There is a perverse satisfaction in watching your bedtime story characters get turned into revenge-seeking monsters on film.
With that said, the Twisted Childhood Universe (TCU), or ‘Poohniverse,’ has come to be a thing since Rhys Frake-Waterfield unleashed his indie films, 2023’s revenge Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey and its sequel last year, heralding a twisted take on our beloved childhood characters that taught acceptance and other life values. Both playoff Pooh taking revenge after Christopher Robin abandons Pooh to fend for himself when Christopher wants to live his life. The first had Pooh with Piglet, while Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 extended the roster to Owl and Tigger. They wasted a perfect chance for a bonkers Tigger kill, not letting him bounce on his tail.
Arriving in theaters starting January 13, 2025, for a limited run, Scott Chambers, who was Christopher Robin in Blood and Honey 2, took a stab (pun intended) at another childhood character with Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare.
Released by Iconic Events, who released the last two Terrifier features, the film stars Martin Portlock (A Cold Grave 2022) as Peter Pan, Megan Placito (The Salt Path 2024) as Wendy Darling, Kit Green (The Blazing Cannons 2017) as Tinker Bell, Peter DeSouza-Feighoney (The Pope’s Exorcist 2023) as Michael Darling, Harry Whitfield (in an uncredited role in his feature debut) as Captain James Hook, Teresa Banham (reprising her role from Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2) as Mary Darling, Jenny Miller (Abomination 2023, Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2) as Pirate-Vivienne, Kierston Wareing (Fish Tank 2009, The Holding 2011) as Roxy, among others, including Olumide Olorunfemi (The Winter King series, Cheaters series) as Tiger Lily. It follows a story that sees Wendy Darling striking out in an attempt to rescue her brother, Michael, from the clutches of the evil Peter Pan. Along the way, she meets Tinkerbell, who will be seen taking heroin, believing that it’s pixie dust.
As stated in the first line, there is a morbid curiosity in seeing childhood characters warped and scarred…but that is where the fascination ends. Looking to delve into themes of childhood trauma, manipulation, addiction, and the dark side of innocence, all serious singly or as a whole, get lost in the carnage. Don’t get it wrong; there is satisfaction in watching evildoers get their comeuppance. However, there is such a thing as overkill. This overkill kills the deeper meaning of the movie…with the exception of Tinker Bell’s arc. The other notable bit was seeing Hook introduced.
Peter’s origin story seemed like it was taken from Stephen King’s It, with his starting as a carnie, and he practically expected to see Pennywise make an appearance. The fact that that connection was made says something about the lack of originality to begin with an otherwise original idea (heroin for pixie dust…nice) is sad. Obviously, King did not think it was a threat to his IP.
While many critics have been harsh to Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare, general audiences have mostly embraced its carnage. With that in mind, it is really a matter of taste.
On this year’s docket for the TCU is also Bambi: The Reckoning, Pinocchio: Unstrung, and Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble. Down the pipeline, Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 3, Awakening Sleeping Beauty, Snow White Returns, Alice the Mad, Tigger’s Return, an untitled Mary Poppins, and an untitled Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare sequel, which Scott Chambers said hedges on Neverland Nightmare’s success. Until then, Cryptic Rock gives Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare 2 of 5 stars.
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