When pictures from the odd new horror film Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey were released in May, there was an immediate buzz surrounding it. The photographs showed terrifying incarnations of the beloved characters Pooh Bear and Piglet stalking their prey, obviously having exchanged honey for blood. An exclusive new poster for the movie has already been released by Dread Central, and it is just as terrifying as you would anticipate.
In this ominous new poster, our cuddly friend Winnie the Pooh (Craig David Dowsett) trades in his honey pots for a bloody sledgehammer. In the shadow of a full moon, Bloody and Honey’s Pooh looks down at us with lifeless eyes, and below him, in the Hundred Acre Woods, adorable Piglet is standing over his most recent victim while still holding a butcher’s knife. The statement “This ain’t no bedtime story” appears across the top of the poster, suggesting that Blood and Honey might not be appropriate for young audiences.
The movie seems to include much more than simply two insane killers in bear and pig masks. According to an interview the debut filmmaker and writer Rhys Waterfield had with Variety, Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey would delve deeper into the darker themes of abandonment than a usual horror movie. After Christopher Robin (Nikolei Leon) leaves for college, the beloved bear and his closest buddy, the shy and stuttering Piglet, have returned to their wild roots and are now more interested in blood and gore than sweet honey and imaginative adventures. When Pooh Bear’s former owner no longer takes care of his childhood toys in a Toy Story 3 arc, Waterfield gives Pooh Bear a slight advantage, and since Piglet is generally a game for whatever shenanigans Winnie the Pooh gets into, he’s joining in on the rampage.
Waterfield gives a brief rundown on the synopsis of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey:
“Christopher Robin is pulled away from them, and he’s not [given] them food, it’s made Pooh and Piglet’s life quite difficult… Because they’ve had to fend for themselves so much, they’ve essentially become feral. So they’ve gone back to their animal roots. They’re no longer tame: they’re like a vicious bear and pig who want to go around and try and find prey.”
A.A. Milne’s collection of short stories, which is currently in the post-production process, was inspired by the Ashdown Forest in England, where Waterfield and the crew shot for just 10 days. Oh, so charming. Blood and Honey’s budget is kept under wraps by Jagged Edge Productions, owned by Waterfield and co-producer Scott Jeffrey, although the director warns viewers not to anticipate a “Hollywood-level production.” Waterfield claims they are accelerating the editing process due to the response from the public to the initial announcement and bizarre notion, but that “making sure it’s still excellent…” is a top priority. This impending horror comedy is turning up to be a hit, aside from the reviewers and Disney’s careful eye (which is why the cast substituted Pooh’s famous red crop-top for lumberjack plaid), This new horror comedy is already attracting a sizable audience. It appears that the movie may be precisely what the visuals imply: a quirky and gory retelling of a well-known children’s story. While some viewers might not find that appealing, the movie will undoubtedly be remembered.
Joining Dowsett, Leon, Natasha Tosini, Amber Doig-Thorne, Maria Taylor, Jase Rivers, Simon Ellis, May Kelly, and more all appear in Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey alongside Chris Cordell as Piglet. Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey doesn’t yet have a release date, but you can check out the poster below:
Jagged Edge Productions
