The Willies (1990)

"What's grosser than gross?"  - Josh

Three young boys go camping and try to frighten each other by telling urban legends.
Starring: James Karen, Michael Bower, Jason Horst, Sean Astin

Link to IMDB

Michael, Kyle and Josh are camping in their tent late at night, when they start telling weird stories to try and out-scare each other. They swear, of course, that all the events are true and that they happened to someone who knows someone they know. There are a few quick vignettes to get us warmed up, and they set the tone for what lies ahead; twisted tales with humour aimed at young teens. After the opening credits the rest of the movie comprises of two longer stories being told.
You should try to appreciate the first story as much as you can, because the second one is definitely weaker.

Just wants some privacy

Bad Apples
The first story is about a nerdy, young boy named Danny, who has been getting harassed by three mean kids at school. The friendly janitor, Mr. Jenkins, has been helping him get out of some trouble, but Danny just has no way to stand-up to the bullies when even the teachers don't like him. As Danny goes into the school bathroom one day, he discovers a horrifying monster has taken up residence in one of the toilet stalls! No one believes his warnings, but it gives Danny an idea on how to get his revenge.

"Are you boys out here giving each other the willies?"  - Uncle Henry

Flyboy
We meet a kid named Gordy Belcher as he is chased off of Farmer Pivey's property. The farmer becomes important later, but the main focus here is on Gordy's obsession with collecting dead flies... Now spend 20 minutes watching him as he glues flies to dioramas. Alone. In the basement. 20 minutes!! The only notable thing is the little crucified Jesus fly in the miniature church.
Eventually, we get to back to some plot, and we learn that Farmer Pivey has some secret soil that can make his vegetables grow ten times their normal size. And then, oh great, more scenes about dead flies that show just how nasty Gordy really is... Anyway, Gordy aims to get some of that magic dirt, and we know he won't be growing carrots with it.

I'm twice as bored as you are, Gordy !

As far as anthologies of horror stories for young adults go, this isn't too bad. The creepiness and humour will remind you of Are You Afraid of the Dark? or Goose Bumps, but with a slightly darker tone. It's all rather predictable, but mostly plays to the strength of keeping everything absurd. The big mistake is having more than half the movie spent on one long, boring story about a character we don't even like.

Be sure not to miss:
- There was another quick story at the start about a dog in a microwave, which is missing from the version I found. But you can see it here.
- Lots of notable cameos: Bill Erwin, Dana Ashbrook, Kimmy Robertson, and more.

Rats enough !

Internet review:
"Not suitable for kids... or for anyone else." - gridoon

Should I watch it?
The first 40 minutes are fun, but the rest is just too boring.

Where can I find it?
On YouTube

The Willies gets...