Move over MCU, there is a new cinematic universe flourishing in theaters and I'm entirely here for it! In 2023, a little movie called "Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey" was released. Admittedly, it is not very good, at all. But the concept of a serial killer Pooh and friends since the character had entered public domain was an entertaining idea and had a novel to it watching the events of the movie play out. Elevating the fun factor was random ideas like Pooh being able to control bees, grow ten feet tall in one scene, and even drive a car for one of his kills. So when Blood and Honey 2 came out last month I was expecting more of the same being a bad movie, but surrounded by lots of entertaining scenes. What ended up coming out was a genuinely half-way decent movie that was also a ton of fun, which has me even more excited for the future of the "Twisted Childhood Universe" that the creators have pitched for the future! They're moving full steam ahead with their public domain horror universe, and with Blood and Honey 2 actually being kinda good, my excitement for this franchise has risen ten fold! So with 6 six announced to be coming out between now and late 2025 (and possibly beyond), this is my ranking of excitement level for each upcoming Poohniverse movie!
6. Awakening Sleeping Beauty
I must have missed the announcement for this one, because I didn't know it was a thing until I was putting together this list! With the character slated to appear in the upcoming crossover film it makes sense that Sleeping Beauty will receive her own horror film either before or after. I can only imagine the kind of plot that will be thought up for this retelling of the classic princess, and whether more Disney princesses will receive the horror treatment in the future! When compared to the others, and the lack of information we have about it for the time being, this film is at the bottom of the list for my excitement, but I'm still looking forward to seeing what the creators come up with!
5. Blood and Honey 3
One of my favorite parts about my Blood and Honey 2 theater experience was that an interview with the creators played beforehand, in which they talked about their passion for the films they were making, and some of the upcoming projects they had on their slate which includes Blood and Honey 3! I should have assumed this would be coming at some point, and with Rabbit, the Woozles, and the Heffalumps confirmed to be joining in the gory fun there are plenty of reasons to come back for a third outing. Blood and Honey 2's credit sequence gave us a hint at the appearance of the Heffalumps, which look to be outright horrifying. After two outings with Pooh and friends already though, I'm looking forward to seeing other new characters added to the franchise which is why Blood and Honey 3 is currently at number five on the list.
4. Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare
Originally this was going to be the next film to be filmed; however, there were still some script issues to hammer out which pushed it to be filmed currently sometime in May. With a projected release of later this year, Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare sounds like it is going to capitalize on all of the creepy elements that Peter has always had in his stories. A guy who sneaks into children's bedrooms at night and whisks they away to a land where they're never seen again...and the initial concept sketches we've seen of Peter lend itself very well to this terrifying take on a child snatcher. Added to that the plot point of Tinker Bell being addicted to Heroin, and out of all the Peter Pan takes we've had in the past couple of decades this is one that'll surely turn the concept on its head.
3. Pinocchio: Unstrung
A living doll is something that the horror genre has thrived on for years! Pinocchio is going to continue the trend, with concept art of the wooden boy looking all kinds of demented, with confirmation from the creators that he's going to use his telescoping nose as a weapon in the movie, and at one point even skin a boy to wear his skin as part of his "real boy" act... After Blood and Honey 2 it seems as though gore is something this franchise will not be lacking in one bit, and Pinocchio in a horror setting is something I can visualize so clearly.
2. Bambi: The Reckoning
Part of that creator interview we got before Blood and Honey 2 had a big surprise I wasn't anticipating, that being the reveal of the first teaser trailer for Bambi: The Reckoning! It is available now on Youtube, but seeing it completely by surprise was a delight, especially with the fact that the CGI for the movie actually looks really good! Movies like Jaws, Alien, and The Ritual are what are cited as inspirations for this movie, and after two films of serial killer horror in the Blood and Honey films, it is going to be a refreshing change of pace for a animal-creature based horror film in this franchise! Bambi himself looks entirely awesome, and I'm eagerly awaiting for when exactly this film will be releasing this year!
1. Poohniverse: monsters assemble
I'm not sure that there are any other films coming out in this franchise that could've taken the top spot on this list aside from what will surely be the movie event of 2025! Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble! When Blood and Honey first came out I could not have anticipated that this would be the direction things were heading, and when the idea of a crossover was first announced I had joked that Pooh would ride Bambi...and the freaking poster confirmed that would
actually happen!! It looks absolutely nuts, with characters like Pooh's Rabbit, Sleeping Beauty, Pinocchio's cricket, and Mad Hatter all joining the cast, along with others who the creators have hinted haven't been revealed yet, this is the pinnacle of public domain character horror films. I can't wait to have the most dumb fun ever in a movie!
Comments
Post a Comment