In the age of cinema where an endless stream of remakes, reboots and superhero films saturate the release slate each year, we often find film fans screaming for something new and inventive. Well now, their wish has been answered, but some may not like what they see.
That’s because a new trend has emerged with filmmakers transforming some of the most beloved characters from our childhood into dark, gory horror films. From Winnie the Pooh to Father Christmas himself, this winter, some of our most treasured characters will never look the same again.
There are two violent takes on classic festive tales getting a release this year, just in time for Christmas, with an even more twisted feature coming in the new year.
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The Mean One
In Steven LaMorte’s The Mean One, a young girl defends her town from a murderous green humanoid dressed in a Santa suit. Cindy You-Know-Who witnessed the beast kill her parents 20 years ago, and now, as it returns and threatens to ruin the festive season, she is out for revenge.
The film is a parody of the Dr Suess classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, with its title based on the song You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch, written for the book’s 1996 animated adaptation. A far cry from 2000’s Jim Carrey-led version, the trailer for The Mean One shows the fuzzy green man stealing presents from under young Cindy’s Christmas tree, before going on to brutally murder her parents before her eyes.
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The trailer was met with a fairly poor reaction on social media, with many slamming it not just for ruining a beloved character but also for looking like a low-budget “fanfilm”. @BelongieLuna said: “This doesn’t look good idk what is it with the whole let’s turn our childhood into monsters and demons trend but I ain’t watching this.”
@JarJarMedia said: “Why does this look like it has the budget of a YouTube fanfilm.”
@xcv_paul added: “This looks like one of the worst parodies ever.”
Violent Night
Next up is Violent Night, due for release in cinemas later this month. In it, Stranger Things star David Harbour plays Santa Claus, who must step in to answer a little girl’s wish to save Christmas when her family is attacked by a group of mercenaries – all of whom are on the naughty list.
Led by Jimmy Scrooge (John Leguizamo), the thieves are after the $300m locked inside the family’s vault, but Saint Nick steps in to save the day with some “season’s beatings.” While not a horror film as such, Violent Night certainly promises to be a gory, action-filled, festive romp, with Santa also reeling off a plethora of cheesy one-liners so bad they’re good.
@crazyevildonut said: “This looks terrible, but I'm all in.”
@owiebubba added: “This actually looks sick.”
Some viewers even likened the film to a festive version of Keanu Reeves action franchise John Wick.
“I never knew I needed a movie where Santa was whooping ass until Violent Night,” @PhotosByBeanz said. “I can see this becoming the John Wick of holiday films.”
The film has already been met with positive reviews, currently holding a 71 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics and fans praising it as a fun and festive twist on a bloody action film with well-oiled choreography and perfect casting in Harbour. But if that’s not enough to ruin your favourite childhood characters, then this third, deeply twisted film is sure to do the trick.
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey
In this low-budget slasher, set for release in February, Christopher Robin returns to the Hundred Acre Wood to introduce his new wife to childhood friends Pooh and Piglet. But after years away at university, the once friendly animals feel betrayed.
Forced to fend for themselves after being abandoned – even having to kill and eat Eeyore to survive – the now-feral creatures embark on a murderous, axe-wielding rampage. This twisted horror caused a stir on social media when its first stills were first released showing the tall, ominous figures of Pooh and Piglet causing havoc.
In it, the once-cute yellow bear and his little pink friend are seen reimagined as grotesque, man-like creatures, stalking a group of young students as they try and enjoy some time away in a rural cabin. Blood and Honey also received a mixed response when the first details began to emerge, with some fans questioning why it would even be made.
Reacting to its trailer, @JoeWhitehead7 said: “Why would someone wanna turn a nice, heartwarming, childhood tale into this?”
@Paul_Berney added: “Hahahaha, this actually looks like a bunch of goofy fun. Sign me up.”
@ChiMexSports simply said: “Seriously Wtf.”
And to top it off, Blood and Honey’s director, Rhys Frake-Waterfield, is also planning a dark twist on two more beloved children’s characters. First, in Peter Pan: Neverland Nightmare, to be followed up with a bloody tale of revenge in Bambi: The Reckoning, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter and Dread Central respectively.
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