Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 Blu-ray Review – Worth a Watch?
Have you watched the first Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey movie?
Yes?
No?
Well, it doesn’t actually matter.
This review is going to tell you why you should watch the second instalment of the Blood and Honey franchise, why it is better than the previous movie, and why you don’t need to watch the first movie to enjoy this one.
The Plot
I will answer the last question first. The setup is that Christopher Robin (Nikolai Leon) has survived the 100 Acre Wood Massacre, as coined by the tabloids in Blood and Honey 2, but more people believe that he is the perpetrator than those who believe that a humanoid bear and piglet duo did it.
Understandable. So, Chris is currently juggling therapy because of the ostracisation he experiences, along with the duties of being a junior doctor. There is also something else he is going to therapy for, but I don’t want to risk any spoilers. Meanwhile, the minority who believe in these ‘humanimals’ lurk in the woods and are responsible for the dozens of deaths in the area. They have loaded their shotguns and are ready to hunt the creatures.
That’s the premise of the film. No lore to be reminded of. The first movie was pretty much a ’90s hack-and-slash affair, and there is nothing that bears remembering from there (see what I did there?).
The first Pooh movie was bad by conventional standards, but a great ride nonetheless. If you don’t agree with this, if you thought that it was just all-out terrible, I urge you to keep reading. Even if you didn’t like the previous film in the series, don’t let that discourage you from giving Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 a shot. I promise you that it is different enough from the first entry in the series.
Let me explain.
Why Blood and Honey 2 is better than the first film
In this flick, Pooh and Piglet are joined by both Tigger and Owl. The main focus steers away from Piglet, and the characters really come into their own during the course of the film. Pooh, with his brute strength, resembles a Jason-esque villain, whilst Tigger has both sharp quips and claws, which will remind the audience of Freddy Krueger (without the pedophilic tendencies). Owl, whilst he doesn’t mimic any of the hallmarks of the character, has an appearance very similar to the Creeper (Jeepers Creepers (2001–2022)). Owl can also vomit up acid bile!
Tigger is the most loyal to his iconic counterpart. When the cops raid the creature’s home, one who is shaken by what he finds nervously suggests to the others, “Let’s bounce”, and out of the darkness Tigger retorts, “That’s my line,” before finishing them off. And, of course, he has to call someone a bitch at least once. The homage to famous franchises long gone will appeal to any horror aficionado watching. But it is not all Easter eggs.
To say that the plot and its subplots make Blood and Honey 2 like an onion may be overstating it, but there are certainly levels of narrative in the flick that don’t feel tacked on. Repressed memories, a bit of sci-fi, child abduction, and a sprinkling of parallelism between Christopher Robin and his monstrous former companions add a level of interest that was missing from its prequel.
There is plenty in the movie that makes it more than your typical ‘teens go on holiday and then get massacred’ schlock. It appeals to the horror veteran, and someone who perhaps gets a little bored of pure slice and dice. So now you know my reasons why I think it is better than the first in the series. But is it any good on its own?
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 Blu-ray review
The Blu-ray release only has the theatrical trailer to offer in regard to special features. Oh bother. Despite this, I am happy to have this movie in my physical collection.
Whilst the creatures are still understood as subverted reimaginings of beloved children’s characters, they look mean and scary. Pooh looks less cartoonish in this one, and all the killers in Blood and Honey 2 look convincing enough to be considered a threat. They are not afraid to hack, slash, crush, and acid-attack their prey, leaving a bloody wake behind them.
Despite the gore-rife action, Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 has a surprisingly good plot, with some world-building that is to be appreciated, especially for the B-movie that it is. All the creatures earn their keep, with Pooh’s brute strength, Tigger’s speed and claws, and Owl’s more unusual abilities giving each of them their own place within the story.
This is where Blood and Honey 2 improves most significantly over its predecessor. The first movie largely treated Pooh and Piglet as variations on the same slasher formula. Here, each creature has a distinct personality, appearance, and method of killing, making the Hundred Acre Wood feel more like a genuine horror universe than a novelty premise.
And that is perhaps the biggest surprise of the film. What could have been another cheap cash-in on a public-domain character instead feels like the beginning of an actual horror franchise.
