Wendell & Wild 2022

The cinematic journey begins in Rust Bank, where a vibrant carnival serves as the backdrop for the introduction of young Kat Elliot (Lyric Ross), accompanied by her parents, Delroy (Gary Gatewood) and Wilma (Gabrielle Dennis), proprietors of a thriving brewery that refuses to succumb to the clutches of the wealthy Klaxon family. As the stormy night unfolds, Wilma’s concerns grow, prompting Delroy to ignore her pleas to pull over, only for their tragic fate to be sealed when Kat’s frightened screams cause him to swerve off the bridge into the river. Wilma’s desperation to save Kat proves futile, leaving behind a trail of sorrow and guilt that will haunt Kat for years to come.

Meanwhile, in the depths of the underworld, a gargantuan demon named Buffalo Belzer (Ving Rhames) reigns supreme over his Scream Faire amusement park on the belly of his massive frame. His twin sons, Wendell and Wild (Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele), attend to their father’s majestic locks by applying hair cream on the crown of his head, a ritual that brings Wild temporary euphoria. The twins’ mirth is short-lived as they’re summoned back to work by Belzer’s booming voice, only to be visited by a vision of Kat in all her distress.

The narrative shifts to the present day, where Kat has navigated a turbulent journey through juvenile hall and is being escorted by her handler, Ms. Hunter (Tantoo Cardinal), to a new school – RBC. The bridge where Kat’s life took a devastating turn now lies in ruins, a testament to the Klaxons’ ruthless grip on Rust Bank. As Kat arrives at RBC, she meets an effervescent trio of girls – Siobhan (Tamara Smart), Sweetie (Ramona Young), and Sloane (Seema Virdi) – who welcome her with open arms, along with their beloved pet goat, Gabby. The group’s enthusiasm is tempered by Kat’s growing frustration as they affectionately dub her “Kay-Kay,” a moniker she despises.

Above the bustling corridors of RBC, an observant student named Raul Cocolotl (Sam Zelaya) watches Kat navigate her new surroundings with a mixture of fascination and curiosity. Kat’s subconscious is plagued by fleeting visions of past traumas, including one where she pushes Siobhan to safety from a falling stone – a reality that plays out in reverse as Kat’s annoyance at Siobhan’s persistence prompts her to intervene once more, this time unwittingly saving the girl from harm.

As Kat navigates the hallowed halls of her school, she’s forced to confront an unexpected reality when she meets Father Level Bests (James Hong), the enigmatic headmaster who has extended an olive branch in the form of funding for the institution. Donning the uniform with a mix of reluctance and resignation, Kat blares her boombox through the corridors, attempting to drown out the discomfort that’s building inside her. Her teacher, Sister Helley (Angela Bassett), takes notice of this rebellious act and calls upon Kat to join her at the front of the classroom, where an unsettling lesson is about to unfold. As Sister Helley introduces a mimic octopus, the creature morphs into a grotesque form, causing the room to become increasingly turbulent and foreboding. With an air of trepidation, Sister Helley extracts Kat from the chaos and reveals a mysterious mark on her left hand that bears an uncanny resemblance to teeth. In hushed tones, Sister Helley vows to protect Kat while sternly warning her not to breathe a word about the ominous symbol.

Meanwhile, Wendell and Wild receive an otherworldly dispatch from Bearz-a-bub (Phoebe Lamour), who announces that Kat has been selected as their Hell Maiden. The duo’s excitement is palpable as they realize Kat possesses the unique ability to summon them into the Land of the Living, where they aim to construct a Scream Faire that will dwarf Belzer’s creations.

On a separate front, Lane and Irmgard Klaxon (David Harewood and Maxine Peake), Siobhan’s parents, find themselves at odds with Marianna (Natalie Martinez), the influential mother of Raul, as they lament the city council’s refusal to approve their proposals for prison construction in Rust Bank. Their frustration is interrupted by Father Bests, who has been secretly working alongside them in hopes of securing funding for the school. However, when Father Bests inadvertently touches a nerve by referencing the brewery fire that destroyed the Klaxons’ livelihood, Irmgard seizes the opportunity to exact revenge, bludgeoning him with a golf club before tossing his limp body into the icy waters. As the Klaxons breathe a sigh of relief, their schemes take a dark and sinister turn.

