10 Non-Horror Movies That Are HORRIFYING
6. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Though the recent Timothée Chalamet-starring Wonka prequel opted for a more squeaky-clean treatment, anyone who's seen the original 1971 Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory will surely appreciate just how deranged the whole enterprise truly is.
From Gene Wilder's unforgettably eccentric, increasingly creepy performance through to the abject danger the kids are regularly placed in, the uncanny presence of the Oompa-Loompas, and a tunnel boat ride sequence that's nothing short of nightmare fuel, the '71 Willy Wonka is basically a gateway horror flick wearing a family film trenchcoat.
And this is ultimately the genius of both Roald Dahl's writing and Mel Stuart's direction, to leave the film teetering on a razor's edge of tonality, functioning superficially as acceptable entertainment for all ages, even though when viewed through more aware adult eyes the horror aspects are more plainly obvious.
The utterly bewildering style and tone surely plays no small part in why the film has endured as a pop-culture mainstay for more than half a century.