The horror film Pinocchio: Unstrung has officially opened in cinemas across Russia, bringing a violent retelling of the classic children's tale to moviegoers in cities nationwide.
The movie serves as the next installment in the horror universe launched by Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey, a franchise centered on slasher re-imaginings of traditional fairy tales.
In the new film, the story follows a young boy named James who uncovers a terrifying secret kept by his grandfather Geppetto. James discovers that Geppetto built a wooden puppet named Pinocchio that has embarked on a murderous rampage, killing everyone in its path.
Cast and production details
Actor Richard Brake, known for his appearance in Game of Thrones, plays one of the main roles in the film. Horror veteran Robert Englund, famous for starring in A Nightmare on Elm Street, provides the performance for Jiminy Cricket, the iconic character from the original story.
Rhys Frake-Waterfield directed the feature, having previously helmed both installments of the Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey film series.
Background and universe expansion
Frake-Waterfield has built a reputation for transforming beloved public domain children's stories into low budget slasher movies. The filmmaker launched the shared universe after A. A. Milne's original 1926 Winnie-the-Pooh book entered the public domain in the United States, allowing creators to adapt the characters without copyright restrictions.
Englund gained international fame playing the supernatural villain Freddy Krueger in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, establishing himself as a legend in horror cinema. Brake has established a long career playing villainous and character roles, including the Night King in HBO's fantasy drama series Game of Thrones.
The original story of Pinocchio was created by Italian author Carlo Collodi in 1883. It follows Geppetto, a poor Italian woodcarver who carves a puppet out of a piece of wood, only for the creation to come to life as a mischievous boy whose nose grows whenever he tells a lie.