As Kat’s slumbering mind becomes a canvas for her deepest fears, Wendell and Wild seize the opportunity to infiltrate her subconscious. With the mark on her hand serving as their entry point, they persuade Kat to join forces with them in their quest to revive her deceased parents. The brothers present her with an enticing prospect: by gathering Bearz-a-bub, a mystical entity rumored to possess the power to resurrect the departed, she may be able to bring her parents back from the great beyond. Kat, driven by desperation and hope, sets out to track down the elusive Bearz-a-bub, navigating the treacherous landscape of her school’s after-hours environment.

Her search takes her to Sister Helley’s classroom, where she discovers the glowing, thumping creature hiding in plain sight within a desk drawer. As Kat watches with bated breath, the custodian, Manberg (Igal Naor), enters the room, unwittingly foiling her attempt to gather the ancient being. Undeterred, Wendell and Wild hypothesize that the hair cream’s revitalizing properties might hold the key to reanimating the deceased.

Following Father Bests’ funeral, Kat is confronted by Siobhan and her cohorts once more, until she seeks solace in Raul’s company. He shares with her his own tumultuous past, having once been part of their friend group under the name Ramona before transitioning. The pair takes a somber stroll to the cemetery, where Kat pays her respects at her parents’ graves. Under the guidance of Wendell and Wild, she harnesses Bearz-a-bub’s energy to perform the ritual, hoping against hope that her parents will awaken.

However, her efforts remain unsuccessful, leaving only despair in their wake. Wendell and Wild, undaunted by their failure, emerge from the earth and converge upon Father Bests’ grave. They utilize Soul Jockeys, a family heirloom passed down through generations, to transport themselves to the Land of the Living. With renewed determination, they apply the hair cream’s properties to Father Bests’ lifeless form, successfully reviving him.

As Father Bests rises from the grave, Wendell and Wild present their Scream Faire concept to him, only for him to reveal the devastating truth about Rust Bank’s state of disrepair. The brothers are left reeling, but Father Bests’ entrepreneurial spirit sparks an innovative solution: by resurrecting the old-guard members, they can secure funding for both the school and the theme park from the Klaxons. With their newfound understanding, Wendell and Wild set their sights on a bold new venture, driven by the prospect of reviving the past while shaping the future.

As Sister Helley intervenes, whisking away Kat and Raul from the school’s premises, she attempts to offer a sympathetic ear to the troubled Kat, only to be rebuffed. The stern nun then resorts to detention as a means of containing Kat’s frustration, whereupon she and Raul find themselves locked in a makeshift cell with no visible escape route. Meanwhile, Sister Helley covertly employs her own mystical abilities to establish contact with Manberg, uncovering the dark truth that this enigmatic figure has been utilizing her powers to summon demons for his own morbid collection.

In a separate development, the Klaxons learn of Father Best’s unexpected resurgence and converge on him with the intention of exacting vengeance. However, the cunning cleric convinces them that their prison votes can be secured by reviving the old-guard members, a proposition that Lane and Irmgard enthusiastically endorse. The brothers’ plan is met with resistance from the Klaxons, who insist that only the original guard members be brought back to life.

Wendell and Wild embark on their sinister mission, but Kat and Raul stumble upon them. Kat’s ire is sparked as she confronts the duo, only to be duped into swearing an eternal oath of allegiance to the brothers, binding her by the mark on her hand. As Kat departs to procure sustenance for her new “masters,” Wendell and Wild exploit their newfound leverage to revive the old-guard members, who return as reanimated corpses with garish makeovers. Raul manages to break free from his restraints and pilfers the hair cream, sending the brothers into a psychedelic tailspin.

Raucous and resourceful, Raul locates the graves of Delroy and Wilma, reviving them through a burst of mystical energy. He warns the resurrected duo that Kat is in peril, prompting them to seek her out. Upon reuniting with her parents, Kat is met with tearful joy, as they recount their story and marvel at her treasured boom box. However, this poignant reunion is short-lived, as Kat learns of Raul’s involvement and hastens back to the cemetery.

