RATING: A+

Viva Films presents an ITN Pictures/Jagged Edge Productions film. Written and directed by Rhys Frake-Waterfield. Produced by Rhys Frake-Waterfield and Scott Chambers. Cinematography by Vince Knight. Edited by Rhys Frake-Waterfield and Dan Allen.

Stars Cameron Bell, Jessica Balmer, Jack Art Gray, the voices of Jude Evan Lloyd and Emma Tate, with Scott Chambers and Peter DeSouza-Feighoney, with Richard Brake, and the voice of Robert Englund. 

The Twisted Childhood Universe’s latest entry is definitely one of its best, from its eye popping cameos to some of the most shocking kills of the universe to date. 

James has been suffering loss after loss. First his parents have passed away and he is taken in by his grandfather, Geppetto. However, he suffers a more devastating loss when his best friend Zack dies of cancer. Geppetto spends his nights in the basement creating a surprise for James. One that could possibly help James cheer up again. One night, James hears a noise from outside his room and after chasing the noise down, he meets the surprise: a wooden boy named Pinocchio.c

James instantly bonds with Pinocchio but things slowly change when James brings him to school and entrusts him to his friends Mia and Dudley. However, disguised as an immovable doll, Pinocchio witnesses James being bullied at the hands of Trey and his little group. After a car accident nearly kills James, Pinocchio soon finds himself manipulated by the Wood Mother and Cricket to achieve his dream of being a real boy the only way how: death to the bad people.

After Scott Chambers’ Peter Pan: Neverland Nightmare and Dan Allen’s Bambi: The Reckoning, Twisted Childhood Universe co-creator Rhys Frake-Waterfield returns as director for his first film in the universe since Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey II. Bringing Carlo Collodi’s to life, kudos must go out to Todd Masters and the MastersFX team as this Pinocchio may look like he could have been moving using visual effects and CGI. However, the titular character is full on animatronics and puppetry that looks great, bringing that old school flavor to things.

Cameron Bell is great as James, the teen who bonds and becomes the object of protection from our titular Pinocchio, voiced by Jude Evan Lloyd. While Jessica Balmer and Jack Art Gray give good support as James’ friends Mia and Dudley, respectively. However, there is another friend that is seen but doesn’t get involved with good reason. That’s Peter DeSouza-Feighoney as Michael Darling, who will find himself kidnapped by Peter Pan in Neverland Nightmare. The reason is that TCU co-creator Scott Chambers confirmed in a recent interview that the events of Blood and Honey II, Peter Pan, Bambi, and this film are all set within the same week! 

The film also has some horror legends in some pivotal roles here. Richard Brake is excellent as Geppetto, James’ grandfather who seems caring and sweet for the most part. And yet he shows shades of something very sinister and one can guess what to expect. The other horror legend in question? Robert Englund as Cricket, who is one of the two characters who influences Pinocchio to kill the bad people along with Emma Tate’s amazing voice work as the Wood Mother.

Speaking of kills, this one has some of the goriest and shocking kills in the universe. From one victim getting scalped to one getting their jaw smashed with a sledgehammer then getting electrocuted in a pool, these kills are definitely not for the faint of heart. And back when Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey II was released in theaters, Chambers said Pinocchio would do the impossible and the film lived up to it’s promise. The best way to describe this film is Child Play and M3gan meets The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Okay, but there’s not a chainsaw, but if you see why I mention the latter, you’ll know. 

Pinocchio Unstrung is definitely one of the best movies in the Twisted Childhood Universe. To be fair, with the more experimental and “meta” start, the original Blood and Honey, this universe has yet to disappoint and it just makes things more exciting for the upcoming Blood and Honey III (a prequel) and the crossover Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble.