Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 release date - what is Public Domain Horror Universe, what film is next?

Horror film Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 arrives in select cinemas on Valentine’s Day as Jagged Edge Productions’ unofficial Public Domain Horror Universe expands. The sequel introduces Tigger, another A.A. Milne character, who entered the public domain this year.

Not wanting to live in the shadows any longer, Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, Owl and Tigger, who have acquired a taste for human flesh since being abandoned by Christopher Robin, head to Ashdown for a fresh massacre that will dwarf their first outing.

The budget for the horror sequel is $1 million, still a tiny amount for most movies, but ten times the cost of the first instalment and no longer in the microbudget lane. Of course, it helps that the movies are based around well-known characters which have popular appeal, and because they now exist in the public domain, they don’t cost the studio anything to use.

What is the Public Domain Horror Universe

The Public Domain Horror Universe (PDHU) is an unofficial cinematic universe in the style of the MCU and DCEU, but with low budget, modest return horror films based on characters that are in the public domain. The universe typically refers to Jagged Edge’s films although several other studios have made horror films based around characters in the public domain.

Whereas MCU films cost around $200 million to make with the expectation of a $1 billion-plus return at the box office, Jagged Edge’s films are made on a shoestring budget but still return a tidy profit.

Which films are in the Public Domain Horror Universe?

The first Jagged Edge horror film that can be considered a part of the PDHU, though the concept didn’t really exist at the time, is The Curse of Humpty Dumpty which was released in 2021. The film, which saw Humpty appear as a doll belonging to an elderly woman with dementia who begins to recall its dark part, was made for around $100,000 but returned more than $1 million at the box office.

The success of this film spurred Jagged Edge to continue making micro-budget movies with unknown actors, using characters that are in the public domain and are therefore free. Later PDHU films include The Legend of Jack & Jill, in which the nursery rhyme characters are serial killers on the hunt for a group of friends, the self-explanatory Easter Bunny Massacre, Wrath of Van Helsing, about the vampire hunter, and a Curse of Humpty Dumpty sequel.

Jagged Edge then turned to festive horrors with Curse of Jack Frost, and Return of Krampus, before making sequels to Jack & Jill and Easter Bunny Massacre. Then in March 2023 came Jagged Edge’s most successful PDHU film so far, Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey. Released a year after the cuddly character became public domain, it followed Pooh and Piglet on a bloody rampage as they search for a new source of food when Christopher Robin abandons them to go to college.

The film grossed $5.2 million globally - miniscule by Hollywood standards, but at 52 times the movie’s budget, it was one of the most successful films of the year. By contrast the MCU’s most successful film of 2023, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 made less than four times its budget at the box office.

What characters are coming to the Public Domain Horror Universe?

The latest PDHU film is the Winnie-the-Pooh sequel Blood and Honey 2, in select cinemas now. Other beloved children’s characters set to join the horror universe include Peter Pan in Neverland Nightmare, and Bambi in The Reckoning. Pinocchio Unstrung, and Awakening Sleeping Beauty are also both in early stages of development.

When is the release date of Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2?

Blood and Honey 2 will be released at limited screenings in the UK on February 14 2024. A streaming release date has not yet been confirmed, however the first film is available to rent on Apple TV, Amazon, the Sky Store, and more.