Winnie The Pooh Horror Movie Is Actually Getting A Sequel
Winnie the Pooh horror film, Blood and Honey, isn't out yet but a sequel is already being worked on by the same director.
This February, audiences will return to the 100 Acre Wood for a blood-soaked trip down memory lane. Filmmaker Rhys Frake-Waterfield’s Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey releases in theaters on February 15, 2023, but as reported by MovieWeb, a sequel to the horror film is already in development. Blood and Honey blew the internet up when it was announced in 2022, and the controversial buzz has inspired a follow up.
The original Winnie the Pooh books, written by A.A. Milne and illustrated by E.H. Shepard in 1926, recently entered the public domain. Frake-Waterfield immediately leveraged newfound access to characters like Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, and Christopher Robin to craft a horror film spin on the classic material. Certain characters in the beloved children’s series are not yet in the public domain; characters like Tigger and Roo will not appear in the film.
Blood and Honey is set years after the childhood adventures of Christopher Robin. Now an adult, Robin returns to the 100 Acre Wood to find that his furry friends have become bloodthirsty killers. Abandoned by Christopher Robin, who the animals relied on for food, Winnie the Pooh and his friends killed and ate Eyeore, thus beginning their turn as horror icons.
The film’s trailer promises blood, guts, and bikinis as the killer characters descend upon college women staying in the 100 Acre Wood. Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey comes off the heels of the horror hit Terrifier 2, a two and a half hour gore fest that took the slasher movie world by storm last Halloween. The low budget indie shocked the industry as strong word of mouth propelled the indie movie to earn over $14 million.
Terrifier 2 proved that viral marketing can make a big impact in the low budget horror space, and it revealed the public’s thirst for gore on screen. Blood and Honey has both on its side. The film became a subject of cultural division when its announcement went viral in 2022; some were repulsed by Winnie the Pooh being portrayed in a horror film, while others expressed excitement for the fresh and subversive take as an alternative to mainstream horror fare.
Whether or not the film is good, it has sparked immense curiosity from people of all types. Originally slated for a one night release, Blood and Honey’s theatrical run was expanded by Fathom Events to a nine day span in mid February. Now, before any box office return or streaming deal even is in place, Winnie the Pooh is already scheduled to return to wreak havoc on the 100 Acre Wood.
The film’s director has burst into the low budget horror scene in the past couple of years with a number of projects, but Blood and Honey has by far been the most publicized. Blood and Honey is produced by Jagged Edge Productions and ITN Studios. The film was shot over the course of 10 days in the Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, England; Ashdown is the forest that inspired the original 100 Acre Wood in Milne and Shepard’s book.
As more property enters the public domain, fewer childhood favorites will remain safe. In addition to Winnie the Pooh, Frake-Waterfield already has plans to give Bambi and Peter Pan the horror film treatment. As filmmakers desecrate beloved children’s tales, the debate will rage on, and the box office will be the ultimate judge.
