Fairy tales have always had deep roots in horror, but the announcement of a Winnie-the-Pooh horror feature film sent shockwaves throughout the cinematic universe. While subjects such as Red Riding Hood and Hansel and Gretel have always been accepted terror adaptations, having a beloved childhood character turn bloodthirsty monster has even the hardest horror hounds tilting their heads in bemusement. While writer/director Rhys Frake-Waterfield had to tiptoe around specific aspects of the legendary bear, public domain rights went up for grabs at the beginning of 2022. While the production team can be commended for pouncing on a once in a lifetime opportunity, will Blood and Honey ultimately be a laughable film of lore, or can this film be a spark that ignites a frightening fairy tale franchise?
As a young boy, Christopher Robin encounters several hybrid creatures in the Hundred Acre Wood. After many years of being fed and tended to by their human friend, Christopher leaves to go away to University, leaving the domesticated creatures to fend for themselves in the wilderness. Slowly, they revert to their animalistic roots to survive, vowing to discard their humanity and avenge their broken hearts by unleashing rage on any humans, especially Christopher. Over the next few years, many people go missing in the wooded domain of the creatures, never to be found again. After he graduates, Christopher returns to Hundred Acre Wood to prove to his fiancée that his mystical friends are very real. The couple received a very different welcome than they expected.
Upon the advice of her therapist after surviving a stalker attack, Maria gathers up a group of friends for a serine retreat to the woods. The group’s cabin happens to sit right in the domain of the blood hungry creatures. Once discovered, Maria and her friends must fight to flee Pooh, Piglet, and the horrors that lurk in Hundred Acre Wood.
In what is one of the greatest surprises in horror history, Blood and Honey is a shockingly solid slasher. Frake-Waterfield presents a well shot atmospheric blood-soaked terror trek through the woods. Instead of simple show up and get slashed characters, Frake-Waterfield presents layered sub-text to the film’s leads. Top marks to cinematographer Vince Knight. From the eerie woods to several sinister kill-scene shots, the film looks miles ahead of its one-hundred thousand dollar budget. While professional, the performances are bland across the board with only Craig David Dossett’s intimidating portrayal of Pooh standing out. While the cookie cutter performances are the only real weakness of the film, Dossett’s Pooh steals the show. Pooh’s kills rival anything the Horror Nation has seen from icons like Leatherface or Voorhees. The horror community consistently craves anything close to the gory glory decade of the 80’s, and at its core, that is exactly what Blood and Honey is. A fun slasher slaughter fest that never takes itself too seriously, nor apologizes for being exactly that. The film will suffer for the links to a childhood icon, but any viewer that simply wants to see a good horror film, Blood and Honey is everything that is right with the genre that soo many fell in love with.
Scream Score: 8.3/10