One Night Horror Release I Heart Willie Was Scary—But Not For the Reasons You Think

The film follows two paranormal podcasters who take their partners to investigate a haunted house. It was supposedly haunted by the ghost of renowned German serial killer, Willie Cross, who was born with birth defects that caused him to resemble a mouse.

Willie eventually inspired the character we know as Steamboat Willie. After he grew up he became a recluse that made skin suits out of those who trespassed on his property.

You're probably right if you’re already piecing together how the rest of this movie goes. That’s how predictable, boring, and unoriginal this movie was.

The two podcasters, Daniel and Nico, enter his property for the sake of content, which is about the only relatable aspect of the film. 

Whil it would be irresponsible to call the actors’ performances in this movie good, it would also be unfair to blame them. I'd be interested to see what they could do with a better script.

There was nothing in the way of character development, backstory, or anything that could reasonably be expected to give the story stakes.

Particularly, I’d love to see Maya Luna, who played Nora, try her hand at a more developed horror script. Similarly to Lauren LaVera or the Terrifier franchise, I think Luna could develop into a traditional “final girl” and have a pretty successful horror career. 

Luna tried her best to give a completely unscary horror movie an edge, although it was not enough to overcome all the weaknesses of this film.

The bones of the plot are simple and exciting enough but the problem lies in the execution. None of the characters are likable, even in an ironic way.

Even if you chalk that up to indie filmmaking, the common things that make even bad horror movies redeeming did not work in this movie.

The kills were not creative, the villain was not engaging or entertaining, and there seems to be no real attempt to make a point.

As the main character in this story, Nora is our in into the monster that is Willie.

Although he was believed to have died in a fire, we find out immediately he either didn’t die or he’s now some kind of supernatural entity (which is unclear). We also learn that Nora had a run-in with Willie as a child.

It was such an ordeal that Nora claims she can sense the killer’s presence. Even this seemingly interesting plot point amounts to nothing in the end. This is probably the most frustrating thing about the film: There are moments where it felt like they might have something and every time they just wasted it.

I can always forgive certain shortcomings with independent films.

However, the ones that work have to have something going for them. That list, for I Heart Willie, is basically nonexistent. The lighting felt like an afterthought.

Whereas good cinematography helps the viewer know what to focus on, adds emotional depth, or does something else to enhance the film, the photography in I Heart Willie did none of that.

I say nonexistent instead of nonexistent because it sounded decent. This may have been simply because everything else was so poorly done, but I never really found myself thinking “I wish this sounded better.”

Among the very few things I Heart Wille had going for it, Willie Cross’s lair which seems to be both a tribute to Steamboat Willie and a memorial for a life he never had is a fairly cool backdrop for the violence and torture that takes place there.

Another positive takeaway from this entire theatrical experience is that even the mere possibility of a truly great horror film based on a character we’ve all come to know as a family-centric, children’s favorite was a very exciting proposition.

Although it failed to reach that level, by a wide margin, as films like I Love Willie as did the ridiculous, yet endearing, Poohniverse, it will be a great day for us all when one of them finally works.  

Lastly, despite the fact that the villain’s lore was not explained excitingly and his modus operandi wholly lacked any creativity, it was quite a shock the first time you saw him. That counts for something. The choice to have him be absolutely ripped was very cool.

However, it would have worked much better had the script given him a much more calculated and mentally advanced, even narcissistic vibe, similar to the character Patrick Bateman in American Psycho.

Instead, Willie’s physique was just another confusing element in an overall confusing experience. 

Ultimately, I Heart Willie felt like a cash grab for an indie filmmaker. It feels silly calling it that when we live in a world where Captain America: Brave New World made almost $350M.

However, that is what it felt like, on a relative scale. Director Alejandro G. Alegre was trying to capitalize on a known commodity.

The one-night-only release originally felt like a marketing tactic trying to manufacture scarcity, but after having seen it, one could more accurately describe it as mercy.