Peter Pan: Incubo nell'isola che non c'è

Walking into Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare, I wasn't sure how I'd feel about a horror spin on such a classic tale. Neverland has always been about magic and adventure, but this film flips that on its head, turning it into a place of pure nightmare. The story follows Wendy on a desperate search for her brother Michael, who's been abducted by a terrifying, twisted version of Peter Pan and a disturbingly reimagined Tinker Bell. It's dark, unsettling, and completely unlike the tale we grew up with.

Now, I love a bold take on a familiar story, but some parts of this film went a little too far for my taste. Tinker Bell, portrayed as a drug-addicted and grotesque figure, felt more shocking than meaningful at times. The film definitely aims for disturbing, and while it hits the mark in places, it also feels like it's trying too hard. That said, the visuals are intense. The corrupted version of Neverland is creepy and atmospheric, and the tension doesn't let up.

Still, it wasn't perfect. There were moments when the film felt like it was going for shock value over actual storytelling, which kind of pulled me out of it. I can imagine that die-hard fans of the original might find it a bit too heavy-handed. But if you're up for something bold, weird, and willing to shake up childhood memories, it's an experience worth having-just don't expect it to be a comforting one.

Needless to say that I had indeed not heard about the 2025 horror movie "Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare" prior to sitting down to watch it. But given the recent year's horror movie rendering of classic fairytales and animated characters, such as Winnie the Pooh, Goldilocks, Popeye, etc., then I wasn't really harboring a grain of expectations to the movie. But I still opted to give it a go, perhaps writer and director Scott Chambers would deliver a surprise.

The movie certainly started out quite nicely, and I was not expecting that from the movie. So thumbs up for such a brutal start. But that didn't set the standard of the rest of the movie, unfortunately. No, the storyline in "Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare" wasn't great, nor was it bad. Sure, it was a watchable movie, if you distract from the "Peter Pan" aspect of the movie. Now, had the movie not carried the "Peter Pan" name, it would actually have made for a more enjoyable slasher movie. But it shouldn't be necessary to say that writer Scott Chambers mauled the work of J. M. Barrie.

Of the entire cast ensemble, I was only familiar with actor Nicholas Woodeson. Regardless, it should be noted that the acting performances in the movie were actually fair.

The special effects and make-up in the movie were actually good, and it definitely helped to keep the movie afloat.

My rating of director Scott Chambers's 2025 movie "Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare" lands on a four out of ten stars.

If you're a genuine horror fan then I think you'll find this movie entertaining. It's one of those movies that just leaves you with a bad feeling when you leave (and I mean that in a good way) I was impressed with the gore, I thought it was really well done, definitely a couple of parts that had me squirming. The main antagonist is really creepy and the lore is fun and very different. The movie kept a good pace and there weren't any boring parts. The storyline is very fresh, I think they did a really good job reinterpreting the original Peter Pan. I would definitely recommend this to my fellow horror lovers as a fun imaginative gore filled movie.

Seeing this film on a whim, probably like many others - entertained by ITN once again with the makers of blood and honey ( which I've avoided ) I found myself seeing this film with the ambition it wasn't going to be the best, however I was pleasantly surprised. With a typical but serviceable plot, the movie captivates you enough to draw you in and keep you on the line until the end. Some successfully skin crawling scenes alongside some effective kills and gore, it succeeds what it sets out to be! It even surprised me with some entertaining fight scenes and character combat. All in all, this film kinda felt like Black Phone meets a Terrifier 2 final girl showdown, it was serviceable and even got some laughs from me over it's execution. This film caught me off guard and I feel will capture audiences off guard too, as there really is some decent execution all around in this film - with expected, somewhat nitpick flaws to encounter. If you want a romp, to a T, this isn't a bad choice.

It's safe to say Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare wasn't a movie night anyone expected to survive emotionally intact-especially not for Winny, Sunny, Tails, and Sweet, who left the screening looking like they'd just stepped out of a fever dream. We've watched horror before (Sinners being a recent one), but this one? This was something else. It didn't just flirt with darkness-it dove headfirst into it, dragging childhood nostalgia down with it.

Some of us-Willow, Kuromi, and Amy-were admittedly surprised by how much they enjoyed the film. Willow especially appreciated the bold reimagining of familiar characters, highlighting the gruesome creativity behind some of the kills, like the scenes with Tinkerbell and the alligator (yikes). Kuromi, a known fan of gore, praised the film for its commitment to the horror genre, saying it embraced its madness in a way that felt refreshing. Amy found the unexpected turns in the plot exciting, even if it meant watching Peter Pan become someone truly unrecognizable.

On the flip side, Winny, Tails, and Sweet weren't as forgiving. They found the excessive violence-particularly the disturbing scenes involving children-a line too far. While Winny did admit the pacing was strong and the atmosphere consistently creepy, he couldn't help but feel like the film traded meaning for shock value. Sweet was especially critical of the movie's handling of child endangerment, calling it exploitative rather than artistic. Tails, meanwhile, appreciated the darker lens on Peter Pan but still struggled with how far the story went to disturb.

Acting-wise, Sunny gave props to the cast-Peter Duza as the kidnapped child was hauntingly believable, and the actress behind Tinkerbell delivered a twisted, grotesque performance that stuck with everyone for all the wrong (and maybe right?) reasons. But tonal shifts and pacing inconsistencies did throw off both Sunny and Willow at points, making the whole film feel like it couldn't quite decide what horror path it wanted to take.

Overall, this film split the room. For some, it was a bold, bloody reinterpretation of a classic story worth watching just for the insanity of it all. For others, it was a brutal reminder that not every fairytale should be turned into a nightmare. Either way-no one's looking at Peter Pan the same again.

Rating: 6/10.