‘Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey’ Review: An Un-Bear-Able Horror Cheapie
Dennis Harvey Film Critic Last year the copyright protection on British author A.A. Milne’s most famous creations ran out, releasing — or perhaps condemning — them to the public domain. The first (and, let’s hope, worst) consequence of that development is “Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey,” a rock-bottom joint that fails to meet even the most basic expectations set up by its conceptual gimmick. Nonetheless, that gimmick, combined with some early images and clips, propelled prolific micro-budget shingle ITN Studios’ latest project to viral notoriety, resulting in its first theatrical release after a purported 700+ titles in 32 years. Fathom Events is handling U.S. distribution, with other territories concurrent or imminent (it’s already opened in Mexico), and home formats on hold until that limited run has played out. A sequel is already in the works. But while it would be nice if this film’s windfall improves the quality of its producers’ future projects, that fluke pop-culture awareness is unlikely to occur again — certainly not among viewers who’ll still be chagrined at having paid actual money to see a movie this amateurish.