Pinocchio: Unstrung (2026)

“Pinocchio: Unstrung” stars Robert Englund, Richard Brake, Cameron Bell, Jude-Evan Lloyd, Jessica Balmer, Jack Art Gray, and Peter DeSouza-Feighoney.  Released on July 24, 2026, the film follows a young boy as he confronts the terrifying side of a magical wooden puppet.

The film was written and directed by Rhys Frake-Waterfield, who also directed films such as “The Killing Tree” and “Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey”.  It is the fifth installment in the Twisted Childhood Universe and serves as a horror retelling of Carlo Collodi’s 1883 novel The Adventures of Pinocchio.  You can tell that I’m already too deep into this nightmarish hole we call the “Twisted Childhood Universe”.  What started as quite possibly the worst thing to ever happen to our favorite lighthearted characters from childhood surprisingly transformed into a low-budget horror franchise that has captured our full attention.  Despite receiving mixed to negative reviews, the installments involving Pooh, Bambi, and Peter Pan have illustrated what it would be like if these fairy tale characters aren’t as friendly as their previous iterations, mainly those from Disney.  Now, Frake-Waterfield has found himself another victim of his diabolical yet curious creation: a sweet wooden boy eager to become a real boy.  However, this version of the innocent puppet is anything but sweet, as he’ll do anything to make his wish come true, even if it means being the naughtiest boy in the world.  Does this latest side of the Twisted Childhood Universe make for another cheesy, entertaining ride through childhood hell, or should audiences chop it up and throw it into the fireplace?  Let’s find out.

The story centers on James (Bell), a young boy who is sent to live with his grandfather, Geppetto (Brake).  One day, James discovers that Geppetto has carved a wooden puppet, whom he named Pinocchio (Lloyd).  After realizing that Pinocchio is actually a living, breathing being, James started to form a special bond with the wooden boy, resulting in the former introducing Pinocchio to the real world.  However, what James hadn’t realized is that Pinocchio has gradually been developing a darker side beyond his naive persona.  With a tiny manipulative Cricket (Englund) as his conscience, Pinocchio goes on a murderous crusade to make himself into a real boy.  This forces James to put an end to the wooden boy’s killing spree before he makes his dream into a nightmarish reality.

Despite not liking “Blood and Honey” when it first came out, its sequel somehow convinced me to see the direction Frake-Waterfield is taking for his shared universe.  Were they cheesy and low-brow in terms of quality?  Absolutely!  Did they ruin my childhood with the characters’ monstrous transformations?  Not really, mainly because my childhood had come and gone by the time I reached college.  However, I found “Blood and Honey 2” to be a much-needed improvement over its predecessor, thanks to its over-the-top violence and B-movie essence.  I would even say it’s the “best” of the Twisted Childhood Universe so far, as “Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare” failed to fly over its generic premise and dull execution to match that expectation.  I also watched “Bambi: The Reckoning” when it was released on Peacock.  Long story short, it’s precisely what I expected from a Bambi horror film, and one that my mother will never see because she adores the Disney version of “Bambi” so much.  It had its moments, but it’s pretty lackluster regarding its second-rate visuals and premise.

In a way, even with my curiosity, none of the films outside of Pooh’s murderous rampage have been impressing me so far, despite the improvements seen in their tolerable qualities.  This leads me to see whether this dark, twisted take on Carlo Collodi’s lovable puppet can make its wish of elevating the franchise come true, especially since it has two horror icons involved.  Of course, another reason is my familiarity with “Pinocchio”, particularly the Disney version I grew up watching.  It’s also worth noting that this isn’t the first time we’ve seen “Pinocchio” dive into horror territory, as Kevin S. Tenney came up with the idea for “Pinocchio’s Revenge” back in 1997.  So, it raises a question of whether the “Pinocchio as a killer” concept can still work in today’s time.  After watching the movie, it turns out that it can…most of the time.  While familiar by both slasher and twisted childhood standards, “Pinocchio: Unstrung” is a dark, mischievous, and violently gruesome crusade that’s surprisingly more enjoyable than it has any right to be.

Given the franchise's quality so far, I wished I were lying about my experience, but I wasn’t.  If I were, my nose would’ve been growing as I was typing this sentence.  After my dreadfully dull trip to Neverland to “Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare”, I was relieved to see that “Pinocchio: Unstrung” regained the one certain aspect that’s been missing from its previous installment: its corny charm.  Much like his approach in “Blood and Honey 2”, Rhys Frake-Waterfield delivered a tone that balances B-movie slasher vibes and a grim atmosphere with dark humor and some suitable frights.  It may seem like it’s been taking itself seriously with a concept involving a murderous puppet, similar to the previous Twisted Childhood installments.  While that may be the case at times, it actually gives itself a chance to take advantage of its absurd premise.  It’s a living puppet who kills people to make himself a real boy, so they might as well go all out with this crazy idea in just 80 minutes, and they did.  That aspect is still what this underdog horror franchise needed to thrive in the big leagues, as Frake-Waterfield seemed to continue fixing the mistakes stemming from “Blood and Honey”.  While it may not work all the time for those still protective of their childhood memories, it provides enough entertaining moments to embrace its icky, second-rate finesse.

