Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey already gained quite a bit of attention for its use of iconic characters. The film used the now public domain literary characters to turn Winnie the Pooh and his friend Piglet into slasher villains. Now it appears that a Florida teacher traumatized his fourth grade class by screening the horror film.
As shared via CBS News Miami, a math teacher chose to play the film on October 2. “They were exposed 20 to 30 minutes” of the film, says Michelle Diaz, a parent of fourth grade twins who watched the horror film in math class. The film, which is not rated, was screened for students without the teacher having checked the film’s content.
“He didn’t stop the movie, even though there were kids saying, ‘Hey, stop the movie, we don’t want to watch this,'” Diaz shared. Though she also claims that the kids chose to watch the film initially, perhaps thinking it was a Disney movie, and that it was the teacher’s fault for not verifying the content within.
“It’s not for them to decide what they want to,” she added. “It’s up to the professor to look at the content.”
Ms. Vera Hirsh, the head of the school, provided a statement regarding the situation and how they hope to handle it going forward. Here’s what Hirsh shared:
“The Academy for Innovative Education has become aware that a segment of a horror movie was shown to fourth graders, Monday, October 2, 2023, that was not suitable for the age group,” the statement said. “Our administration promptly addressed this issue directly with the teacher and has taken appropriate action to ensure the safety and well-being of students.
“We are actively monitoring the students and our mental health counselor and principal have already met with those students who have expressed concerns.”
Unfortunately, there was bound to be brand confusing by turning innocent storybook characters into newfound horror villains. It’s clear, then, that teachers should definitely do their homework regarding what they choose to show their class. Especially when their class consists of fourth graders and the title of the film includes “Blood and Honey.”
As for now, a sequel to Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey is currently in the works.