WFG RATING: B

The Movie Partnership presents an ITN Studios production. Directed by Andrea M. Catinelli. Produced by Rene August. Written by Harry Boxley. Cinematography by Vince Knight. Edited by Peter Englemann.

Stars Alexander Butler, Lauren Staerck, Alina Desmond, Shayli Reagan, Jeremy Vinogradov, Valery Danko, Alina Varakuta, Tyler Winchcombe, Eva Ray, Jack Monohan, Rory Forder, and Jamie Langlands. 

After not getting much screen time as a supporting character in the Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey films, it’s time for Piglet to take center stage in this British horror film that plays out like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

En route to prison, a disfigured serial killer viciously murders the guards in the back of the truck and escapes. Finding a pig mask, the killer puts it on and reunites with his brother Mr. Hogarth. Hogarth rents out his local cabin to unsuspecting victims who fall prey to Piglet, who then proceeds to chop up the victims for food. Hogarth informs Piglet that a new group is coming to the cabin and he wants to make sure Piglet listens to him this time. 

A group of friends are gathering together to celebrate the 21st birthday of one of the friends, Kate. Kate has been a bit down since her boyfriend left her and this was the perfect vacation she needed. Or so she thinks. As the friends try to enjoy their time together, they begin to get picked off one by one by Piglet. As Kate discovers her friends are disappearing, a mysterious man nearby, Bret, tries to warn her about Piglet and Hogarth. Will she be able to escape the clutches of the evil Piglet?

Seeing the Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey films, as much as I love those films, one of the big issues is that Piglet ended up getting wasted. I can only guess Poohniverse will finally give him his props in the Twisted Childhood Universe. This could be perhaps what influenced underrated genre screenwriter Harry Boxley (Mouse of Horrors, Cinderella’s Curse) to finally give Piglet his close-up Mr. Demille. While the character is actually that of a disfigured serial killer who sports what looks like the Piglet mask from the first Blood and Honey, this is still a good attempt to bring the character to horrific life.

The film’s tone seems to be similar to one of the greatest classics of all time: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Alexander Butler is really good in the titular role as he seems to combine elements of Gunnar Hansen and Mark Burnham’s takes on the character. Not having to use any dialogue, he just unleashes hell and fury with a hook as his core weapon if not his brute strength. He also gets berated at times by his brother, property owner Mr. Hogarth, played by Jeremy Vinogradov, who gives off a Drayton Sawyer vibe and does a heck of a good job in that role, especially in one of the major twists of the film. 

As for the victims, most come off as your typical one-dimensional tropey style victims. However, there are some that you do care about. One such character is our protagonist Kate, played by Alina Desmond. All she wanted was to celebrate her birthday after going through a messy breakup and it seems like the only one she can rely on is the other character you will care about most likely, Shayli Reagan’s Susie. The wonderfully named Tequila Carter handled the film’s SFX and the kills look vicious at times and while there is some hokey CGI blood at times, they still make an impact. 

Piglet may please those who felt he was wasted in the page and it may not be everyone’s cup of tea. However, Harry Boxley’s script brings something in the vein of Chainsaw without needing a chainsaw and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. 

The film will come to Digital in the UK on June 2.