In Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare, we follow young Michael Darling (Peter DeSouza-Feighoney), whom is kidnapped by Peter Pan (Martin Portlock). As he is forced to face Peter’s house of horrors, his family is left to scramble for answers. Michael older’s sister, Wendy (Megan Placito), was one of the last people to see him before he was kidnapped and feels responsible. Little do either Peter or Wendy know, they are destined to meet.
Scott Chambers directs and writes Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare. He previously starred as Christopher Robin in Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2, and co-wrote the screenplay for that film with Rhys Frake-Waterfield (who directed both of the Blood and Honey films, writing the first one solo). Chambers previously directed 19 rip-off/knock-off horror films and penned 36. So, He’s clearly in his wheelhouse here.
If you were to watch any interviews with Scott, he comes across as a very sweet and wholesome guy. He clearly has a lot of love and passion for Neverland Nightmare. It’s essentially his baby. Does any of this come across in the final product?
Scott did a pretty good as far as directing duties go. He manages to coax performances from even minor and supporting roles. The highlights are Peter DeSouza-Feighoney as Michael and Megan Placito as Wendy (who only really plays into the story as our hero for the ending). They are both believable in their roles, and have some chemistry together as brother and sister.
The writing is serviceable. There is no cringe-inducing dialogue and the story certainly has stakes for our leads. Unfortunately, each character gets minimal development, and the actual story and some of its elements feel borrowed from far better movies. There isn’t much originality in Neverland Nightmare.
Martin Potlock plays Peter Pan, and he’s definitely trying here. However, the character is poorly-defined with very little development. Potlock constantly jumps back-and-forth between childish and demonic monster. It feels like the film or Scott didn’t have a clear handle on the character, which lead to the uneven and unconvincing performance from Potlock.
One of the core problems is that Potlock’s Peter Pan is the beloved character in name only. His modus operandi is the same, but his personality is very different. This is where we run into some serious problems. Peter in this film is a dangerously delusional man-child whose real personality is psycho killer. The childish boy behavior appears to be an act he (poorly) puts on for the children he’s kidnapped. Potlock only manages to sell the role for the first ten minutes.
Blood and Honey 2 suffered from the exact same issue, where the killers were the classic characters in name only. It’s significant because those interested in this “Twisted Childhood Universe” aren’t paying money to watch characters that only vaguely resemble the ones promised. Wendy, for example, should have some meaningful connection with Peter based on how important they are to each other in the book. Yet, in this movie Wendy has no prior history with, or knowledge of Peter. Put in at least a little effort, guys.
Another issue is that Neverland Nightmare enjoys pushing boundaries when it comes to its deaths. It’s not that the deaths are special or unique, but more-so the fact that we’re watching a childhood icon carrying out murders that wouldn’t feel out of place in a Terrifier film. It just feels wrong.
Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare is a better film than Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2. There was more attention to the kills, and they were of a higher quality. Every actor is doing their best and putting in the effort. There is an attempt at crafting a story and characters. Unfortunately, the subject material we’re working with is uncomfortable and unpleasant, and this flick relishes in continually rubbing our faces in it.
Neverland Nightmare enjoys walking right up to the “bad touch” line. Luckily, Peter never does anything remotely sexual to his victims, but the plans he has for them are no less depraved, cruel, and traumatic. This entire movie feels designed to aggressively offend and shock. Some examples include: a scene where Peter strips down to completely nude, Tinker Bell (Kit Green, another bright spot) is a trans woman severely addicted to Pixie Dust,Peter shoots-up “Pixie Dust” so he can talk to “a god” which appears as a playful cartoon shadow of Peter on the wall, and Peter holds “Captain Hook” in his basement where he beats him with a belt on occasion (Yeah, that’s not Captain Hook.).
Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare is like if someone tried to mix together The Black Phone and one of the Terrifier movies, but did so poorly. While there are some things that are worthy of recognition (Once again, more than Blood and Honey 2), the distressing themes and situations make this not only a tough watch, but also a tough one to recommend. The best way to sum up Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare in one word? Ick.
2 STARS
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