Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 pulls an Evil Dead II: coming back with a higher budget, a new depiction of a similar tale, and lots and lots of gore. They even dive deeper into the Evil Dead II thesis with a direct reference of a tape recording being played to explain the abominations that live within the Hundred Acre Wood - similar to that of the recording of the Necronomicon. To make a more realistic comparison in the quality shift, Blood and Honey is the Ouija (2014) and Blood and Honey 2 is the Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016) of this impending franchise. 

 

This sequel captures everything I wanted the original to be; it’s exactly the type of blood-soaked gorefest that comes to mind when you manage to do the impossible and link the words “Winnie-the-Pooh” and “horror” effectively. There’s even a meta nod to the first film not being up to par with what they’ve been able to craft here, which links again to the acknowledgment of what we witnessed before being only a depiction of the actual events leading up to this latest entry (very meta stuff). 

 

It’s nowhere near perfect, but we should’ve never expected it to come close to that. While I have a soft spot for the relative misfire that is Blood and Honey, this sequel is one I can proudly exclaim to be one of the biggest surprises in recent memory. Implementing a more complex, fun storyline and combining the characters from the Hundred Acre Wood with characteristics of horror icons. Winnie-the-Pooh is the Michael Myers (brutal, quiet, and relentless), Owl is The Creeper (hidden in the shadows, soaring rapidly with his wings), Tigger embodies the characteristics of the one and only Freddy Kreuger (scraping his “blades'' down rails, calling people in his proximity “bitch”), and they even throw in a brief Jason nod. These references are incredibly fun throughout and provide an extra edge of enjoyment to every vicious slashing. 

 

The effects are heightened to an extraordinary degree when compared to the last, as some brutal kills even gave me reminiscent chills of the Terrifer series. The makeup is also a major upgrade, depicting a more sinister looking animalistic humanoid. The direction is much more focused than the previous one, as it understands the insanity that is this opportunity to tell this version of the tale. It’s an over-the-top mixture of a slasher feature and a creature-feature, and I’m 1000% here for that hybrid. I was wary of what could be with this newest entry and the idea of an entire universe of films being built around twisted takes on childhood favorites: Bambi, Peter Pan, Pinocchio, and of course the Hundred Acre Wood gang. This fear has been dimmed quite a bit after seeing what director Rhy Frake-Waterfield was able to accomplish on his second go at a twisted take on Winnie-the-Pooh. 

 

Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 might not have the sharpest dialogue for its villainous characters, but they aren’t low on catchphrases that should make anyone smirk as they savagely massacre everyone in sight. There may be some pacing issues, and the script could’ve been tighter overall, but there's just so much to appreciate here; not only as a smartly distant sequel, but as a standalone horror in its own right. The acting, the direction, the story, and the effects have exceeded all possible expectations, and to be completely honest, I’m looking forward to the next outing with these familiar killers. Bring on The Twisted Childhood Universe!