New film re imagines a a milne’s classic characters in a slasher horror genre that’s fandom run amok

New film re imagines a a milne’s classic characters in a slasher horror genre that’s fandom run amok

The recently-released trailer for Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey has been accused — justifiably so — of trying to cash in on A A Milne's classic characters through the manufactured controversy of “ruining childhoods”.

In university hostel rooms across the world, young men and women have had conversations that are basically a form of fan fiction. What would the iconic Famous Five — Enid Blyton’s adventurous team of children — be like when they grow up? George is clearly trans, Julian may well be gay. Then there are the Lord of the Rings fans, who imagine the story from the perspective of the orcs, Melkor and Sauron (the “evil” beings in J R R Tolkien’s fantasy universe). Sometimes, though, there is such a thing as taking fandom too far.

The recently-released trailer for Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey has been accused — justifiably so — of trying to cash in on A A Milne’s classic characters through the manufactured controversy of “ruining childhoods”. The film appears to be a typical, cabin-in-the-woods low-budget slasher flick. Christopher, who had outgrown and discarded his toys, returns to his childhood home with some good-looking friends only to find that Pooh and Piglet have turned into murderous men in poorly designed animal costumes. The trailer makes it look as though the film is more I Know What You Did Last Summer than a fresh take on a childhood classic. Of course, the minds behind Blood and Honey are not alone in their lack of originality. Remaking and “re-imagining” classics has become the hallmark of mainstream cinema in many parts of the world. Winnie the Pooh is not a character that lends itself to horror easily. But then, why sit down and come up with a story when it is possible to ride the coattails of a classic to free publicity? Perhaps every story worth telling has already been told. More likely, though, storytellers need to think and imagine harder.