Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey
Oh, bother: Low-budget gorefest is bloody, poorly made.
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey is an extremely gory, low-budget horror movie that takes advantage of the fact that A.A. Milne's original 1926 children's book is now in the public domain (meaning the characters are no longer protected by copyright). After the novelty of the concept quickly wears off, it reveals itself as just another poorly made slasher movie. It's absolutely not for kids: Violence and gore are graphic and constant, with women and other characters being killed in horrible ways, smashed with sledgehammers, run over by cars, run through with blades, decapitated, strangled with chains, fed into wood chippers, and more. There's also stabbing, face-ripping, neck-slicing, arm-snapping, whipping, eyeballs popping out, and much, much more. A woman's breasts are visible after her top comes off while she's being attacked. Another woman wears revealing clothing, dances, and takes sexy selfies in a bikini. Language includes sporadic uses of "f--k" and "s--t." A character drinks wine while relaxing in the hot tub.
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TRAUMATIZING
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Not for kids and not for adults who don’t want their childhood tainted!
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What's the Story?
In WINNIE-THE-POOH: BLOOD AND HONEY, young Christopher Robin grows up playing with his friends Pooh, Piglet, Rabbit, Owl, and Eeyore in the Hundred Acre Wood. But one day he must leave for college. After that, the animals begin to starve, and decide to kill and eat Eeyore. And then they become twisted versions of their former selves, sworn to kill and eat humans -- especially Christopher Robin. Five years later, Christopher Robin (Nikolai Leon) returns home, only to discover that his former friends are now monsters. Meanwhile, Marie (Maria Taylor), who's been traumatized by a stalker, is advised to take a vacation, so she gathers up her friends and heads to a remote cabin not far from the Hundred Acre Wood...
Is It Any Good?
After the subversive idea of turning beloved children's book characters into brutal killers wears off, all that's left in this low-budget horror movie are boring clichés and frustrating characters. The grungy-looking Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey begins with a crudely animated prologue that explains how the characters turned into hybrid creatures, and most of the fun ends there. (Not to mention that, after the prologue, we never see Rabbit or Owl again.) There are a couple of giggles early on thanks to visuals like a swarm of bees following Pooh around, or Pooh drooling disgustingly at the thought of a snack. But it's not long before the movie becomes a showcase for hacking up young women. Perhaps the worst idea is introducing Marie as a traumatized survivor of a sexual predator who then must face yet more horror. It feels cruel. By the time it reaches its "what?" ending, Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey has turned from a bizarre, controversial internet meme into a totally forgettable slasher movie.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey's violence. How did it make you feel? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
Is the movie scary? What's the appeal of horror movies? Why do people sometimes like to be scared?
How do you feel seeing Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet reimagined as brutal killers? Should beloved characters be untouchable? What can be gained from this kind of revisionist approach?
When the women arrive at their cabin, they reluctantly agree to put their phones away so they can spend some real time with each other. How does this turn out? When do you choose to put your phone away?
One of the women is obsessed with posting photos of herself online, and other women wear revealing clothing. Do they represent a realistic view of body image?
Movie Details
- In theaters: February 15, 2023
- Cast: Maria Taylor, Nikolai Leon, Amber Doig-Thorne
- Director: Rhys Frake-Waterfield
- Studio: Fathom Events
- Genre: Horror
- Topics: Book Characters
- Run time: 84 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: February 16, 2023
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