The Twisted Childhood Universe is set to expand with the announcement of a brand-new public domain terror from Jagged Edge Productions calledPinocchio: Unstrung. The beloved marionette who dreams of being a real boy debuted back in 1883 in Carlo Collodi’s novel, but the latest interpretation of the character recasts him as a horrifying villain. The basic premise of Jagged Edge Production’s Twisted Childhood Universe is rather simple, and it takes popular children’s characters from the public domain and morphs them into nightmarish horror mascots that hack and slash their way through unsuspecting victims.
The project started with the surprisebox-office success of 2023’sWinnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey, which was made cheap to capitalize on A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh entering the public domain. Soon, a wave of public domain horror movies were rushed into production with characters like Mickey Mouse and Peter Pan becoming dark alternates of their most kind and cuddly forms. Though few have earned any praise from critics, the chance to make a quick buck has spurred Jagged Edge Productions to follow up on the smash-hit success ofBlood and Honey, and create a new horror universe.
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Pinocchio’s New Horror Movie Was Already Done 28 Years Ago (Will This Be Any Better?)
Rhys Frake-Waterfield is creating a horror movie about Pinocchio, but the puppet first received the horror treatment in another movie 28 years ago.
Pinocchio: Unstrung Latest News
Robert Englund & Richard Brake Join The Cast
Though the movie’s cast was unknown for quite some time, it has now been confirmed thattwo horror icons will star inPinocchio: Unstrung. Comprising the first two names attached to the ensemble,Nightmare on Elm Streetstar Robert Englund has been tapped to play an as-yet-unnamed starring rolein the upcoming Twisted Childhood movie. Joining him will be fellow horror legend,Richard Brake (Barbarian), who is set to play the role of puppet creator Gepetto. The evil Pinocchio’s many victims haven’t been cast yet, but it’s assumed that more stars will be added soon.
The casting announcement also included the first look at the creepy puppet, as seen in the image below:
Pinocchio: Unstrung Is Confirmed
Jagged Edge Announced The Movie In Early 2024
Hot on the heels of otherTwisted Childhood Universe movies announcedby the low-budget horror production company,Pinocchio: Unstrungwas added to the roster in early 2024.No director is currently attached to the project, andWinnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honeydirector Rhys Frake-Waterfield will produce the movie alongside Scott Jeffrey. Like the behind-the-scenes crew, no cast members have been added to the public domain horror movie either.
Pinocchio: Unstrung Production Status
The Evil Puppet Arrives In January 2025
With so many movies in the works, the small production company could be overreaching.
Though it seemed as if plans were in place to havePinocchio: Unstrungrelease around the same time as Jagged Edge’sBambi: The Reckoningin late 2024, those plans have since changed. Now, it has been revealed that the puppet horrorwill go into production in October 2024 and is aiming for a January 2025 release date. That quick turnaround in indicative of a Jagged Edge production, and its following in the footsteps of the aforementionedBambimovie which was shot in less than a month.
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey
2023
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2
2024
A sequel toBlood and Honeyreleased a year after the original.
Filming is wrapped but no release date has been revealed.
2025
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 3
2026
In development.
BesidesPinocchio: UnstrungandBambi: The Reckoning, Jagged Edge is also producingPeter Pan’s Neverland Nightmareand anotherBlood and Honeysequel.Pinocchio: Unstrung’s 2025 plan should bring it closer to the release of the planned “Poohniverse” moviethat will unite all of Jagged Edge’s mascots. However, like any low-budget project,Pinocchio: Unstrungis at risk of changing plans should something happen between now and the planned premiere month. With so many movies in the works, the small production company could be overreaching.
Jagged Edge Productions also has several other public domain projects in the works such asAlice in WonderlandandSleeping Beauty, but they are still in the early stages of development.
Pinocchio: Unstrung Cast Details
Though the full extent of the cast ofPinocchio: Unstrungis still unknown, the names already attached speak to the star power of the upcoming Twisted Childhood movie. First,Nightmare on Elm Streetstar Robert Englund (best known for playing the murderous Freddy Krueger) will play an as-yet-unnamed starring role. Tapped to play the role of Pinocchio’s creator, Gepetto, frequent Rob Zombie collaborator Richard Brake has been cast as well. With those two big names on the roster, it’s assumed that more recognizable stars will join soon.
Pinocchio: Unstrung Story Details
A Blood-Soaked Revenge Horror Movie Is Expected
Plot details aboutPinocchio: Unstrungare surprisingly scant, butJagged Edge’s movies usually always follow a similar format. Taking details from Carlo Collodi’s original novel,Unstrungwill likely see the marionette who dreams of being a real boy out for blood on some sort of revenge quest. Though it isn’t confirmed,Pinocchio will likely leave a trail of bodies in his wake as he seeks to get even with humanity for some slight. A full plot synopsis forPinocchio: Unstrungis expected soon.
Pinocchio: Unstrung
Cast
Pinocchio: Unstrung is a dark adaptation of the classic tale, scheduled for theatrical release in late 2024. The film offers a gory reimagining of the iconic wooden character on his journey, diverging from traditional narratives to explore a more sinister undertone.
