Rating summary

Movie		1.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Winnie the Pooh: Blood & Honey Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf October 18, 2023

In 2022, the world of A.A. Milne’s “Winnie-the-Pooh” entered the public domain, allowing anyone to use the iconic literary characters, opening the floodgates for imitators and opportunists. Writer/director Rhys Frake-Waterfield is the first to try something with this new Pooh order, electing to avoid the family film circuit and plunge right into horror, concocting “Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey,” which reimagines the silly old bear as a Leatherface/Jason type, determined to consume and kill as many helpless victims as possible, joined by his pal, Piglet. If you’re thinking, “that sounds horrible,” you’re right, with Frake-Waterfield going the ultra-cheap, quickie route with the production, hoping to cash-in on a beloved brand name with the least amount of moviemaking effort possible. “Blood and Honey” isn’t silly or fun, it’s a dreary viewing experience with slapdash technical credits and no discernable story, turning time in the Hundred Acre Wood into a punishing viewing experience.

Not long ago, Winnie-the-Pooh (Craig David Dowsett) and the gang of the Hundred Acre Wood enjoyed their days of play with Christopher Robin (Nikolai Leon). But that time soon passed, with Christopher growing up, leaving his animal pals behind. Left with nothing, Pooh, Piglet (Chris Cordell), Owl, and Rabbit faced starvation, forced to eat Eeyore to survive, inspiring a pact of silence and revenge. Returning to the Hundred Acre Wood with his fiancée, Mary (Paula Coiz), Christopher is shocked to find the area’s decline, with Pooh emerging from the darkness, killing Mary and taking Christopher prisoner. Traveling to the forest for a much needed break from society is Maria (Maria Taylor), who’s working to get over past trauma involving a stalker, embracing a girlfriends weekend with her closest pals. However, instead of relaxation, Maria is soon in survival mode, triggering the wrath of Pooh and Piglet as the creatures hunt for fresh humans to devour.

Frake-Waterfield is becoming a prolific filmmaker, with “Blood and Honey” his third release in the last year. Last Christmas, there was “The Killing Tree,” which presented the idea of a holiday decoration coming to life, out to slaughter innocent people. And yet, such a distinctly nutty premise was flattened by the helmer’s lifeless execution, turning a potential romp into a frustratingly dull endeavor. Frake-Waterfield offers the same level of excitement with “Blood and Honey,” which opens with a 15-minute-long prologue explaining (through drawings) just what the heck happened in the Hundred Acre Wood after Christopher left, with Pooh and the gang facing a dire future, turning on their own to feed. Christopher returns to this enchanted place, eager to share the wonder with his future bride. However, things have changed, especially Pooh, who’s quick to kill the woman and claim Christopher, setting up an evil reunion scenario between the human and his animal pals. But that enticing development never comes to fruition.

Instead of a Milne-smearing free-for-all, “Blood and Honey” becomes a tired slasher in a hurry, and one that doesn’t have enough of a budget to do anything spectacular. Only Pooh and Piglet are involved in the massacre, and Frake-Waterfield doesn’t spend the cash to bring these creatures to life, simply putting them in basic costumes and slapping poor quality masks on the actors. They look like a pair of dads dressed up for Halloween, not nightmare fuel, but the point of the picture is to make a mess with the “Winnie-the-Pooh” brand name, not deal with the fine details of moviemaking, and this sloppiness extends to the rest of the tale. Maria and her friends arrive on the scene, but a story doesn’t develop, with threadbare motivation handed to the haunted visitors before the slashing begins, watching Pooh claim the women one-by-one, including his use of a car (he can drive?) to run over the head of one victim.

Winnie the Pooh: Blood & Honey Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.40:1 aspect ratio) presentation does reasonably well with detail, especially when up close on the humans and the monsters, capturing a textured feel for skin particulars and mask work. This is a dark feature, with the production keeping screen elements obscured to hide severe budget limitations, but some sense of depth is found with forest tours, and getaway interiors are open for inspection, along with neglected 100 Acre Wood housing. Delineation is acceptable, with some mild solidification at times. Color is largely muted to maintain spookiness, but style choices show some life on costumes, offering bright primaries. The orange glow of fire is secure, and creature appearances are appropriate, including a mild yellow on Pooh. Skin tones are natural. Artifacting is present, with flare ups on banding, and some brief posturization as well. No-budget technology also results in a blockier image at times, but this may be an inherent issue.

Winnie the Pooh: Blood & Honey Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix delivers clear dialogue exchanges, capably handling accents and performance hysteria. Scoring is crisp, with a sharp synth presence and heavier beats, adding to the low-end. Electropop on the sound carries definition. Musical moods are pushed into the surrounds, which also do fine with atmospherics, registering weather changes and outdoor activity. Sound effects are distinct.

Winnie the Pooh: Blood & Honey Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "Something's Wrong with Piglet" (15:40, HD) is the making-of for "Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey," featuring interviews (conducted via video conference) with producer Scott Jeffrey, writer/director Rhys Frake-Waterfield, and actors Natasha Tosini and Danielle Scott. The viral sensation of the picture is identified, with a simple IMDB posting turning the production from a no-budget feature few would likely see into a major event. Such attention sent the production into a panic, with Jeffrey and Frake-Waterfield suddenly desperate for additional money to make the endeavor more cinematic, ending up with a roughly $60,000 budget. More details are added about the quickie shoot, which had the filmmakers scrambling to complete shots, and Jeffrey mentions the project was substantially darker at one point, with investors demanding more of a slasher film. The endeavor was ultimately completed over multiple shooting periods, using cast and crew new to the industry, including Tosini, who shares her casting story, along with Scott. Some BTS information is shared, and there's a somewhat strange tone to the conversation, with the interviewees downplaying the seriousness of the picture, reinforcing its comedic intent. Plans for a sequel are shared, with Rhys-Waterfield promising a more macabre, polished continuation with additional beloved literary characters used to destroy all humans. Interestingly, the helmer mentions some BTS footage on the disc that highlights merriment during production, but none of this is present on the Blu-ray release.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (1:55, HD) is included.

Winnie the Pooh: Blood & Honey Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Suspense isn't present in "Blood and Honey," with a good portion of the brief run time devoted to characters creeping around in the dark, with Pooh also in the shadows (to cover the subpar mask work). He's a monster, happy to eat humans and torture Christopher, with the production skipping a campy vibe to get ugly, which gets old quickly, especially when there are no personalities present in the writing, and technical achievements are inspired by the speed of the shoot, not screen perfection. "Blood and Honey" isn't the first to make a mess of a treasured literary icon and it won't be the last (a sequel is already set for release), but it certainly wouldn't kill Frake-Waterfield to put some genuine effort into his features, giving the curious something more to enjoy than simplistic exploitation sold with a lunch money budget.