Take a Look at Horror Movies Based on Kids’ Characters!
If the plot of a film in which Bambi exacts vengeance on the hunters responsible for his mother’s death seems like something out of a Saturday Night Live skit, that’s because it is. The basic idea with Bambi: Reckoning is the same.
The movie’s writer, Rhys Frake-Waterfield, the director of Blood and Honey, explains the movie like this to Dread Central: “The film will be an extraordinarily dark reworking of the 1928 story we all know and love. Bambi, taking cues from the design of the killer robot in Netflix’s The Ritual, will be a merciless murdering machine that hides in the woods. “Bambi has rabies! Be on the lookout!”
Some respond negatively to horror versions of beloved children’s characters by arguing that they are an insult to the source material and a perversion of the author’s intent, but you can’t make that argument about Arthur, Malédiction.
As the French director Luc Bresson also penned the screenplay for this horror picture based on his characters from his children’s fantasy novels and films, this is exactly what he had in mind. Unfortunately, American audiences were unable to see Arthur, Malédiction in theatres.
The first animated Arthur movie, 2006’s Arthur and the Invisibles, wasn’t received well here, and the cinematic frisson created by having cherished childhood figures turn evil doesn’t work if the characters aren’t beloved, to begin with.
The Mean One
This is virtually a movie featuring the Grinch (who stole Christmas) as the main character. Many of the films on this list are only allowed to remain because their copyrights have expired; in the case of The Mean One, however, it is parody laws that have kept it alive.
In most cases, satirizing established characters is acceptable, provided that a reader or viewer wouldn’t confuse your work with the original. The main character, thus, is dubbed “The Mean One” and has a grumpy appearance without actually being the Grinch.
Despite popular belief, the town’s name is not “Whoville,” but rather “Newville.” She’s Cindy Lou Who, etc. Based on the evaluations, those name shifts are about as smart as The Mean One gets.
Where to Watch: The Mean One was released theatrically in December 2022, but isn’t available for streaming presently.
Christmas Evil
It seems like every year there’s another horror film in which everyone’s favorite holiday symbol, Santa Claus, or someone dressed as Santa, murders the good guys. A violent night is available. And Silent Night. I could go on and on, but here are just a few examples: “Silent Night Deadly Night,” “To All a Good Night,” “Santa Claws,” “Silent Night Deadly Night 2,” “Santa’s Slay,” and so on. But without a doubt, Christmas Evil is the best of these films.
Harry, played by Fiona Apple’s dad Brandon Maggart, is a weird guy who is totally into Christmas and Santa. He dons a red outfit, loses his mind, and murders everyone, as promised, but it’s how he loses his mind and kills everyone that makes the movie so enjoyable during the holidays. In addition, no other film in history can top the ending of Christmas Evil.
Where to Watch: AMC+.
READ MORE: 8 Best Reboots of Shows You Loved as a Kid!
Rare Exports a Christmas Tale
Oh, wait a minute, maybe Rare Exports is the best film in which Santa Claus murders humans. This Norwegian film is a holiday tradition in my house.
It’s different from other Christmas horror films because it doesn’t involve a man dressed as Santa Claus. Like the monster in John Carpenter’s The Thing, Santa has been freed from his icy tomb here. If you haven’t seen it yet, you should see this film. Very nice.
Pinocchio’s Revenge
If you thought “This is the worst version of Pinocchio ever made” after viewing 2022’s Pinocchio: a True Story, you haven’t seen 2093’s Pinocchio: Revenge. Like Puppet Master and Dolly Dearest, it was a hit with home video audiences in the mid-1990s and is essentially a rip-off of Child’s Play.
It’s about a puppet named Pinocchio who seems to be possessed by a serial killer’s ghost, but is it?? The most striking dissimilarity between Pinocchio and its source is that the latter lacks the well-crafted suspense and outlandishness that make Child’s Play a timeless classic. When you sit down to watch a film titled “Pinocchio’s Revenge,” the last thing you expect is a strangely serious tone.
Published by: www.jerseyshorevibe.com