Everything to Know About 'Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey', a Terrifying Twist on the Classic Tale

The slasher film features a sledgehammer-wielding Pooh and an evil Piglet in what is most definitely not your typical bedtime story

Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey
Photo: ITN Studios / Jagged Edge Productions

After A.A. Milne's original Winnie the Pooh stories entered the public domain at the beginning of this year, the childhood tale that we know and love took a twisted, terrifying turn.

The willy-nilly silly old bear is out to scare in Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, the Rhys Waterfield-directed slasher film that first shocked its nostalgic audience when the first look images were released in May 2022.

Dare to enter into the Hundred Acre Wood? If so, get ready to be greeted by a maniacal and demonic Pooh and Piglet who have — as put by Waterfield in an interview with Variety — "essentially become feral" and are "going on a rampage."

Oh and don't think we forgot about their good pal Christopher Robin! He's quite frankly the reason for their devilish disturbance after abandoning them as he heads off to college.

"So they've gone back to their animal roots. They're no longer tame: they're like a vicious bear and pig who want to go around and try and find prey," Waterfield told the outlet.

Here's everything to know about Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, deemed "no bedtime story."

What is Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey about?

Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey
ITN Studios / Jagged Edge Productions

Waterfield revealed some telling plot details during his appearance on Dread Central's Development Hell podcast, and while he confirmed that Pooh and Piglet star in the horror film, they're most definitely not how you remember them.

"The story is meant to be that they've gone on this onslaught from being kind of enraged by what's happened to Christopher [Robin] … Pooh and Piglet experience a drastic drop in food as Christopher grew up and over the years became increasingly hungry and feral," he explained.

"They had to resort to eating Eeyore and then Christopher returns with his wife to introduce her to his old friends, and when that happens they get enraged," Waterfield added. "When they see him, all of their hatred that they've built up over the years unleashes and they go on this rampage."

Is Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey associated with Disney?

Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey
ITN Studios / Jagged Edge Productions

Despite Milne's 1926 Winnie the Pooh book entering the public domain, Disney still owns exclusive use of their interpretations of Pooh Bear and his friends, according to Variety.

"We've tried to be extremely careful," said Waterfield on the podcast. "We knew there was this line between that, and we knew what their copyright was and what they've done. So we did as much as we could to make sure [the film] was only based on the 1926 version of it."

What does the Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey movie poster look like?

Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey
ITN Studios / Jagged Edge Productions

The official Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey movie poster was released on July 14, 2022, and it's nonetheless frightening. It didn't feature a lovable, cuddly teddy bear stuffed with fluff — but rather, a sledgehammer-wielding Pooh and an evil Piglet in an uninviting setting.

Is there a Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey trailer?

Jagged Edge Productions released the first official trailer for Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey on Aug. 31, 2022. Within the nearly two minute-long clip, it's safe to say that the slasher film features far more blood than it does honey.

The trailer begins with Christopher Robin and his female love interest on a trek to find Pooh and Piglet, whom Christopher says were his "friends of many years." As the couple walk into the eery forest, a weathered jar of honey flashes on the screen, in addition to a wooden sign that reads "100 Acre Woods" in what appears to be — you guessed it — blood.

With suspenseful music building in the background, his love interest spots another sign that reads "Eeyore R.I.P." — followed by her suggestion to "quickly leave," but Christopher insists that they stay.

Quickly, chaos ensues. Pooh appears on the screen, in a manner that is far from cuddly — and Piglet is no different, as he's pictured with an ax on a killing rampage. The suspenseful music then combines with screams (and squeals) for a trailer that seriously sets the scene.

When was Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey released?

Per Variety, Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey wrapped production in early May 2022. It was released to 1500+ theaters in the United States starting on Feb. 15, 2023, for a limited period.

Where was Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey filmed?

Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey was filmed in England, at a location close to Ashdown Forest (the place that inspired Milne's imaginative "Hundred Acre Wood"). Since the movie was shot in 10 days, Waterfield told Variety that his audience "shouldn't be expecting this to be a Hollywood-level production."

Will there be a Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey sequel?

Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey
ITN Studios / Jagged Edge Productions

Just months after the release of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, a sequel was confirmed. The production team is currently aiming for a February 2024 release.

During an appearance on Dread Central's Development Hell podcast, Waterfield talked about his ideas for the new movie.

"Hopefully we can ramp it up even more and go even more crazy and go even more kind of extreme," he said. "I've got lots of twisted and dark thoughts on what I want to put Pooh and Piglet through and what scenarios I want to put them in."

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