Director Mark Polonia And Producer Ron Bonk Discuss ‘Winnie-the-Pooh BEAST’ [Exclusive Interview]
David Gelmini
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Following on from the success of this year’s Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey, it was clearly only a matter of time before more horror movies about the lovable bear started to come our way. Especially since the character has now entered the public domain, now any filmmaker can release their own Winnie-the-Pooh adaptations without having to worry about securing the rights (as long as they do not use any elements from the franchise which were not included in the original book). And horror fans certainly will not have long to wait before the anthropomorphic bear graces their screens again, because an Indiegogo campaign was recently launched for a new horror film called Winnie-the-Pooh BEAST.
As its name suggests, Winnie-the-Pooh BEAST focuses on a monstrous incarnation of everyone’s favorite yellow teddy bear, who menaces anyone who ventures into the Hundred Acre Wood. The film does not yet have a release date, but the Indidgogo campaign has already hit its goal, so we can expect Winnie-the-Pooh BEAST to enter production in the near future. Until then, we spoke with the film’s producer, Ron Bonk, and the director, Mark Polonia, in order to get an idea of what to expect from this intriguing new horror interpretation of the honey-loving teddy bear who originally appeared in the beloved stories of A. A. Milne.
Dread Central: Why did you decide to create a horror movie focusing on Winnie-the-Pooh?
Mark Polonia: We felt the time was right to expand into something more well known to the public and give it a horror theme slant.
Ron Bonk: As soon as I saw news about it entering the public domain, I wanted to do a horror movie based on Christopher and Pooh and maybe his friends. But the SRS Cinema production slate was so full at the time I just could not find a spot. After we got a few of the other productions out of the way, it came back into my peripheral and I figured this was the perfect project for Mark. I like to mix up what I send him, hoping it keeps luring him back lol.
DC: Was it freeing to plan a horror movie about a character who is now in the public domain?
MP: Actually, it is more difficult, as there still are copyright stipulations that must not be crossed.
RB: I agree with Mark. It actually makes me a little nervous, having to check and double check we are just using materials from the first book, but also wanting it to be something the fans of Winnie-the-Pooh will get a kick out of.
DC: Without going into spoilers, can you confirm if the version of Winnie-the-Pooh appearing in the film will be a madman in a suit or an actual murderous bear?
MP: It most certainly won’t be a real bear! Too unpredictable and costly to have on set. My guess is it will be a monster suit with an unfortunate actor inside!
RB: I want Mark to find a real murderous bear.
DC: And how is Winnie-the-Pooh going to look in the film?
RB: This one’s on Mark.
MP: Let’s just say he wouldn’t make a good plush toy for youngsters!
DC: And will any of the other talking animals from the Winnie-the-Pooh stories be showing up?
RB: I pitched to Mark that we should focus on Pooh but maybe allude to others. I would want to save them for a sequel.
MP: There will be certain references to the other stuffed animals littering the Pooh lore.
DC: Can you discuss the plot and the human characters?
RB: I sent Mark a synopsis but have not seen the script yet.
MP: We want to keep details tight to our vest right now, but we can say that an adult, and possibly unbalanced Christopher Robins reunites with his old stomping grounds, the Hundred Acre Wood, with disastrous results with whomever he comes into contact with.
DC: Where are you planning to film? Will you be using an area of scenic natural beauty to stand in for the Hundred Acre Wood?
MP: We scouted out an awesome stretch of acreage that we feel will represent a “Modern” Hundred Acre Wood.
RB: Good, yes, forest for sure, the main setting will be the Hundred Acre Wood.
DC: And lastly, how do you think fans who grew up with Winnie-the-Pooh will react to Winnie-the-Pooh BEAST?
MP: That’s a tough question to answer. I guess they’ll have to view it and decide for themselves. We hope they enjoy it though!
RB: I hope they love it as well. I’m depending on Mark to put some fun nods to the original material so they get a kick out of that, but also bring his own unique twist… and lots of blood and scares! Knowing Mark, I’m not too worried he’ll do all that, and more!
Categorized:Interviews
