‘Pinocchio’ is latest children’s story to get horror film treatment, casts Robert Englund

1 November, 2024

Robert Englund

Pinocchio is the latest children’s horror story to get the horror film treatment – and the new version has also cast horror legend Robert Englund.

It comes from the same makers of the film Winne-The-Pooh: Blood And Honey – a horror story based around the classic children’s character.

While the film made $3.3million (£2.5 million) in America, from a budget reportedly less than $100,000 (£77,000), it received poor critical reviews – including a one-star review from NME last year.

NME wrote: “Pooh looks nothing like how you’ll remember him from the Disney cartoons (as the Mouse House still hold the copyright to those). True, it’s a clever loophole the director has exploited, but that’s as far as it goes. Blood And Honey is a sticky mess of a movie.”

Now, as per Variety, a new horror version of Pinocchio is on the way and will feature Nightmare On Elm Street star Englund, who played Freddie Krueger in the Wes Craven classic.

Variety have also confirmed that Rob Zombie collaborator Richard Brake has joined the film in the role of Geppetto. Other actors who feature include Cameron Bell, Jessica Balmer, Jack Art Gray and Peter De Souza-Feighoney.

The outlet shared a first-look image of the Pinocchio doll to feature in the film, which has been created by Emmy-award-winning special effects artist Todd Masters, who has worked on Child’s Play, Tales From The Crypt: Demon Knight and Dune: Part Two. You can see the image here:

As with Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood And Honey, this latest is directed by Rhys Frake-Waterfield and will be produced by Rhys Frake-Waterfield.

In a statement about the film, Brake said: “Not only is the script dark, twisted and gory, it’s also at times very funny. Todd Masters and his team have created incredible practical effects. Audiences are in for a crazy ride.”

While Masters said: “I’ve forever loved the original and demented story from the 1880s. So I was excited to join this production, to bring this little puppet to life — with all practical FX. This version is still a little puppet’s pursuit to becoming a boy… but the way he becomes one, is extremely gnarly… and frankly, very fun.”

Frake-Waterfield added: “Our movie flips everything you know about Pinocchio on its head. We have an incredibly talented cast and crew working on this. We are heavily relying on practical effects for all of the deaths and creature work. I can’t wait for the world to meet Pinocchio.”

Meanwhile, last year a Florida parent complained after a teacher accidentally showed their Fourth Grade class Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood And Honey.

Pupils at the Academy Of Innovative Education in Miami, aged between nine and ten years old, were reportedly shown 20-30 minutes of the horror, according to parent Michelle Diaz.

Speaking to CBS News Miami, Diaz added that while this particular movie was the students’ choice, it wasn’t their responsibility to pick, saying, “It’s not for them to decide what they want. It’s up to the professor to look at the content.”

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