Ranking the Poohniverse Movies
With the Twisted Childhood Universe continuing to expand…what else could we do but rank all the installments? Hey…we did it for the public domain Mickey Mouse movies. It’s only right that we do it for the brand that, for better or worse, started it all.
There are two things that I would keep in mind when thinking about the Poohniverse. First, the public domain horror craze didn’t get off to a good start. Second, and most importantly, this particular series did make strides of steady improvement. Though you can probably blame the strange excitement generated for the announcement of the original Blood and Honey for every bad Popeye and Mickey Mouse slasher that followed…you should also credit this franchise for striving to better itself after a bad beginning.
I probably don’t need to tell you that the ceiling on these public domain horror movies has been very low. Something about the lack of original ideas stemming from appropriating someone else’s creations. But that doesn’t mean they’re completely without entertainment value. Especially in relation to each other.
So, let’s get down to it. Our ranking of the Poohniverse films from worse to best. There’s probably no surprise at what sits on the bottom.
4. Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey
Oh, bother
The public domain slasher movie that launched a dozen public domain slasher movies. Excitement was strangely high when Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey was announced. Though it was hardly the first horror movies made with public domain characters (Dracula and Frankenstein have been public domain for years) it was the one that made a lot of independent filmmakers struggling to get noticed think to themselves…what if Popeye haunted a spinach factory?
That’s not fully Blood and Honey‘s fault. But it is partially its fault. What is 100% on them is the quality of this movie. With subpar costumes (that have been reappropriated by even lower quality public domain slashers from ITN Studios) and some of the worst characters you’ll find in a low-budget slasher…being the first out of the gate in this new era of knock-off horror is truly all that it had going for it. Its own creator recognized this and removed it from the mainline canon at the start of the sequel. The bar for the Poohniverse had been set…and it was low. Thankfully, it was going to be cleared early and often.
Read our non-spoiler review
3. Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2
Pooh Bounces Back
Despite being near the bottom of the rankings for the Poohniverse…Blood and Honey 2 was a big step forward for the franchise. It’s simply a stronger production from top to bottom. It also, wisely, understands that there was no continuing on from the original story. Despite baring the same title with a 2 attached…Blood and Honey 2 relegates the first film to a movie within a movie. There’s a “real” Christopher Robin here…living in a world where someone made a crappy slasher movie based on his life. It’s a clever enough concept to forgive the poor first step.
From that reveal, Blood and Honey 2 presents a bigger story with better costumes, better kills and better, frankly, everything else. It’s still a B-level slasher…but it’s not as embarrassing to watch. Just a couple years later, Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 is almost completely unmemorable. Believe it or not…that’s still a massive step forward for the series. You remember Blood and Honey for all the wrong reasons. Luckily, things were only going to get better from here.
Read our non-spoiler review
2. Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare
A New Hook
The first non-Pooh related Twisted Nightmare story took a refreshingly new path. Instead of fairy tale characters running around slashing scantily clad characters…Neverland Nightmare presented more of a psychological twist. No flying kid who never grew up…just a sick man who abducts children and believes Neverland is out there. More The Black Phone than Blood and Honey, Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare showcases a grounded story that uses J.M. Barrie’s characters in unexpected ways.
Neverland Nightmare is the first Poohniverse movie that didn’t need its public domain characters to work. They accentuate a decent horror thriller instead of dominating it. The result is the first Twisted Childhood movie that bordered on good. “Good” is a level that this franchise has struggled to attain every time out. If you can settle for “sort of interesting” and “surprising in relation to what came before”…Neverland Nightmare has what you want. If you’re looking more for “fun” and “mutated killer deer goring people in half”…hold out for our #1.
Read our non-spoiler review
1. Bambi: The Reckoning
A Mutated Killer Deer. The Other Movies Never Stood a Chance.
Despite a stubborn desire to play things painfully straight and eschew every opportunity for comedy…Bambi: The Reckoning is easily the most fun of the first four Poohniverse films. Neverland Nightmare has a more interesting idea…but this has a mutated killer deer. How was it not going to come out ahead? The deer effects are the highlight of the movie. When you’re telling a killer deer story…that’s easily the most important thing to get right.
Although each of the Poohniverse movies struggles to present compelling characters and give them engaging things to do…Bambi: The Reckoning delivers the gory action that people really want. Four installments in and the Twisted Childhood Universe continued to show steady improvement. Bambi: The Reckoning showed off improved production value…but it also exposed the series biggest flaw. When you’re being chased by a giant deer, Pooh Bear or a psychotic Peter Pan…maybe someone should crack a joke about the situation. Still, three improvements in a row shouldn’t be ignored.
Read our non-spoiler review
