Yikes. A fourth grade class at a Florida charter school sat through the first "20-30 minutes" of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey.
Directed by Rhys Frake-Waterfield, the movie sees Winnie and Piglet get revenge on Christopher Robin before going on a murder rampage that involves hunting a group of girls on holiday at a remote cabin in the woods.
A CBS News article states that the students selected the film, which is rated NR – meaning it has no rating at all. It's possible that the teacher in charge figured it was fine to screen given the NR rating, but one Florida mom says that some kids were "seriously affected" and asked for the film to be turned off.
"It's not for them to decide what they want to do," Michelle Diaz told CBS. "It's up to the professor to look at the content." This is fair, especially given that the low-budget indie flick is an absolutely blood-soaked gore fest with violence happening nearly every minute.
"The Academy for Innovative Education has become aware that a segment of a horror movie was shown to fourth graders, Monday, October 2, 2023, that was not suitable for the age group," the school said in a statement. "Our administration promptly addressed this issue directly with the teacher and has taken appropriate action to ensure the safety and well-being of students."
The film went viral last year and, despite poor reviews, has a sequel on the way. This time, Winnie the Pooh gets to wield a chainsaw. We're not kidding.
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 is set to hit streaming in February of 2024. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2023 and beyond.
