The “Twisted Childhood Universe” (also referred to as the “Poohniverse”), is undoubtedly charting a course for an unlimited growth in 2025. Since putting web gold with Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey and persevering with the momentum with Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey II, creator Rhys Frake-Waterfield hasn’t let the viral success of the sequence go to waste. Now, an prolonged universe based mostly on horror variations of traditional youngsters’s characters is increasing with Bambi: The Reckoning and Pinocchio: Unstrung, however not earlier than the franchise’s first deviation from the Blood and Honey movies — Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare.

It is no secret that the Blood and Honey films had been made primarily to capitalize on the denizens of the 100-acre wooden becoming a member of the general public area, with the inherent shock worth of Pooh and Piglet killing folks being too good to cross up. Nonetheless, the idea of a horror movie centering round a twisted model of Peter Pan actually holds water. The thought of an immortal boy who abducts youngsters and takes them to a magical land infested by pirates is a darkish premise that may be simply tweaked right into a horror-centric plot. Sadly, Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare appears to be extra involved with copying different higher horror tales as a substitute of absolutely committing to its intriguing thought.

Very similar to the traditional story it’s impressed by, Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare follows Wendy Darling (Megan Placito) and her household, with the younger girl able to enter maturity and transfer on together with her life. Solely, on this model, Peter Pan just isn’t a fun-loving insurgent who fights pirates and would not wanna develop up. This Peter (Marin Portlock) is a infamous and vindictive serial killer whose major victims are youngsters and every other adults who get in his means. Whereas Peter guarantees to take these unsuspecting youngsters to Neverland, the precise actuality of his journeys is far much less magical. Wendy finds herself monitoring down this gleeful cretin when her little brother Michael (Peter DeSouza-Feighoney) is kidnapped to turn into one in all Peter’s “Misplaced Boys.”

Peter Pan Himself Is ‘Neverland Nightmare’s Greatest Energy and Greatest Misstep

So, let’s begin with the apparent — Peter Pan is an grownup man in Neverland Nightmare as a substitute of a plucky younger child and even a young person. This actually feels counter-intuitive, as protecting Peter a child would have made him being a serial killer extra distinctive and disturbing. Motion pictures like Trick ‘r Deal with and Orphan have simply confirmed there is a marketplace for youngsters’s horror villains on the market, so why not attempt to capitalize on that? The age would not assist the truth that Peter’s scarred face makes the character nearly unrecognizable from who he is imagined to be an adaptation of.

Fortunately, actor Marin Portlock appears to be having loads of enjoyable within the function. Although he might not precisely be an important adaptation of Peter Pan and he appears to have a brand new voice each time he speaks, he nonetheless has sufficient horror film killer appeal to maintain viewers entertained. Megan Placito’s Wendy can also be a greater than succesful last woman, delivering a strong efficiency as a sister determined to save lots of her brother.

A number of different characters from the traditional story additionally make an look in some capability, and whereas this begins to dip into spoiler territory, these will most likely be probably the most controversial depictions. Considered one of these characters is transgender, and whereas it’s miles from probably the most offensive depiction of a trans individual — and the movie does deserve credit score for casting somebody from the transgender neighborhood for the half — the truth that the title this character is often referred to is commonly used as a derogatory time period for queer people is not nice. The opposite instance is actually inserted into the story on the final second as if the filmmakers forgot this character ought to most likely be current in a Peter Pan story.

‘Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare’ Is Far Too Reliant on Acquainted Horror Tropes

Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare‘s first horror set piece entails Peter in full clown make-up, making an attempt to persuade a child that he is a buddy whereas he is in a crevice on the ground. If that description did not make it apparent already, that is about as large of a rip-off of It because it presumably will get, even right down to Peter introducing himself to attempt to acquire the boy’s belief. So far as chilly opens go, it’s miles too spinoff of different horror flicks.

Once more, it is an actual disgrace that Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare would not attempt to capitalize extra on its audacious idea. There have been so many various variations of Peter Pan through the years that there’s a lot inspiration to select from. As an alternative, we get a formulaic, by-the-numbers film that would have any horror slasher slotted in as a stand-in. if you happen to had been to look at Neverland Nightmare on mute with none context, it is laborious to think about anybody would pinpoint this as a Peter Pan film. Even As soon as Upon a Time had a extra compelling model of a villainous Peter Pan regardless of being to this point outdoors of the horror sphere.

Admittedly, Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare has come a great distance from the microbudget manufacturing worth of the primary Blood and Honey. There are some good gore results and the make-up total is as strong as Cranium Rock. The identical cannot actually be mentioned for the kills, which all really feel very formulaic and could possibly be seen in nearly every other horror movie.

Making a feature-length movie on any scale is a outstanding achievement regardless of the way you slice it. No matter your emotions about these movies, the Poohniverse continues to develop and be reasonably profitable. Aside from some pretty poor sound results and ADR, the movie is technically strong. The adversarial results of a web constructive like that’s that one cannot actually blame the issues of Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare on budgetary constraints.

Maybe the largest subject with Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare and the whole Twisted Childhood Universe is that it takes itself far too critically. Enjoying a foolish and on-the-nose idea has its strengths, however provided that that story lends itself to its wild and wacky idea. Neverland Nightmare’s zanier moments do not land due to its self-serious tone. Even Blood and Honey has a supernatural factor, which makes Neverland Nightmare‘s resolution to be extra terrestrial much more weird. As an alternative of exploring a twisted model of a magical realm, this pseudo-trip to Neverland retains issues caught in the actual world that the youngsters of those tales are often making an attempt to flee.

Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare releases in choose theaters on January 13, 2025.

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