First Winnie, Now Peter!

Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare sounds like the title of an amusement park ride or a videogame. It is neither. Instead, it’s a Peter Pan horror flick, the latest movie in the quickly expanding Twisted Childhood Universe shared by the Winnie-the-Pooh horror films and other upcoming movies.

The film starts a limited theatrical run on January 13th, and should be available on streaming platforms soon after. The Pooh movies are on Peacock, so that’s probably where this will land as well.

The trend of creating horror-ized (did I just make up a new word?) versions of classic children’s characters continues. Screamboat, based on Steamboat Willie, is coming out this year as well. And don’t forget about the upcoming Bambi horror movie!

But let’s get back to Peter. I think he fits better as a horror character than many other childhood icons. There’s always been something sinister about his world. Even the Spielberg film Hook displayed a darker take on this classic tale.

This new Peter Pan horror version has a maniacal Peter (Martin Portlock) and a crazed Tinker Bell (Kit Green) abducting kids. Wendy Darling (Megan Placito) tries to stop them after they kidnap her brother.

The trailer depicts Peter trying to lure a kid underground, Pennywise-style, and another scene of him attacking a school bus full of kids. There’s also a shot of him wearing Joker-like makeup.

I’m hoping that Peter hasn’t been turned into a clichéd, derivative villain. What’s the point of subverting a classic character if you’re just going to make him another generic slasher?

Since this duo are the villains this time, is Captain Hook going to be one of the good guys? It’s not clear, but Hook is being portrayed by drag performer Charity Kase, so it’s safe to say that this is going to be an unconventional portrayal. I think it would be awesome for Hook to be the hero for once.

So, Will it Be Worth Watching?

Well, you won’t see me rushing to theaters to catch this movie on the big screen. I do have the Peacock app, though, so I’ll plan on checking it out if and when it’s available there.

I have mixed feelings after viewing the trailer, but I hope that this movie is clever enough to do something entertaining with its concept.