Winnie the Pooh Review: Blood and Honey’s Bloody Makeover Is A Half-Baked Hackjob
Oh bother, Pooh Bear has gone from sweet to scary in Rhys Frake-Waterfield’s latest horror flick, “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey.” The film takes a beloved childhood classic and morphs it into a grotesque and cannibalistic nightmare, but unfortunately, this gimmick falls flat.
Writer-director Rhys Frake-Waterfield’s film starts on the right foot with a whimsical intro that sets the tone for a dark fairytale. The story follows Christopher Robin (played by Nikolai Leon) as he abandons his cuddly pals in the Hundred Acre Wood to attend college, causing their resentment to curdle into bloodlust. Pooh and Piglet then set their sights on a group of underwritten young women (led by Maria Taylor) who are vacationing nearby before the film stumbles through one slasher cliché after another, lacking the energy and excitement needed to be a successful horror movie.
The highlights of this movie are few and far between, but the kills are vicious and plentiful, which may satisfy horror fans looking for some mindless slaughter. However, even the gore can’t save this film from its many misses. The character design of Pooh and Piglet is also disappointing, relying on rubber masks that lack the convincing details that could have made them truly terrifying.
Despite some moments of handsome cinematography and the director’s eye for composition, “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” fails to exploit its twisted premise fully. The film is neither clever enough to add a fresh spin to the gag nor thrilling enough to be a competent horror flick. The missed opportunity to explore the idea that the misdeeds of our youth can come back to haunt us is a letdown.
Ultimately, “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” barely manages to be anything more than a failed experiment. While it may be intermittently aesthetically pleasing, it ultimately lacks the necessary humor and terror to make it a success. While the kills are vicious and may satisfy some horror fans, the film’s many misses far outweigh any positives.
RATING: 2.0 out of 5.0
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OpenCritic
I was curious about the concept, but “Blood and Honey” just didn’t work for me. It felt like they tried too hard to make it dark, but it ended up being more confusing than creepy. Not sure it did the original characters any justice.