Everything to Know About Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey , a Terrifying Twist on the Classic Tale
ITN Studios / Jagged Edge Productions
After A.A. Milne's original Winnie the Pooh stories entered the public domain at the beginning of this year, the childhood tale that we know and love is getting ready to take a twisted, terrifying turn.
The willy-nilly silly old bear is out to scare in Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, the Rhys Waterfield-directed slasher film that first shocked its nostalgic audience when the first look images were released in May.
Dare to enter into the Hundred Acre Wood? If so, get ready to be greeted by a maniacal and demonic Pooh and Piglet who have — as put by Waterfield in an interview with Variety — "essentially become feral" and are "going on a rampage."
Oh and don't think we forgot about their good pal Christopher Robin! He's quite frankly the reason for their devilish disturbance after abandoning them as he heads off to college.
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"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," Waterfield told the outlet.
Here's everything to know about Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, deemed "no bedtime story."
What will Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey be about?
ITN Studios / Jagged Edge Productions
Waterfield revealed some telling plot details during his appearance on Dread Central's Development Hell podcast, and while he confirmed that Pooh and Piglet are slated to star in the slasher film, they're most definitely not how you remember them.
"The story is meant to be that they've gone on this onslaught from being kind of enraged by what's happened to Christopher [Robin]… Pooh and Piglet experience a drastic drop in food as Christopher grew up and over the years became increasingly hungry and feral," he explained.
"They had to resort to eating Eeyore and then Christopher returns with his wife to introduce her to his old friends, and when that happens they get enraged," Waterfield added. "When they see him, all of their hatred that they've built up over the years unleashes and they go on this rampage."
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Is Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey associated with Disney?
ITN Studios / Jagged Edge Productions
Despite Milne's 1926 Winnie the Pooh book entering the public domain, Disney still owns exclusive use of their interpretations of Pooh Bear and his friends, according to Variety.
"We've tried to be extremely careful," said Waterfield on the podcast. "We knew there was this line between that, and we knew what their copyright was and what they've done. So we did as much as we could to make sure [the film] was only based on the 1926 version of it."
What does the Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey movie poster look like?
ITN Studios / Jagged Edge Productions
The official Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey movie poster was released on July 14 and it's nonetheless frightening. It didn't feature a lovable, cuddly teddy bear stuffed with fluff — but rather, a sledgehammer-wielding Pooh and an evil Piglet in an uninviting setting.
Is there a Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey trailer?
Jagged Edge Productions released the first official trailer for Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey on Aug. 31. Within the nearly two minute-long clip, it's safe to say that the slasher film features far more blood than it does honey.
The trailer begins with Christopher Robin and his female love interest on a trek to find Pooh and Piglet, whom Christopher says were his "friends of many years." As the couple walk into the eery forest, a weathered jar of honey flashes on the screen, in addition to a wooden sign that reads "100 Acre Woods" in what appears to be — you guessed it — blood.
With suspenseful music building in the background, his love interest spots another sign that reads "Eeyore R.I.P." — followed by her suggestion to "quickly leave," but Christopher insists that they stay.
Quickly, chaos ensues. Pooh appears on the screen, in a manner that is far from cuddly — and Piglet is no different, as he's pictured with an ax on a killing rampage. The suspenseful music then combines with screams (and squeals) for a trailer that seriously sets the scene.
When will Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey be released?
According to Variety, Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey wrapped production in early May this year. It will be released to 1500+ theaters in the United States starting on Feb. 15, 2023 for a limited period.
At first, Waterfield hoped to do a "mini theatrical run in certain areas." But a few days before its release, he told News24 that he believes his film can achieve the highest "budget-to-box office ratio" since Paranormal Activity.
Where was Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey filmed?
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey was filmed in England, at a location close to Ashdown Forest (the place that inspired Milne's imaginative "Hundred Acre Wood"). Since the movie was shot in 10 days, Waterfield told Variety that his audience "shouldn't be expecting this to be a Hollywood-level production."
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Will there be a Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey sequel?
ITN Studios / Jagged Edge Productions
Although he has yet to confirm, Waterfield said on Dread Central's Development Hell podcast that a Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey sequel could be on the way.
"Hopefully we can ramp it up even more and go even more crazy and go even more kind of extreme," he said. "I've got lots of twisted and dark thoughts on what I want to put Pooh and Piglet through and what scenarios I want to put them in."
