Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 is a throwback to the slasher era of horror films. The film would feel right at home late night on the SyFy channel — and that’s not a complaint, either. Building off the previous film, Blood and Honey 2 is just the right mix of self-aware schlock and genuinely clever filmmaking. It proves to be a memorable horror splatterfest. Blood and Honey 2 knows exactly what it is, and it does it well.

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Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 Is A Gory & Grisly Good Time

Following the events Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey — which has been retconned to be an in-universe film adaptation of that massacre — Christopher Robin (Scott Chambers) contends with trauma and ostracization from the locals in Ashton. Many citizens don’t believe his account of the murders, and blame him for the event instead. The fearsome Owl (Marcus Massey) decides to convince Winnie-the-Pooh (Ryan Olivia) to stage an assault on the town. What follows is a number of murders across the town. Amid all this, Christopher investigates a much older trauma surrounding the kidnapping of his brother Billy when they were children. This subplot reveals itself to be tied directly to the previous slaughter. It all builds to a truly wild series of twists and turns.

Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 has the same goofy and grisly sense of humor as the prior film. The film benefits from a larger budget and deeper interest in exploring the Twisted Childhood world. The result is a horror movie that works a lot better than the previous movie. Chambers delivers an effective performance as Christopher as he unearths a decades-old conspiracy that rocked his community. He plays the dramatic beats of a ridiculous film just right. The rest of the film’s central human cast delivers solid performances as well. Tallulah Evans, Teresa Banham, Alec Newman, Thea Evans, and Nicola Wright bring just the right amount of grounded humanity to keep the ridiculous premise from spinning out of control.

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Blood and Honey 2 Is A Vast Improvement On The Original

For the film to work, Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 has to embrace the inherently bizarre elements of the premise. Luckily, Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield is able to manage that unique balancing act. The movie never allows itself to take things too seriously even as it keeps everything grounded to a certain extent. The film is a gory celebration of classic slasher films. Pooh and his murderous friend Tigger (Lewis Santer) carry out most of the film’s murders. The two effectively work as homages to Jason Vorhees and Freddy Krueger, especially the latter. Santer is clearly having a blast embodying the gleeful and sadistic killer. The kills are perfectly over-the-top ridiculous. Characters get impaled by their own limbs, thrown into furnaces, and generally dispatched in truly bonkers ways.

The result is a horror film that works better than it should. While the handful of CGI special effects aren’t particularly impressive and have a cheap feel to them. However, the costume department and gore design is top-notch. When the film embraces these elements, such as in a third-act attack on a rave that becomes the most violent section of the film, the movie is a goofy marvel to witness. There are liberal amounts of blood splatter and chaotic kills.It’s all coupled with a surprisingly humanistic edge brought on by Chris and his attempts to confront his trauma.

While the film leaves a lot of doors open for future installments and further expansion, Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 is a solid riff on a classic style of horror film. A vast improvement on the original movie, slasher fans will plenty to love. While it may suffer from some minor issues, Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 is a goofy and gory love letter to the genre.

Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 is now playing in theaters.