It was a big news day for the upcoming Pinocchio slasher, with Variety reporting that horror icon Robert Englund and others have joined the cast. The team behind the film also released a new video of the animatronic puppet in action.
Englund — most famous for playing the horror icon Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street films — will star in the upcoming film, titled Pinocchio: Unstrung. Alongside Englund, Variety also reports that Richard Brake – another mainstay in the world of horror – will join the film to star as Geppetto, the craftsman who creates Pinocchio in the iconic story.
Variety also debuted an image of the Pinocchio puppet, created by Emmy-winning special effects artist Todd Masters (Tales From the Crypt: Demon Knight, Child’s Play). Later in the day, the Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey social media account shared a full video of the animatronic puppet in action, scowling and moving its mouth at the camera.
Check out the video of Pinocchio below:
What do we know about the Pinocchio slasher?
The upcoming Pinocchio film is the next in a long line of horror projects based on iconic characters that have seen their IP lapse into the public domain. The film was officially announced earlier this year, and will follow the story of James, the son of Geppetto, as he introduces Pinocchio to the world, which leads the puppet to trying to eliminate anything that he deems as bad.
Pinocchio: Unstrung will be part of The Twisted Childhood Universe, also known as the “Poohniverse.” The shared universe was conceived and created by director Rhys Frake-Waterfield, and will be comprised of a variety of horror films all based around various IPs. The first two Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey films are included, as are the upcoming Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare, Bambi: The Reckoning, Pinocchio: Unstrung, and a 2025 ensemble film titled Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble.
(Source: Variety)