Why Some Theorists Are Suggesting Willy Wonka Was A Serial Killer
Throughout the 1971 film "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," we watched as multiple children were sent to their apparent deaths, and Gene Wilder's Wonka did not seem particularly concerned about any of them. One got the sense that it was part of his plan for Augustus Gloop to drown in that river of chocolate or for Veruca Salt to seemingly fall to her death down that garbage chute. The Oompa Loompas even had a whole choreographed musical number after each incident, with lyrics perfectly suited to the situation, so clearly this was all pre-meditated.
Luckily for the more squeamish in the audience, other versions of the story have clarified that the kids survived. The original novel and the 2005 version both gave the kids a quick appearance at the end, with all of them alive but traumatized. Most of them had their bodies altered, possibly forever, leaving them with plenty of time to think over their behavior and change their ways. It serves to teach a valuable lesson about being too bratty, chewing too much gum, or watching too much TV.
However, partly because the most famous version of the story doesn't clarify the kids' fates, there have been plenty of theories over the years that Wonka is indeed a serial killer and that these four kids aren't even the first children he's murdered in his factory. As one theorist has noted, "Several details hint that Wonka staged the tour and incidents according to each child's weakness, not unlike Jigsaw in the 'Saw' franchise." Even if he isn't a straight-up murderer, he is still "the epitome of creepy," another theorist wrote. One theory got even darker, speculating that Wonka was planning a murder/suicide with Charlie at the end.
The creepy/charming divide
It's easy to see where the serial killer speculation comes from. Whereas many fans see Wonka as a fun, charismatic, sympathetic genius, others still find him creepy and meanspirited. Even with that happy ending where Charlie gets chosen as his heir, it's hard not to think Charlie would be better off staying as far away from this dude as possible. He's nice to you now, Charlie, but one mistake and you'll probably end up crushed inside a chocolate trash compacter.
But for book Wonka, 1971 Wonka, and 2005 Wonka, how creepy or charming you find him will come down to how chill you are with watching fictional children be casually tortured and maimed. The four children who suffer horrible fates are all one-dimensional brats with abrasive personalities; they are specifically written to make you root for their comeuppance, to cheer on Wonka and the Oompa Loompas when they do little to save them from the consequences of their own actions. When Veruca Salt gets shoved down that garbage chute and possibly incinerated, as the book implies, most readers are so happy to see her booted out of the narrative that they'll easily ignore the questionable ethics of it all.
For other readers and viewers, the narrative's encouragement of schadenfreude doesn't quite hit. These kids are awful, sure, but they're still kids who've been set up to fail. Watching them walk into bear traps doesn't feel fun; it just feels sad and disturbing, and Wonka's aloof reactions don't feel charming at all. For many of these fans, the story can still work as a fun, engaging film/novel. But they're more likely to view it as a horror story rather than the whimsical kids' adventure that pop culture presents it as.
So, what happens to Wonka after Wonka?
Spoilers for "Wonka" ahead.
If the cruelty of the original story was a turn-off for you, you might be pleasantly surprised by the recent prequel movie starring Timothée Chalamet. This movie's about a younger Wonka, who doesn't seem creepy so much as just charmingly naive. The first musical sequence sees him lose all his money on his first day in the big city, and then he's tricked into indentured servitude.
This Wonka is a scrappy underdog, someone with no ill will towards anyone. Instead of basing the narrative around Wonka terrorizing a bunch of helpless children, the new movie has Wonka accidentally attract the ire of the chocolate cartel, a trio of greedy businessmen who bribe the police to shut down any chocolate competition in town. "Wonka" still does the familiar trick of setting up a bunch of strawman bad guys whose pain we get to revel in by the end, but the fact that they're adults in positions of power makes the whole thing go down a lot easier.
It's only near the end that we get to see Wonka's dark side, as he tricks the three businessmen into eating candy that makes them float away into the sky. Will they ever come back down? And if they do, will it be a graceful landing or will they die on impact? Wonka's not 100% sure, and he doesn't particularly care. Although Chalamet's Wonka doesn't give off murderer vibes, it's here that you can see those seeds being planted. This was his first real taste of extrajudicial vengeance, and it probably won't be his last. With 30-something years before he reaches the events of the '71 film, it's easy to see how this Wonka descends into the delightful serial killer we all know and love.