Another aspect I would still credit Frake-Waterfield for regarding his shared universe is the reliance on practical effects.  Except for “Bambi: The Reckoning”, the installments have been known for using practical effects to convey their nightmarish versions of fairy tale characters like Pooh, as well as their grisly kills.  They may look cheap on the outside, but there’s also that hint of creepy charm to those monstrous designs that fits well with its B-movie aura and bleakness.  For “Unstrung”, he and his crew used a fully practical animatronic for Pinocchio in an effort to make him look and “feel” real.  The result is pretty darn impressive for a film that seemed to cost less than a million dollars.  Think of it as a mixture of the 90s Ninja Turtles films regarding the mouth movements with the Muppets.  It’s uncanny, but it’s reflected in a way that’s both unsettling and somewhat amusing.  Of course, I can’t forget about the gore, which is about as cheap, brutal, and repulsive as you’d expect, with a touch of dark comedy thrown in there for good measure.  It even showed the behind-the-scenes footage during the credits of how these effects were created.  Regardless of how one thinks of the quality, it’s hard to ignore the dedication these people had in bringing these effects to life without relying heavily on CGI, besides the Cricket.  Well, except for the one green screen effect that looked pretty bad.    

However, this is also another understandably flawed slasher film that may not win over those still doubting this deranged universe.  One such reason is the story, which is usually pushed aside in favor of trashy scares and kills, particularly in other installments of the Twisted Childhood Universe.  While “Pinocchio: Unstrung” may be seen as another example of this case, it’s also the most tolerable of the bunch, as if it actually tried to provide some substance underneath its malicious nature.  Like the other adaptations, “Unstrung” follows the source material’s theme of morality, in which Pinocchio learns what it means to be human amid his murder spree, notably the difference between right and wrong.  Obviously, the wrong path is killing his victims and stealing their body parts.  It also deals with the topic of death regarding James’ journey, as well as Geppetto’s hidden secret.  While these themes could make for a thought-provoking meditation on life and humanity, Frake-Waterfield’s screenplay didn’t really do much to make the film feel more alive.  With its first act that rushed through James’ gradual friendship with Pinocchio and subpar dialogue, the script felt like it had been held back by invisible strings to go beyond a narrative that’s been done numerous times.  Despite that, I found myself more entertained by this than by “Neverland Nightmare” and “Bambi: The Reckoning” due to its tone and concept.  However, the stories amid these childhood nightmares remain an issue that teeters between mediocre and enjoyable.

When you have a cast that consists of Freddy Krueger and Rob Zombie’s collaborator, it’s easy to see that Frake-Waterfield is serious about his improvements.  Most of them did a respectable job with their performances, but I would certainly give Richard Brake credit for delivering a darker side to Geppetto.  After starring in the awful “Strangers” trilogy, Brake takes a big swing in delivering a version of Geppetto that’s warm but also secretive.  Of course, once the third act starts, Brake immediately shifts his performance to convey the character’s insanity.  This type of commitment helped elevate the film’s enjoyability far more than he did for the rebooted “Strangers” saga.  Robert Englund also took center stage as the mischievous Cricket, which was one of the reasons for my interest in “Unstrung”.  I really enjoyed him as Freddy Krueger in the “Nightmare on Elm Street” films, so I was interested to see if Englund still has the kooky, sinister juice to portray Pinocchio’s malevolent conscience.  It turns out that he did, and it was quite satisfying, especially for the actor’s fans.  I would also credit Jude-Evan Lloyd for his vocal performance as the wooden puppet, portraying a mixture of innocence and mischief that makes the character anything but nice.

Overall, “Pinocchio: Unstrung” is held back by its narrative strings regarding its tropes and execution, but this latest side of the Twisted Childhood Universe is surprisingly fun enough to fill my wooden head with glee.  Despite having similar issues as previous installments, the film continues the franchise’s strive to retain the enjoyment factor of innocent fairy tale characters transformed into low-brow nightmare fuel.  For Pinocchio, it mostly takes advantage of its concept through its darkly humorous frights, gore, and B-movie vibes to deliver quite possibly the most “entertaining” installment in the low-budget shared universe.  Obviously, it won’t win over any newcomers hesitant about this initially heinous idea, especially given its screenplay and quality.  But for hardcore horror fans and those curious about the franchise itself, it’s done enough decent deeds to become a real frightening treat.  I would even say it’s enough to wash the taste that is “Neverland Nightmare” out of my mouth since it looks like Rhys Frake-Waterfield and his crew regained their footing in their intended direction.  With more twisted chapters heading our way, including the “Poohniverse” crossover event, we can assume that the future might still be looking bright for this nightmarish universe, or should I say, grim?

C+