Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023) Review

You can see how the idea was sold.

Take a childhood icon that is inherently good, turn it evil, and put a lot of faith in the titular icon having a good draw on the audiences, making them want to see the film no matter how silly it sounds… And The expiration of the 95-year copyright on AA Milne’s beloved bear opened a Pandora’s box of creative liberties.

Luckily for Rhys Frake-Waterfield, the writer/director of Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey, the name and concept alone were indeed enough to get interest. Although it only achieved a 3% score on Rotten Tomatoes, the film still suprisingly grossed $5.2m worldwide.

The story begins with an animated prologue that sets the stage for the horror to come. Christopher Robin grows up and leaves his childhood friends—Pooh, Piglet, and others—behind. Bereft of their human companion, the animals revert to their feral instincts, culminating in the consumption of Eeyore to survive. This traumatic event drives Pooh and Piglet to madness, transforming them into bloodthirsty killers. When Christopher Robin (Nikolai Leon) returns to introduce his wife Mary (Paula Coiz) to his childhood friends, they find a horrific scene awaiting them.

One of the film’s major issues is its execution. The concept of turning beloved children’s characters into slasher villains is intriguing, but the film falls short in nearly every aspect. The characters of Pooh and Piglet, portrayed by Craig David Dowsett and Chris Cordell, look more like men in cheap costumes than terrifying anthropomorphic creatures. This undermines any potential for genuine horror, reducing the film to unintentional comedy. And this is one of the biggest issues. The idea is just plain silly, but isn’t slightly funny.

The plot quickly devolves into a series of brutal but uninspired killings. Pooh and Piglet’s rampage is relentless, but it lacks creativity or purpose beyond shock value. Victims, including a group of generic sorority-style girls renting a cabin in the woods, are dispatched in increasingly gory ways, but the repetitive nature of the violence soon becomes numbing rather than frightening. The film’s thinly veiled misogyny—evident in the gratuitous nudity and the way female characters are victimised—feels dated and desperate. And the CGI blood makes the gory scenes somehwhat anti-climactic.

Though you can’t really fake the general quality of the film, from the cinematography to the locations and props, Frake-Waterfield’s direction is haphazard at best. The film attempts to build tension with a mix of jump scares and prolonged scenes of stalking, but these moments are telegraphed and lack the finesse required to genuinely unsettle the audience. The decision to dress Pooh and Piglet in droopy cosplay masks and overalls only adds to the film’s amateurish feel, making it hard to take any of the horror seriously.

While the film’s intention might have been to subvert expectations and deliver a unique take on the slasher genre, it fails to provide any meaningful commentary or innovation. Unlike other public domain adaptations that reimagine classic stories with a fresh perspective, Blood and Honey relies solely on its gimmick, offering little beyond the initial shock value of seeing familiar characters in such a twisted scenario.

The screenplay, written by Frake-Waterfield, is devoid of any substantial dialogue or character development. The motivations of Pooh and Piglet remain murky, and the human characters are nothing more than cannon fodder. The film’s attempt to integrate a subplot about Christopher Robin’s abandonment feels underdeveloped and tacked on, further highlighting the lack of cohesive storytelling.

Despite its many flaws, Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey has found an audience, likely driven by curiosity and the viral nature of its premise. However, the film’s success seems more a testament to the power of internet hype than the quality of its content. Its modest budget and short runtime are apparent in every frame, making it difficult to justify even its brief 84-minute duration.

Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey is a missed opportunity. It could have been an interesting exploration of childhood nostalgia turned dark, but instead, it’s a poorly executed cash grab that leans too heavily on shock and gore without providing any real substance. While the film may attract viewers curious about its audacious concept, they are likely to leave disappointed by its lack of imagination and depth.

Movie Rating:

Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey trailer