The Twisted Childhood Universe has been one of the most fascinating introductions to the horror genre in recent years, and Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare is its latest installment. Created by Rhys Frake-Waterfield, the franchise is composed of interconnected stories bringing horror-driven takes on iconic children’s characters that are available in the public domain. The franchise began with the critically maligned Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey and continued with its generally better-received sequel, while six other movies are in various states of development and production.
Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare, written and directed by TCU producer Scott Jeffrey, tells the story of a town with a dark history in which the titular figure went on a spree of kidnapping children decades earlier but was never found. The story focuses on Mary Darling, a teenager whose simple suburban life is upended when her younger brother, Michael, is kidnapped by Peter, resulting in a race against time to save him. Meanwhile, the movie also offers glimpses into Peter’s backstory, including his relationship with Tinker Bell.
Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare Story Is At Its Best When It Doesn’t Take Itself Seriously
It Plays Things A Little Too Straight To Be Fully Enjoyed
Across its first two movies, one of the biggest things the TCU has found division for a variety of things, the twisting of its childhood characters being the most critiqued element. However, while I’ve certainly embraced the bizarre heights of the franchise, particularly after Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 proved to be a marked improvement over its predecessor, one of the biggest issues behind Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare is one of the issues that plagued the first Blood and Honey, which is that the movie often plays itself too straight.
The idea of Peter Pan actually being a serial kidnapper instead of an ageless adventurer suits the character pretty well, and there are some scenes in which playing it straight proves appropriately tense. The movie’s opening scene — in which Martin Portlock’s titular character appears to a young boy through a cellar door in his home, pleading for help to find his mom — is a clear nod by writer-director Scott Jeffrey to the various adaptations of Stephen King’s IT and the sewer scene that largely works.
That’s not all to say I wouldn’t be open to seeing the TCU go in a more directly horrifying direction, but where it stands now, it’s far better when it leans into the insanity of its premise.
As such, Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare begins to feel disjointed when it leans into the absurd horror potential of its premise for some B-movie thrills. Tinker Bell being a heroin addict who may or may not actually be a victim of Peter is a delightfully unhinged concept. The uncertainty of whether Neverland is real or a figment of his imagination plays out fairly intriguingly, particularly when knowing supernatural elements are real in the TCU, and the ultimate reveal of what happens to those Peter kidnaps sets up something crazy for the franchise’s future.
I would be open to seeing the TCU go in a more directly horrifying direction, but where it stands now, it’s far better when it leans into the insanity of its premise. Even the original Blood and Honey, as disappointing as it was, at least proved entertaining from a so-bad-it’s-good perspective, particularly when you know it’s Winnie the Pooh and Piglet killing college students. The unfortunate thing about Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare is that it fluctuates far too much between a sincere thriller and a tongue-in-cheek take on the character that it’s just never as fun as it could be.
Jeffrey’s Stylish Direction & Portlock’s Performance Keep The Film Moving Just Enough
It’s Easily The Best-Looking TCU Movie Yet
Despite its tonal balance problems, Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare does have a lot of great things going for it, one of which being Jeffrey’s direction. The TCU producer and Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 star showcases a remarkable grip on an immersive visual style, delivering some uniquely creepy moments, while also keeping the camera close on his actors to showcase their performances. One of the only downsides to his visual direction is that, despite some stylish camerawork, the color palette is abysmal to look at, with very little actual color being seen, even in moments that call for it.
Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare ultimately finds itself saved by the performances of Portlock as the titular villain, Megan Placito as Wendy Darling and Kit Green as Tinker Bell. Placito and Green prove to be appropriately emotional anchors for us as we watch the blood-soaked thrills the movie offers, while Portlock arguably proves to be the most charismatic villain from the franchise so far, and the most welcome addition yet as we get closer and closer to the planned crossover Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble.
Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare hits theaters for a three-day run beginning January 13.
- It does often lean into the absurdity of its premise for some fun worldbuilding.
- Martin Portlock is pretty chilling as Peter, while Megan Placito and Kit Green are fairly compelling as Wendy Darling and Tinker Bell.
- The gory kills feel just extreme enough without being over-the-top.
- Scott Jeffrey’s direction is some of the most visually stylish of the Twisted Childhood Universe so far.
- The tone never finds the right balance between a sincere thriller and tongue-in-cheek B-movie.
- The plot still largely plays out predictably.
- There are still some lackluster actors and bizarre audio issues.