There’s nothing new under the sun. We’re living in a time in movie history when characters travel into parallel dimensions in order to pluck old characters out of obscurity and squeeze them like a rag of nostalgia directly into recycled plots. Even then, these movies lose megamillions at the box office. But while these multiverses oversaturate and their quick-quipping heroes continue to try to save the world, it doesn’t seem like they can save the imaginations of those in Hollywood who wear the green-tinted glasses.
Another reason to love horror. Horror pushes the limits of imagination. Investing in creative and original horror ideas has benefits beyond the obvious profit margins. The Terrifier franchise has become the gold standard for indie horror ROI, but I’m here to argue that Rhys Frake-Waterfield’s cinematic Poohniverse – a portmanteau for the ages – deserves the same laurels.
What is the Poohniverse?
Rhys Frake-Waterfield first ruined our childhoods in 2023 shortly after everyone’s favorite forgetful bear entered the public domain and Frake-Waterfield himself entered whatever ethereal zone is home to B-movie genius.
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey introduces a much darker Hundred Acre Wood than you’re used to, where years before, Christopher Robin had abandoned his friends Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Owl, and Rabbit to go to college. In Christopher’s absence, the creatures realize they didn’t watch enough of History channel’s Alone, so they had to resort to cannibalizing Eeyore to stay alive.
I don’t know about you, but the last time I had to survive by eating one of my best friends, it didn’t bode well for my mental health. Likewise, Pooh and Piglet go full psycho and take out their angst on a group of unsuspecting friends during their cabin-in-the-woods weekend.
While this first entry in the Poohniverse (also called the Twisted Childhood Universe, or TCU), is generally regarded as the worst of the series (I am one of the few who will always defend it!), it still made over $5 million on a $100k budget. I told you audiences relish having their childhoods destroyed.
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2
Following the box office, if not critical, success of the original movie, Blood and Honey 2 blew everyone away by amping up the production value significantly.
Pooh and Piglet are back, and this time they’re joined by hell demon Owl and a version of Tigger that drew inspiration directly from Freddy Krueger.
Blood and Honey 2 has way more gore, a bit more lore, a rave, a chainsaw-wielding Pooh, and a lot of heart. In fact, more than one horror fan I’ve spoken to has told me they shed a wee tear at the end of the movie when Christopher Robin (played by Frake-Waterfield collaborator Scott Chambers) shares a touching moment with one of his family members as Pardyalone’s moving track “Not a Home” plays over the credits.
Blood and Honey 2 delivers a genuinely entertaining cast of characters with solid performances all around. The body count is high, so the gorehounds will be delighted to watch this. And I am delighted that we should have Blood and Honey 3 later this year and Blood and Honey 4 in 2026.
Kill Your Heroes
Another aspect of these movies I find endearing and important is their dedication to dismantling the concept of hero worship. The Poohniverse is an anti-superhero cinematic universe, which I believe is precisely the kind of reality we need to see depicted in stories right now.
When you watch Disney’s Bambi, you know something terrible is going to happen to Bambi’s mom, but Bambi never goes all ham-bi on you. So, thanks to the warped mind of Rhys Frake-Waterfield, that’s exactly what Bambi is going to do in the Poohniverse’s upcoming Bambi: The Reckoning.
And remember the wooden puppet who wanted to become a real boy? Do you think Richard Brake’s Geppetto is going to craft a benevolent Pinocchio who gently befriends Jiminy Cricket in Pinocchio: Unstrung? Maybe when piglets fly. It’s far more likely that the cricket will emerge as Pinocchio’s internal conscience, made manifest through the menacing voice of Robert Englund.
Did Peter Pan want to help children feel the wonder and magic of life forever, or was it that he simply wanted revenge after having his face mutilated following a failed attempt to abduct a child? Find out in Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare!
Why does the Poohniverse matter?
Outside of horror, our superheroes still wear capes, but they’re flying too high while the rest of us are stuck on the ground.
Thanks to Rhys Frake-Waterfield, even cute stuffed animals — those childhood symbols of safety and security — can destroy you. They no longer laugh and play with Eeyore – they cannibalize him for survival and then descend into a life devoted to craven revenge!
So where does that leave us? Resigned to a life of jaded bitterness? No! These movies say, “Don’t be like Pooh, be like YOU!” Grow up, go to college, learn stuff. But treat your friends and family well or they may come back and chainsaw attack you.
The Poohniverse is outlandish and flamboyantly violent. It begs not to be taken seriously, and yet, I find these movies bizarrely affecting. Life itself is extremely not serious, as we have been confronted with in very stark ways of late, and simultaneously it is the most serious thing.
In these dumbass times, we will laugh at our old heroes, and find togetherness there. That’s a small mercy for us.
Where to Stream the Poohniverse Horror Films
By watching any of the films below using the JustWatch affiliate buttons below, you’ll be helping to not only support indie film (hooray!), you’ll also be helping support HorrorFam.com at no additional cost to you.
Where to watch Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023):
Where to watch Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 (2024):
Where to watch Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare (2025):
Where to watch Bambi: The Reckoning (2025):
Images for this review were purchased from MovieStillsDB and CineMaterial.
