Outside of films starring Vincent Price, I'm not a big fan or horror films. However, I understand that horror is a popular film genre that means a lot to people. The big horror franchises aren't for me, but I understand that they have an important place in pop culture. However, there's a popular horror trend that I don't approve of. There have been horror films based off of franchises that are meant for families.

I'm not against the idea of franchises that are made for adults. For example, I recently reviewed Hazbin Hotel. There are lots of great franchises that are made for adults, but I'm strongly against making adult versions out of wholesome franchises. In my opinion, a franchise that started off for kids should stay for kids.

2023 had a film come out that got a lot of attention. I'm referring to Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey. Winnie the Pooh has been a very simple, innocent franchise for decades. It's about the cute, innocent adventures of a honey-loving bear that goes on adventures with his friends, including Christopher Robin, Piglet and Tigger. It's been a while since I've watched much from the franchise, but it is a cute franchise that I grew up with and have nostalgic memories of. I respect how comforting and sweet the franchise has been for so long.

However, the innocence of Winnie the Pooh has been greatly diminishing. Winnie the Pooh recently became public domain, so a horror parody was made. Winnie and horror aren't two things that go together. You could argue that's part of the joke, but it's not really that funny. Making an entire film based off of such a confusing idea is not a great idea.

I haven't seen the film, so the purpose of my article isn't to critique the film. My purpose is to criticize the problematic trend of turning something as innocent as Winnie the Pooh into a horror franchise. If Blood and Honey was just a quick sketch on a comedy show, it would still come across as a bit mean-spirited, but it would be easy to ignore. However, Blood and Honey is a full-length film that got a theatrical release. The film was profitable enough to get a sequel.

For decades, when people thought of Winnie the Pooh, they thought of the wholesomeness of Winnie and Piglet. However, thanks to Blood and Honey, people now think of how Winnie and Piglet became scary. That's very damaging for such a wholesome, well-intentioned franchise. The people that worked hard to preserve the integrity of the Winnie the Pooh franchise deserve better. Poking fun at franchises we love can be fun, but is there any meaningful humor that comes from turning a childhood icon into a horror villain?

You are likely wondering if there is anything that you can do to stop films like Blood and Honey from being made. My advice is to avoid watching them. People saw Blood and Honey, because they were curious about what a Winnie the Pooh horror film would look like. However, critics and fans hated the film. It's considered to be one of the worst films of 2023. Hopefully, Blood and Honey's infamous reputation will convince people to avoid similar films that will be coming out.