New horror films based on the popular properties Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan are in the works, as per a recent report from Variety.
What are the new Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan horror films?
German distributor Dolphin Medien will partner with U.K. horror production house Red Shadow Studios to produce a handful of horror films based on the properties. The first, Winnie the Pooh: Death House, is described as “The Strangers meets The Purge,” and will be a stylized serial killer take on the classic character. That film will be written by Red Shadow’s Adam Stephen Kelly, and will be directed by S.J. Evans.
According to Variety, Winnie the Pooh: Death House will follow an “unexpected school reunion in a remote country mansion – an event orchestrated by members of a cult who were mercilessly tormented by the guests as children. Now, years later, they’re out for gruesome revenge.” Filming on the project is already underway.
“The script is supremely clever with scope for iconic visuals, and we have assembled a terrific young cast loaded with star potential. I’m very excited to share this dark and disturbing horror with the world,” said director S.J. Evans in a statement on the film
The Peter Pan-based horror film is titled Peter Pan Goes to Hell, and is said to be a slasher movie in the vein of Psycho and Nightmares in a Damaged Brain. The script for the film is also written by Adam Stephen Kelly, and will be directed by Phil Claydon (Lesbian Vampire Killers). In a statement on the project, Claydon expressed excitement about the ability to join the project and “craft some grass roots scares.”
“I grew up on a healthy diet of low-budget horror from the masters like Sam Raimi, Wes Craven and Peter Jackson,” said Claydon. “In recent streamer times, opportunities to create high concept horror on a small budget had vanished so I relished the opportunity to dive on board with Red Shadow Studios in carving out an environment for filmmakers to come and craft some grass roots scares. Let the mayhem commence.”
The films are the latest in a long line of horror film takes on classic properties. This enterprise took off since the copyright protection on the iconic characters ran out. Since re-entering the public domain, there have been a handful of Winnie the Pooh creations — most notably the horror film Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey.
