When asked about the film's humorous tone, director Rhys Waterfield says that nobody made an effort to inject comedy into Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey.
Movie review: "Blood and Honey," starring Winnie the Pooh
The movie's director, Rhys Waterfield, has commented on the film's odd sense of comedy.
However, Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey takes the character in a different route from the rest of the series, which is often aimed at children and has a beloved bear protagonist and a zoo of entertaining and thrilling critters.
Because of Christopher Robin's departure for university, the animals in the woods are now resorting to murder in order to prevent malnutrition.
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey keeps the character's ridiculousness despite the fact that Winnie isn't a teddy bear like previous adaptations.
Instead of poking fun at the absurdity of making a dark adaptation of Winnie the Pooh, the film takes itself very seriously.
According to an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Waterfield adds that the shocking aspect of the Blood and Honey premise was on purpose.
Take a look at the words he chose:
"In all honesty, we gave it our best go at being serious.
That was indeed one of my stage directions.
I said, "Look, I don't want you to take this the slightest bit lightheartedly; I want you to take it very seriously indeed.
You don't need to add to the comedy; it will come naturally given that Winnie-the-Pooh is involved.
But the whole cast and crew couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation throughout most of the shoot.
Whenever a director was attempting to direct a scary sequence and looked over to his right and saw a six-foot-man dressed as Winnie-the-Pooh listening to him, we would burst out laughing."
With its astounding $1 million take thus far, Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey has more than covered its budget of less than $100,000.
Only Mexico has shown the film so far, but on February 15 it will open in theaters across the country.
The notion of a violent Winnie the Pooh, which has already been successful in one nation, follows a strong trend at the box office of low-budget horror flicks.
Waterfield rightly points out that the idea of a bleeding Pooh bear is sure to grab people's attention, which is great news for the horror series.
The fact that the serious kind of humor is doing so well at the film office is evidence of the feasibility of the concept, which Waterfield hopes to exploit by creating a universe of bad children's characters.
Though it was panned when it was unveiled, Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey succeeds by poking fun at its detractors.
The comedy helps it stand out from other horror films, which is especially important since that the slasher genre has become increasingly stale and formulaic.
Despite the fact that Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey has a lot going against it, it has managed to thrive in the post-pandemic world.
Waterfield's understanding of the absurdity of the endeavor is a strength that will help Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey do well.