Last year, horror fans met the evil version of Pooh Bear in Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey. Then, another beloved icon of childhood, Mickey Mouse, entered the public domain. Which meant we got a horror version of Steamboat Willie too. Via the folks at IGN, we’ve now learned that the “Twisted Childhood Universe” will continue with a horror version of Pinocchio. The new film is called Pinocchio Unstrung, and just cast one of the biggest horror stars ever—Robert Englund. Frequent Rob Zombie star Richard Brake joins the iconic Freddy Krueger actor as Geppetto. And we now have first-look images of the upcoming Pinocchio puppet below:
Pinocchio Unstrung directors Rhys Frake-Waterfield and Scott Jeffrey, the duo behind Blood and Honey, enlisted makeup effects artist Todd Masters to create a practical Pinocchio puppet. Masters is the special effects artist whose credits include the remake of Child’s Play and Dune: Part Two. Not to mention cult classics like Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight and James Gunn’s Slither. Although the first Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey was an extremely low-budget affair. Based on the images we’ve seen of this terrifying-looking puppet, we’d say the production budget has gone significantly up since that first Blood and Honey film.
We have to admit, this little evil Pinocchio puppet has legitimately creeped us out. We shall see if the actual movie itself can possibly live up to how disturbing this puppet is. They’ve definitely come a long way when it comes to the practical effects department for these films. Robert Englund is playing Cricket, and now we’re just wondering who will provide that voice for this evil version of the puppet who just wants to be “a real boy.” Pinocchio: Unstrung is currently shooting, aiming for a later 2025 release date,
