The Twisted Childhood Universe is set to expand with the announcement of a brand-new public domain terror from Jagged Edge Productions called Pinocchio: 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 surprise box-office success of 2023’s Winnie-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 of Blood and Honey, and create a new horror universe.
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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 that two horror icons will star in Pinocchio: Unstrung. Comprising the first two names attached to the ensemble, Nightmare on Elm Street star Robert Englund has been tapped to play an as-yet-unnamed starring role in 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 other Twisted Childhood Universe movies announced by the low-budget horror production company, Pinocchio: Unstrung was added to the roster in early 2024. No director is currently attached to the project, and Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey director 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 have Pinocchio: Unstrung release around the same time as Jagged Edge’s Bambi: The Reckoning in late 2024, those plans have since changed. Now, it has been revealed that the puppet horror will 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 aforementioned Bambi movie which was shot in less than a month.
The other Twisted Childhood Universe movies include:
|
Movie |
Release Year |
Note |
|---|---|---|
|
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey |
2023 |
|
|
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 |
2024 |
A sequel to Blood and Honey released a year after the original. |
|
Bambi: The Reckoning |
2024 |
Filming is wrapped but no release date has been revealed. |
|
Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare |
2025 |
Currently filming with no release date announced. |
|
Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble |
2025 |
In pre-production. |
|
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 3 |
2026 |
In development. |
Besides Pinocchio: Unstrung and Bambi: The Reckoning, Jagged Edge is also producing Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare and another Blood and Honey sequel. Pinocchio: Unstrung‘s 2025 plan should bring it closer to the release of the planned “Poohniverse” movie that will unite all of Jagged Edge’s mascots. However, like any low-budget project, Pinocchio: Unstrung is 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 as
Alice in Wonderland
and
Sleeping Beauty
, but they are still in the early stages of development.
Pinocchio: Unstrung Cast Details
Two Horror Icons Lead The Cast
Though the full extent of the cast of Pinocchio: Unstrung is still unknown, the names already attached speak to the star power of the upcoming Twisted Childhood movie. First, Nightmare on Elm Street star 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.
The known cast of Pinocchio: Unstrung includes:
|
Actor |
Pinocchio: Unstrung Role |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Robert Englund |
Unknown |
 |
|
Richard Brake |
Gepetto |
 |
Pinocchio: Unstrung Story Details
A Blood-Soaked Revenge Horror Movie Is Expected
Plot details about Pinocchio: Unstrung are surprisingly scant, but Jagged Edge’s movies usually always follow a similar format. Taking details from Carlo Collodi’s original novel, Unstrung will 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 for Pinocchio: Unstrung is expected soon.
From the studio behind public domain horror films such as Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey comes Pinocchio: Unstrung. This horror-thriller film is expected to arrive in 2024 and will be a new, terrifying take on the original puppet trying to become a real boy.
- Studio(s)
- Jagged Edge Productions
- Distributor(s)
- ITN Studios , Premiere Entertainment Group