After being stranded in a small Texas town, a drifter takes on a janitorial job at a theme restaurant to pay for his car repairs. Spending the night at Willy’s Wonderland, the Janitor (Nicolas Cage) quickly discovers that he’s not alone – ritual sacrifice to the restaurant’s murderous animatronic mascots. But this time, Willy Weasel may have bitten off more than he can chew, as the Janitor is more than capable of holding his own. Who, the film asks, is trapped in the restaurant with whom?

Cage is great value as the energy-drink swilling, break-taking badass, following up his Mom and Dad, Mandy and Color out of Space with yet another tremendous genre role. The Janitor may not speak, but Cage delivers a spirited performance nonetheless, reminding audiences that Nicolas Cage is more than just weird line deliveries and a history of swear words. In its tale of a solitary badass holding his own against a small army of demonic enemies, Willy’s  Wonderland recalls Evil Dead 2; both in tone and frantic energy.

So effective is the film’s hero that it barely needs a supporting cast. But they’re here anyway, giving director Kevin Lewis his cannon fodder to splatter all over the place. They’re let down by the writing, which struggles to maintain any sense of logic or internal consistency, but well-served by the terrifically gory action sequences. The animatronic monsters look great, each bringing their own unique sensibility and threat level to the fight. Where the titular creatures of The Banana Splits Movie were disappointingly clunky, Lewis’s animatronic nightmares move slick and fast; a plaisible, terrifying threat. It’s Five Nights at Freddy’s meets From Dusk Till Dawn.

Were it solely Nicolas Cage battling animatronic demons in a vacum, Willy’s Wonderland could be the year’s finest action-horror hybrid (I know it’s only February, but c’mon). Sadly, it’s hampered by sloppy writing, idiot characters and embarrassing performances from the younger cast. Is there a message to be garnered from Willy’s Wonderland? If so, it’s one that the filmmakers should have heeded themselves – get out of the way and let Nicolas Cage do his thing.