In a desperate bid to clear her name, Kat reunites with Raul, who shares his tale of woe. They concoct a ruse involving Sparky, the brothers’ parasitic equine companion, to feign their demise. This ruse is soon discovered by Sister Helley, who confronts Kat about her betrayal and unveils her own Hell Maiden mark. Enraged and humbled, Kat is dragged away by Sister Helley, bound for Manberg’s lair, where the sinister figure intends to subjugate her mark through a blood binding.

As Marianna and the town council convened to cast their votes against the Klaxons’ prison construction, a sudden influx of six veteran members arrived, legally authorized to participate in the decision-making process. With their arrival, the fate of Rust Bank was sealed, as they ruled in favor of the Klaxons, clearing the way for the destruction of what remained of the town. Meanwhile, Siobhan confided with her parents about the morality of private prisons, but her words fell on deaf ears.

In a separate development, Sister Helley guided Kat through a therapeutic journey, helping her confront the crushing weight of guilt and self-loathing that had taken physical form as a manifestation of her inner demons. As Kat struggled to regain control over her emotions, she found herself transported to a realm where her memories took on a life of their own, manifesting as a vulnerable version of herself. Through this cathartic process, Kat finally achieved closure, freeing herself from the shackles of self-doubt and discovering an uncanny ability to foresee future events. With Sister Helley temporarily incapacitated after a fall, Kat rushed her to Manberg for medical attention.

As tensions escalated, Father Bests received news that Delroy and Wilma had been resurrected, prompting him to dispatch Wendell and Wild to capture the pair at their residence, an event witnessed by Raul. Coincidentally, Belzer discovered that his sons had created decoys of themselves and were receiving assistance from the Soul Jockeys as they navigated the Land of the Living. This revelation prompted him to devise a plan to join them.

In a dramatic turn of events, Delroy and Wilma were returned to their graves by the demons, only for Kat to intervene with Sister Helley in tow, rendering the binding to the mark null and void. As a result, Kat was no longer beholden to Wendell and Wild, preventing them from escaping. Siobhan soon stumbled upon the trio, warning Father Bests and the demons that the funds provided by her parents were worthless. She also cautioned Kat about her parents’ sinister plan, which she saw unfold in a vision of Rust Bank’s imminent destruction.

As chaos erupted, Belzer burst forth from the earth, driven to capture Wendell and Wild. However, his plans were nearly foiled when he caught sight of Raul’s vibrant art mural depicting a mother shielding her child. This momentary distraction allowed Manberg to have a change of heart, recognizing the demons he had captured as Belzer’s children. He subsequently freed them back to their father.

In the aftermath, Wendell and Wild witnessed Father Bests’ final moments, marking his ultimate demise. As they faced this new reality, Belzer delivered a parting message: the hair cream’s potency was fleeting at best. With the group poised to confront the Klaxons, Belzer cautioned them that their efforts would be futile without unity.

As Lane and Irmgard prepare to reveal their sinister plot, a chorus of dissenting voices emerges, determined to derail the duo’s nefarious plans. However, just as the heroes arrive on the scene to put a stop to the chaos, the Klaxons deploy an arsenal of bulldozers, piloted by their loyal old-guard members, hell-bent on crushing any opposition. Undeterred, our intrepid heroes join forces to take down the mechanical monstrosities and restore order to the area. The resulting carnage claims the lives of the Klaxon’s henchmen, who promptly revert back to dust.

Meanwhile, Raul seizes the opportunity to revive three brewery workers who possess crucial testimony implicating the Klaxons in the fire that ravaged the city. This pivotal evidence ultimately leads to Lane and Irmgard being taken into custody, their schemes foiled for the time being.

As the hair cream’s rejuvenative properties begin to wane, Delroy and Wilma, the reanimated brewery workers, start to succumb once more to the forces of mortality. In a poignant farewell, Kat shares a stirring vision with her soon-to-be-departed friends, envisioning Rust Bank’s resurrection in some distant future. With their final moments at hand, Wendell and Wild reveal their ambitious plans for the Scream Faire, promising Kat that her parents will enjoy VIP access to this fantastical event.

As the curtain closes on this chapter of her life, Kat reflects on a journey of self-discovery, reconciling with her past and embracing new bonds with her peers. With Wendell and Wild’s guarantee of VIP passes to the Scream Faire, Kat looks forward to an uncertain but hopeful future, buoyed by her newfound friendships and a sense of inner peace.