Something evil has finally arrived from the Hundred Acre Wood, and it’s looking for a lot more than honey. With the upcoming release of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, ‘ole Pooh Bear is set to terrify audiences around the globe. Our childhoods are officially under attack, and we’re not sure how to feel about it.
If you hadn’t heard of this viral sensation, you’re not alone — who really expected a movie about a killer Winnie the Pooh to exist in the first place, right? Now though, as the film’s Feb. 15 release date creeps closer, there’s no turning back. Take a look at the spine chilling trailer below.
Hitting theaters the day after Valentines, nothing says romance like a murderous man-bear.
In an interview with Variety, Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey director Rhys Frake-Waterfield and his co-producer Scott Jeffrey discussed their creative process, the risks involved, and ultimately — how they’re shaking up the entertainment industry.
Pitching a concept like Blood and Honey took guts (pun intended), and as countless cast and crew members turned down the project — Jeffrey quickly understood the risk he and Frake-Waterfield were taking.
“They were worried about their careers. They don’t want to be in something that they just think off the bat sounds, you know, crap.”
Frankly, we’re right there with them. Taking a beloved children’s character and turning him into a killing machine is a tough sell, but no one can deny the concept. It gets people interested, and that virality (according to Scott Jeffrey) could be character-making.
“Because I know that, annoyingly, with this industry it’s very much about like, ‘Oh, you’re the person that did this.’ It’s not always (about) your ability. Which is why I’ve gone down this route of constantly making films that are Winnie the Pooh, or like, I just shot a film called Monsternado. It’s ridiculous stuff. But the end goal — when I finally get where I want to be — is serious filmmaking.”
When asked about Pooh himself, Rhys Frake-Waterfield explained their story’s titular character. Specifically, if their version of Winnie is a man in a bear costume, or a bear in a… man costume?
“He’s got a mix of human organs and blood, but also there’s fluff (inside) him.”
You know, that old trope. Classic human organ and fluff combo. Wait, you’ve never heard of that either? Thank goodness. Neither have we. Say what you will about the premise of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, but at least it’s entirely original.
In a world filled with sequels, prequels, and reboots — a movie that sets out to do something new deserves a little credit credit. At the end of the day, watching Pooh kill unsuspecting strangers in the woods is certainly worth going to see.