Pinocchio Unstrung Review: Latest Twisted Childhood Horror Boasts Incredible Effects and Puppeteering

The Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey movies have been quite controversial for their approach to beloved childhood characters in the public domain, but they have gained enough of a cult following to kick off a cinematic universe under the vision of Rhys Frake-Waterfield. The latest in that franchise, and the first outside of the Winnie-the-Pooh films to be directed by Frake-Waterfield himself, is Pinocchio Unstrung, which stands out as one of the most impressive entries yet thanks to stunning effects work and puppeteering that allow it to rival any studio horror picture this year.

What is Pinocchio Unstrung about?

Pinocchio Unstrung is billed as a “dark coming-of-age reimagining” of the classic story, following the eponymous puppet on his quest to become a real boy through any means necessary. Like the rest of the movies in this public domain-inspired franchise, you shouldn’t expect this to pay much respect to the original source material. However, it’s a much better slasher than one might expect given the (lack of) quality of prior entries.

Pinocchio Unstrung Review

When you come into one of these Twisted Childhood films, you’re undeniably expecting some gruesome kills, and Pinocchio Unstrung delivers. Although the victims of these kills aren’t particularly interesting or well-developed — far less so than your typical slasher flick, even — the practical effects used to inflict pain upon them are gory and sure to satisfy carnage-loving audiences.

The real star of the show, though, is the puppetry work. You might expect a low-budget horror movie like Pinocchio Unstrung to use cheap CGI to bring its characters to life, but instead, Rhys Frake-Waterfield and his VFX team used intricate animatronics to pull it off. The result is a look that few other horror pictures (other than the work of Guillermo del Toro) have achieved recently.

Pinocchio Unstrung genuinely looks great, and that is not something that this writer was expecting to be walking away from this film saying. The amount of effort and craftsmanship that went into every frame is evident while you are watching the movie itself, but there is also a short behind-the-scenes segment during the end credits that shows you just how intricate and ingenious this process was.

That being said, there are some moments in the film that remind you that you’re watching a movie in the “Poohniverse” (which has thankfully been renamed the “Twisted Childhood Universe”). Random penis jokes and other immature or poorly written lines feel out of place in a horror movie that’s otherwise more serious and meritorious than any of the other movies that have come out of this franchise. 

Pinocchio Unstrung also has the benefit of a more high-profile cast than the other Twisted Childhood films. The supporting cast boasts performances from horror icons Robert Englund (the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise) and Richard Brake (Barbarian and a regular in the work of Rob Zombie). Although neither Englund nor Brake is giving their best work here by any stretch of the imagination, they are clearly having fun, and they lend their talents to the project quite well.

But what is even more impressive is that the younger actors manage to make quite an impression. Cameron Bell is surprisingly ‌charming as the human lead. Meanwhile, Jude-Evan Lloyd voices the eponymous puppet boy with the right balance between innocence and menace to pull this role off. This is as much ‌a testament to the growth Frake-Waterfield has shown as a director over the course of these movies as it is to the talent of the actors themselves.

Is Pinocchio Unstrung worth watching?

Pinocchio Unstrung is easily the best entry in the Twisted Childhood Universe yet, and frankly, far better than it has any right to be. Hopefully, Rhys Frake-Waterfield takes the right lessons from this Unstrung’s success into the future and continues to deliver reimaginings that are genuinely creative and fun, not just mean-spirited and punching down.

Pinocchio Unstrung opens in theaters on July 24.

Pinocchio Unstrung Review: Latest Twisted Childhood Horror Boasts Incredible Effects and Puppeteering