposed to feel sorry for the heavyset kid, but Gordy is pretty much rotten in every way. His taunting of Farmer Spivey (Ralph Drischell) will obviously lead to his ruin, but the way the story unfolds is truly unpleasant. Having both stories in some way dealing with bullying, the message is inconsistent between the two stories. The print I found after having seen this years ago in its original VHS release cut out the poodle sequence, which recalling it from then was fine by me.

Fun

[BandSAboutMovies · 6/10 · 11 August 2021]

The Willies has a cast that makes you keep into the movie. I mean, Sean Astin is one of three kids gathered around the campfire - Jason Horst and Joshua John Miller from Near Dark are the other two - telling urban legends like the old woman who microwaved her dog, a rat in fried chicken and death in an amusement park. Michael then says that he has a story that will give them all...The Willies.

In "Bad Apples," Kathleen Freeman plays to type as the mean teacher and James Karen shows up as a kindly custodian, the only person who really cares about Danny, a bullied child. As things happen, Karen ends up being an alien who loves to eat bad kids. This segment as actually a short that writer and director Brian Peck (Victor from The Last American Virgin and Scuz from Return of the Living Dead) made in 1985.

In "Flyboy," Gordy Belcher plays insect pranks on other kids before running into Farmer Spivey, who has super manure that can grow things faster. Of course, this all ends up with Gordy getting his arms torn off by super flies.

At the end, Kyle and Josh claim that their uncle can prove the stories are true. Well, he ends up being James Karen and he reveals the monster face from the first story.

The Willies also has cameos from Kirk Cameron, his wife Chelsea Noble, Tracey Gold and Jeremy Miller which almost makes this an episode of Growing Pains. Perhaps more exciting are appearances by Clu Gulager, Dana Ashbrook and even comedian Doug Benson.

This movie was for kids and is dark in ways that modern horror is not. I think 1990 was the last gasp of things getting to be this weird. The poster is super high quality and really feels like the style of art that slip cases and Fright Rags use today.

The Silly Willies

[gattonero975 · 5/10 · 8 September 2016]

What a weird film. Really more disgusting then scary. Case in point: a deep fried rat in a bucket of fried chicken!, a poodle put in a microwave by a demented old senile lady to "dry" him off! A poor old man scared to death in a amusement ride! Wow, so scary...NOT! Sean Astin with his brother and cousin take turns telling so-called scary stories, but they are anything but. The two main stories include a variety of stars.

Dana Ashbrook was wasted in his brief cameo a customer wanting a bucket of chicken. Bill Erwin, Kimmy Robertson and Doug Benson are also totally wasted in a brief mini-story about a old man scared to death in a poor man's Haunted Mansion amusement ride.

In story one, Kathleen Freeman did real good as a mean teacher, Ian Fried also did okay as a little boy being bullied and crying monster and no one believes him. of note: one of the bullies that tormented Ian, was none other than Jeremy Miller, 'Ben Seaver' of "Growing Pains" fame. James Karen had a nice part as the mysterious janitor with a very deadly secret. Clu Gulager was completely wasted as the principal of the school. I was really disappointed with that because when I saw his name and James Karen in the credits, I was expecting the funny chemistry they both had in the cult "Return of the Living Dead" film where they both had great parts. Here, even though they both were in Story One, did not have any scenes together.

In Story Two, Michael Bower was cast very well as the strange and weird over-weight boy no one likes. His parents were good also especially Mike Pniewski as his mean and tough dad. A interesting pair of cameos were done by none other than Kirk Cameron and Tracey Gold, also of "Growing Pains" fame, in a nightmare scene that Michael has in which he is watching Kirk and Tracey on TV in their "Growing Pain" roles of 'Mike and Carol Seaver'! Story Two was a very weird and disturbing sequence that seem to go on for too long and with a very predictable (and unsatisfying) ending.

All in all a very disturbing and weird little film. Could have been way better but it was low-budget at it's best. Still, if you can "stomach" it, (there's even a very disgusting and disturbing scene where a asthma inhaler is full of worms! YUCK!) I recommend you at least watch it once. It's that weird and disturbing.

An unnerving delight

[monstermonkeyhead · 9/10 · 14 April 2005]

Her's a wonderfully warped classic that should not be passed over by adult horror fans just because it's aimed at misfit 12-year-olds. What can I say? I greatly enjoy this horror movie with its gross jokes and cinematic recreations of Kentucky Fried Rat and "the poodle in the microwave" urban legends. The meat of the movie is two stories with lots of potty humor. The first story is about a monster in the boys bathroom at school. This one brings back all the childish memories of creepy school bathrooms. The second story continues with the potty humor, but it is decidedly more twisted. It's about a lonely fat kid named Gordy, who steals experimental manure to attract flies for his demented hobby. What makes the stories fun is the attention to details. For instance, the reporter interviewing Farmer Spivy about his "miracle manure" works for the KORN network. Ha, ha, ha! Get it? Gordy likes to rip the wings off of flies while listening to classical music and put the little fellas in his various dioramas of human society. The strangest diorama is a church, complete with a crucified Jesus fly. My hat is off to the writer/director of this creepy gem.

great fun movie...

[rjjr2531 · 10/10 · 29 June 2006]

i saw this movie when i was a child. about 14 years old. i loved it, i still love it as a 23 year old. my friends, brother and sis still quote it. movies are not meant to reach every type of demographic, but this one reaches its target audience perfectly...! kids 8-15, but still fun for the older crowd. it is not a long drawn out plot that you can get bored with in 10 minutes.....the plot is this: 3 young kids telling ghost stories in a tent trying to scare each other. it starts off with a few 1-2 minutes stories to get you into the movie and then carries on to the 2 longer ones. the cheesy acting and the unforgettable scary stories make this a movie to remember and remember and remember...it is very difficult to find this movie on DVD. VHS=yes, DVD=difficult. i have scene it on amazon.com, but none were available. this is a movie you will not likely find in a movie store, so buying it online will be your best bet. if you have children, rent it and it will be a movie they remember 50 years from then......good luck!

Disturbing,yet good

[TTBExpress · 2 June 2002]

This is a fairly good film.I believe it should be rated R for certain reasons.There are disturbing scenes like when the woman eats a dead rat,or a puppy's guts splatter.There are a few very short stories that don't even bother introducing the characters.Then we get to the main stories.The first is about when a janitor turns out to be a monster that kills bad people.This story was rather good,although not an oscar winner by a long shot.The second is just plain disturbing.It's about a kid who's obsesed with dead flys,and it gets more disturbing,you'll have to see to find out,and the ending for the whole movie is twisted.

One Of The Best (and Funniest) B-Films!

[Adam E · 9/10 · 13 December 1998]

I love this movie. I even bought a copy and always watch it often with a bunch a friends and we all get good laughs out of it. It's so bad and silly, that you gotta love it. I noticed some popular people in it too, like Sean Astin from "Rudy." It's got all you want from a b-horror movie, including the bad dialogue ("The Monster killed Mr. Jenkins, it PULLED off his head!"), bad acting, mess-ups (including a long appearance in one shot with the boom mike and a disappearing and re-appearing goo in another scene), and plenty of cheesy effects. I guarantee you, if you want a good b-horror flick to watch on a Mystery Science Theatre level or just for good laughs, give this one a shot. You won't be disappointed. I think it's great.