(Author's Note: Hello my readers, and welcome to another…"unique" installment in my catalog of stories as I continue to work to get everything settled (it's a complicated process, stop judging me:/). If you read the title and summary, you know exactly what you're getting into. So I will say this now: do not leave reviews and messages about how much you hate the concept and how much I suck for liking it.
Truth be told, I do understand why people would hate the very idea of this whole "Twisted Childhood Universe" concept even if I don't hate it myself. It's…certainly a bit much. But I think the first two movies were good watches and I'm genuinely excited to see what they do next.
If you hate the concept itself, I respect your opinion…but don't take it out on me.
Spoilers for Blood and Honey 2 incoming. And Blood and Honey as well. Just FYI, if that's of any concern.
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy:)
Yep. I'm really doing this:/
Bit of backstory: back in 2023, Jagged Edge Productions made a horror reimagining of Winnie-the-Pooh titled "Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey". The story follows Christopher Robin making friends with the creatures of the Hundred Acre Wood as a child (Pooh, Piglet, Owl, Rabbit, and Eeyore), visiting all the time to play and bring food. When the time came for Christopher to leave for college, however, the creatures had to face a BRUTAL winter. Without their friend to bring them food during this time, the creatures were brought to the brink of starvation…until they were forced to consume Eeyore. The trauma of having killed and eaten one of their closest friends, combined with the feeling of abandonment by Christopher, broke their minds and they became bloodthirsty savages with a hatred of humanity.
The sequel takes place some time after the first, with Christopher having narrowly escaped being killed by Pooh and Piglet in what became known as the "Hundred Acre Massacre".
Jagged Edge Productions has plans for numerous other movies, with each detailing a different public domain character getting a horror re-imagining. The "event" that they're building to is a large crossover that will bring all of their monsters together as one group to go after the previous protagonists/survivors of their rampages and "take down the world" (as has been said).
I'm genuinely excited to see how this universe will grow in the coming years. When I planned to see the first movie (which I only did because the sequel's trailer looked good and I wanted to see it), I expected very little from it. It was made with one hundred thousand dollars and was finished filming in less than two weeks (or one week, according to Scott Chambers). To this day, I am POSITIVE that the movie was only made for pure shock value (there's also the fact that the monsters literally look like guys in masks from an in-universe perspective, as opposed to the type of creatures they were meant to be).
But then I saw the first movie…and ACTUALLY enjoyed it. The film was surprisingly emotional (especially one scene that takes place after Christopher is captured. Looking into a mirror, Pooh is remembering a child Christopher promising to never leave and that they'd be taken forever. Pooh sheds a tear and begins clutching his head, which left me with the impression that Pooh is not only aware of but genuinely HORRIFIED by the monster he's become), never left me feeling apathetic at a single death, and, even though I don't normally focus on this, had some pretty good music. I'd rank the movie as, at least, a solid…six out of ten. If you're a horror fan who hasn't seen it, I'd recommend giving it a watch to decide for yourself.
But anyway…in my excitement for the rest of the Twisted Childhood Universe (or "TCU"), I began thinking to myself about how this idea could unfold. A few predictions. And, partially for the hell of it, I decided to get these ideas out.
So…let's begin.
Bambi: The Reckoning
-Bambi started as a normal deer but was mutated via toxic waste
Bambi's design for the TCU debuted when Jagged Edge released their first poster for "Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble". The exposed ribs and rotten flesh made me believe that Bambi was going to be some form of zombie. But the first "teaser image" shown at the end of Blood and Honey 2 showed a deer (obviously Bambi) standing in front of a little boy with a barrel of toxic waste by his hooves. So I believe that Bambi's "condition" will be the result of radiation as opposed to reanimation. I believe that it'll increase his speed, strength, durability, and healing, as well as giving him resistance (if not outright immunity) to pain. However, I think it'll also drastically affect his mental state and will turn him into the monster he becomes (think kind of like "Cujo", only on a MUCH bigger level).
-Bambi will be the most sympathetic out of the TCU's monsters
The director of "Bambi: The Reckoning" has said the movie has a lot of heart and will make people cry. That combined with how the story will SEEM to unfold (Bambi's mother still being killed and him being mutated via radiation) makes me believe that Bambi's story will be a tragic one.
I also believe that Bambi's rage will primarily be directed at the hunter who killed his mother, while the other kills under his belt will be due to people who keep getting in his way. And that's not even mentioning how the radiation could affect him (possible physical pain as well as a failing mind?). I'm not saying that Bambi won't be a destructive antagonistic force like the Hundred Acre crossbreeds, but I think that he'll be more akin to a wild animal than something truly malicious.
