By Becca Johnson - January 15, 2025
From Jagged Edge Productions comes the latest instalment into the Twisted Childhood Universe. Following the infamous Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey and its slightly improved sequel comes the latest childhood favourite from the public domain to get the horror treatment: Peter Pan. Directed by Scott Chambers who starred as Christopher Robin in Blood and Honey 2, Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare is a dark story that dares to be even more disturbing than anything the team have provided so far.
After her brother Michael (Peter DeSouza-Feighoney) is abducted by Peter Pan (Martin Portlock), the boy who won’t grow up, Wendy Darling (Megan Placito) goes on a daring rescue mission. Nauseatingly frightening due to its basis in reality, Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare is a competently made flick with plenty of unsettling elements, though the obvious lack of fun continues to hold this franchise back.
If you’ve been of the opinion so far that the TCU (Twisted Childhood Universe) doesn’t lean enough into the fun, campy nature that it should do, Neverland Nightmare may do little to impress you. However, fans of a more disturbing nature of horror are likely to be satisfied by this one. Devilishly dark and by far the most disturbing entry into the franchise thus far, it is certainly not for the faint of heart. Injectable drugs labelled as ‘pixie dust’, a chained up Captain Hook, dingy basements, kidnapped children and insanely gory kills make up the bulk of the run-time, with many a messed up visual to make even the most seasoned horror hounds grimace.
Peter Pan himself is utterly horrifying in both appearance and actions, with a jarring split personality and an evil streak that points to a troubled past. His sidekick Tinkerbell is equally distressing, as in this rendition, she takes the form of a drug-addicted victim of Pan who doesn’t have a strong grip on reality. The creep factor hits insanely high, with no holds barred, and it works quite well to crawl under your skin. The kills aren’t always the most inventive but they are certainly gnarly, and the overall plot of young boys being kidnapped is often distressing. Upon announcement of this new cinematic universe, horror fans were hoping its entries would focus on fun - campy kills and fantastical locations. Neverland Nightmare continues to prove that this is not the approach, which may disappoint some.
From a filmmaking standpoint, Neverland Nightmare has some admirable techniques on display. The cinematography is quite impressive, with a focus on shadows that pays nice homage to the source material. Perhaps most commendable of all is the production design, that really ups the ante as far as the horror is concerned. The damp, dingy location in which the missing children are placed is truly unsettling, forcing you to feel like taking a hot shower after viewing. Also aiding the horror even further is the make-up on our villains, which is incredibly well done and looks mostly believable. As harrowing as Peter Pan is to look at, its Hook who truly takes the cake here visually - his appearance is bound to be seared into your brain long after viewing. It’s equal parts impressive and disturbing.
The performances are hit or miss across the board, though Martin Portlock is particularly notable in his titular role as Pan himself. Very Joker-esque in delivery and acing the many different personalities and moods that come with the character, Portlock effortlessly slips between them all and scares in the process. The score is unfortunately basic, doing little to stand out amongst other movies of this ilk, and the dialogue is particularly drab. The story on display is simple yet effective - ‘lost boys’ going missing at the hands of Peter Pan - and it suits the original tale quite nicely. However, the lacklustre dialogue drags it down, and no character gets ample development aside from our villain. It’s a mixed bag.
The Peter Pan elements added in also leave much to be desired, as the team don’t do enough to prove the story is worthy of using this IP. Besides character names, references to ‘lost boys’, ’pixie dust’ and ‘Neverland’, and crocodiles popping up on TV screens and birthday cards, there isn’t much here that points to the boy who never grows up that doesn’t feel a little forced in. Similarly to Winnie-the-Pooh, the movie opens with a fun animated retelling of the story that is beautiful to look at and fun to watch. The first ten minutes are also promising, with a focus on Peter’s shadow. Unfortunately, not much is done with it by the end, leading it to feel like it’s merely added in to remind us what this movie is based on. In a similar way to the first Winnie-the-Pooh movie being a bog standard slasher with masked killers, Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare is a run-of-the-mill missing child storyline with a few nods to familiar character names and places. This world could offer up something so fun, but it largely ignores everything that makes it so likable. This basis in
reality is likely to be like marmite, you’ll either love it or hate it, but wherever you fall, a better homage to the story of Peter Pan would’ve made it far more enjoyable.
Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare is a competent, though middle-of-the-road, indie horror that successfully achieves its goal of getting under your skin and distressing you. With plenty of uncomfortable visuals and a fear-inducing central plot that gives the original story an intriguingly dark spin, it’s solid continuation of the Twisted Childhood Universe. Scott Chambers does a good job in the directors chair, and actor Martin Portlock is a menacing and evil Peter Pan. Some finer tuning in the writing department would’ve improved Neverland Nightmare tenfold, as the dialogue is basic and it hardly leans far enough into the IP it is based on. The disturbing nature and grisly kills will only get it so far, as the ham-fisted references and basic characters noticeably drag it down.
Out now in select US cinemas
