Written and Directed by Rhys Frake-Waterfield

Review by Hunter King

The Twisted Childhood Universe has expanded once more, this time corrupting the classic living puppet Pinocchio in Rhys Frake-Waterfield’s new film, Pinocchio Unstrung.   Jagged Edge Productions are known for their dark and murderous versions of many nostalgic childhood characters, with previous films including Bambi: The Reckoning (2025), Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare (2025), and of course Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023); the last of which won three Razzies. While the concept of turning childhood nostalgia into media catered for adults is not inherently a bad one, and can be done effectively (here’s looking at you Greta Gerwig), Pinocchio Unstrung unfortunately suffers from a lack of focus and leaves a film that largely ignores its source material for cheap gags and gore.

The story abandons the classic fairy tale almost in its entirety, focusing instead on a young man named James (Cameron Bell) who has been haunted by the death of his parents and best friend. After moving in with his grandfather, Geppetto (Richard Brake), James must find a new normal at school. Pitying James, Geppetto makes a puppet companion for James out of a magical tree that grants life to the creation made from it, Pinocchio. After learning a bit too much about biology and what it means to be human, as well as being under the influence of Cricket (Robert Englund), Pinocchio goes on a rampage, killing on behalf of James. 

Just to get it out of the way, there are a few elements of the film that are incredibly uncomfortable, namely the way that the film represents children. Bell, at the time of filming, was 14 years old, and presumably his school mates in the film would be meant to be represented as a similar age. Therefore, having Karolina Knight have a shower scene complete with smarmy sexual dialogue from Pinocchio and shots featuring nudity was incredibly uncomfortable. Additionally, showing of the dismembered penis of Trey (Toni Olabanji) felt uncomfortable for the same reason. Despite the actors being adults, having their characters play school children and then having those same characters have scenes with nudity felt reckless and harmful. 

The film relies heavily on special effects, both practical and digitally created. The digital effects largely feel out of place in the film, primarily the Cricket, as he really serves little purpose in driving the plot forward, instead mostly delivering one-liners directly to the audience. This makes it apparent that the Cricket was added to the film as a way to shoehorn the horror legend Robert Englund into the film in a capacity where he would only be needed for a short time in a sound studio. His lines are well delivered with the sinister Krueger-esque tone that Englund has perfected over the past 40 years, but unlike the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, Englund is not only sidelined in this film, but almost entirely disconnected, appearing more as a gimmick than a genuine essential part of the film. 

The strongest performance in the film comes from Richard Brake as Geppetto who brings a reasonable uneasiness to any scene he appears in. His eerie portrayal of the character, while making him a bit predictable, does set the tone for the film overall. If this film has any foundation, it is because of Brake.

While the film lacked plot, had mostly lackluster performances, and abysmal CGI, there was one element that genuinely was a saving grace to give the film just enough merit for its existence. The practical effects that they were able to manage, especially with a small budget of £500,000, were incredibly impressive. Pinocchio himself was a puppeteering marvel, throughout the whole film, seeming very realistic and clearly well integrated with the human performers. While some of his dialogue felt a bit off (likely because it was added after shooting) his physical performance was brilliant. Additionally, the opening credit sequence and title card were all filmed using puppeteering techniques that really contributed well to the story and avoided a stereotypical start to a horror film with digital titles. 

Overall, the film is certainly not a masterpiece and has some glaring flaws and ethical issues. Unlike its predecessors in the Twisted Childhood Universe, this film seemed to lack the camp and silliness that comes from making nasty versions of childhood icons. Despite all of this, the Twisted Childhood Universe is still inherently a fun idea and has potential to make creative films, but when it comes to the abysmal portrayal of children in this one, to quote one of the final lines of the film, “Don’t do it again, OK?”

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