-Bambi will form a bond with the protagonist's son
Our protagonist is named as "Xana", and she and her son are brought into the conflict after their car is attacked by Bambi. Due to the predictions stated above (the deer's tragedy and the first teaser image), combined with the director's statements, I believe that Xana's son will end up as the only person in the movie who truly comprehends Bambi as more than just some rampaging monster. I kind of see their bond as being similar (though not identical, for obvious reasons) to that of Kong and Jia from Legendary's "MonsterVerse".
-Bambi will die a tragic death at the end of the movie…but will be resurrected in the mid/post-credit scene
With all of my predictions for the movie put together, I believe that Bambi's death will be a tragic one. My working belief is that the final confrontation between Bambi and the remaining humans will occur deep in a cave, and something happens that will cause the cave to collapse. Bambi will have the opportunity to escape…but won't. He'll share a final, sad gaze with Xana's son, and will choose to remain and die in the cave's collapse.
But this won't be the end of Bambi. In the mid/post-credit scene, I believe that someone will uncover Bambi's remains and will do something that will allow the deer to come back to life. I also believe that this person will be the one who will begin the process of uniting the various creatures for Monsters Assemble.
Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare
-Peter Pan targets children to maintain his immortality
In most mediums, Peter Pan has a degree of immortality because he never ages. Due to his horror reimagining in the TCU, as well as the fact that it was confirmed that he kidnapped Wendy's brother in the future movie, I believe that Peter Pan takes children for a ritual where he sacrifices them and is rewarded with eternal life.
-Peter Pan's death will be due to his ritual being interrupted
Going by my above prediction, I predict that Peter Pan's death is going to come from his most recent sacrificial ritual (possibly Wendy's brother?) being interrupted. Because he failed to uphold his end of the bargain in time, whatever force that Peter Pan made a deal with will strip the creature of his immortality (which will cause him to crumble into dust).
-The mid/post credit scene will continue to tease "Monsters Assemble"
Similar to my predicted ending for "Bambi: The Reckoning", I believe that this movie is going to end with someone gathering Peter Pan's remains with the means needed to bring him back to life.
-Peter Pan will be one of the TCU's most unsympathetic monsters (if not its most evil)
Given that Scott Chambers described the movie as their "darkest and most twisted", and the nature of Peter Pan's victims (children), I'm convinced that he will likely be the "evilest" monster of the group. Whereas many other monsters have various degrees of sympathy, I don't believe that Peter Pan will be given any. Instead, he'll be a purely evil villain for the audience to hate.
-Tinker Bell will turn on Peter Pan
Scott Chambers described Tinker Bell as having been brainwashed by Peter Pan into doing what he wants, and I believe that it'll only be a matter of time before conflict occurs.
(Although, Tinker Bell was confirmed to be one of the creatures in "Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble". So she will be returning to join the team, willingly or unwillingly)
Pinocchio: Unstrung
-Geppetto will be the movie's protagonist and be responsible for bringing Pinocchio to life
With Pinocchio as the central threat, I can't see a protagonist better suited than that of his father.
I also believe that he will be responsible for Pinocchio being brought to life (possibly as a replacement for a child he previously lost?), perhaps due to making a deal with the TCU's depiction of the Blue Fairy or performing a ritual himself.
-Pinocchio will kill Geppetto by the movie's end and will be found by the one bringing the monsters together
On the first poster for "Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble", there were three graves on the ground. One for Christopher (the protagonist of the "Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey" series), one for Xana (the protagonist of "Bambi: The Reckoning"), and one for Wendy (the protagonist of "Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare"). I found it a bit curious that there were graves for each of the survivors except for the protagonist of "Pinocchio Unstrung" (especially since Xana seems to be an original character for the TCU, as far as I know). Then I began to think…what if the movie's protagonist doesn't make it out of that movie alive?
In the film's mid/post credit scene (after killing Geppetto, in what will be a very emotional scene), I believe that Pinocchio will be directly approached by the one bringing the monsters together…and will offer him a place in the group.
-Pinocchio's rampage during the movie will stem from his desire to be a "real boy" (which he believes is the only way he can earn his father's love)
Scott Chambers and Rhys Frake-Waterfield stated that one of the death's in the movie will be Pinocchio skinning someone to wear it and feel like a "real boy". I believe that this is going to be his central thought process throughout the film. He and Geppetto will be happy at first, but something will happen that will convince Pinocchio that his father CAN'T love him unless he's a real boy.
Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble
-The team will be assembled at the beginning of the movie…leading to conflict
I believe that we will see the monsters come together as a group early on. It was confirmed, however, that those behind the TCU want to have some "Monster v Monster" battles based on conflicting ideals (taking particular inspiration from "Freddy VS Jason"), so I definitely expect such a fight to first break out when the monsters meet.
-By the end of the movie, the group will split apart and come to blows with one another
Again, I bring up how Scott Chambers points out how there will be "carnage within the group". Given the fact that they're villains with various motivations and plans (as well as varying levels of sympathy/humanity), I feel like it'll only be a matter of time before the group turns on each other. I'm also positive that this will occur near the end of movie so we'll be able to see them operate as a team for the majority of it (since that is the appeal of the film, after all).
There's also "Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 3" and "Awakening Sleeping Beauty", both of which have been confirmed for the TCU. I haven't seen anywhere "officially" state where/when these films will be released, but I believe that Blood and Honey 3 will be BEFORE Monsters Assemble (since the former is said to officially introduce Rabbit to the franchise, who is confirmed to appear for the latter film).\
I'm going to put two predictions here, because I don't know where else to put them.
-Rabbit will be the most sympathetic/hesitant/"good" of the Hundred Acre crossbreeds
It's pretty noticeable that he's been absent for both Blood and Honey movies, even though he was part of the original five who met Christopher (the first movie appeared in the sequel as a "movie within a movie", but its events were confirmed to have still happened. So I'm going to believe that everything from the first movie is canon to the wider TCU until they specifically state otherwise). Even when the humans who believed Christopher's story about the monsters started destroying the Hundred Acre Woods to find the crossbreeds, which forced Pooh and Piglet to reunite with Owl and Tigger, Rabbit still remained absent. Even when he appeared in the "teaser images" at the end of Blood and Honey 2, I've seen a lot of people in the comments of YouTube point out how he almost looks...unhappy to see his old friends.
This leads me to believe that he's going to be the "least bloodthirsty" of the crossbreeds. Instead of reacting to the past with anger and bloodlust, he reacted with sadness and isolation. I'm not sure EXACTLY how he'll be brought in to join the group (since he was confirmed), but it's possible that his mindset could change come Blood and Honey 3.
-The Mad Hatter will be the one who will bring all the monsters together for Monsters Assemble
Okay...I had three predictions for who will be the "Nick Fury" of the TCU: Owl, Peter Pan, and the Mad Hatter. Owl because he is the wisest of the Hundred Acre crossbreeds and was clearly the "Man Behind The Man" to Pooh in Blood and Honey 2, so I could see him venturing beyond their territory to find others like them. Peter Pan because I see him possessing immortality and genuine magic will make him one of the most powerful monsters in the TCU. And the Mad Hatter...honestly because of this "aura" he had on the poster (since I don't know much about him in various other medias).
To be perfectly honest, my main reason for believing that the Mad Hatter will be the one assembling the monsters is because that he is the only one that's not confirmed to appear in another series prior. Than again, Sleeping Beauty didn't have a movie confirmed when the poster came out but does now. So I guess that could change:/
Now, I'm going to list of a few brief "honorable mentions" for things that I don't believe WILL happen…but would like to happen (and kinda hope will happen).
-The "force" that's granted Peter Pan his immortality will be a Norse God
Rhys Frake-Waterfield has expressed interest in adapting numerous "tales" into a horror fashion, although none have been confirmed for the TCU. One of the earliest ideas was Thor (the original Norse God, not Marvel's version), and I think that adding the Norse Gods would be a cool choice to expand the franchise.
-Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble will feature a post-credit scene that will tease at something major for the future of the franchise
I remember looking online and seeing Monsters Assemble be described as the franchise's "first crossover". If that's true (which I wouldn't mind), I hope that Monsters Assemble will give a small tease for that future.
What could that future be? I have not the slightest idea in the world. Maybe they could do something with aliens? I don't know:/
Besides Thor, other ideas that they're looking at adapting for the TCU include the Teletubbies, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and (the one that I most want to see) even the fucking Powerpuff Girls. So...IF Monsters Assemble isn't the end of the cinematic universe, than I hope the movie ends with them teasing a new franchise to bring into the fold.
Anyway, that's about it. I have no real ending in mind, so…yeah.
(Author's Note: Okay, here's the actual ending…so to speak.
As I said above, it's perfectly alright if you absolutely hate the very concept of the Twisted Childhood Universe. I can't blame you if that's how you feel. Just don't send me your hate and reasons why. Let's face facts: you knew what you were clicking on:/
Anyway…there's not really much else to say. Leave a review and I'll see you guys in the next story:)