Summary

• Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare set photos reveal a blood-soaked twist on the classic tale.
• The film fits into the trendy subgenre of mascot horror by adapting childhood icons into a horror context.
• The new adaptation of Peter Pan makes sense due to its preexisting darker elements that are ripe for horror.

Set photos from Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare tease the blood-soaked heights to come. The upcoming movie, which is an entry in the Twisted Childhood Universe, will twist the classic tale of Peter Pan into something far more sinister as the classic protagonist becomes a killer. The horror-fantasy is directed by Scott Chambers and features a leading cast including Peter DeSouza-Feighoney, Chrissie Wunna, Amanda Jane York, Megan Placito, Charlotte Jackson, and Frederick Dallaway.

As per @KillerChainsaw9, set photos from Chambers' Instagram have been revealed for the upcoming Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare. Check them out below:

The first image shows a look at a green background, similar to the hue of Peter Pan’s conventional garb. Instead of an innocent outfit, however, this outfit is speckled with deep red blood. The second image shows a glimpse at the camera on set. The camera's screen reveals a green-tinted room, with a teddy bear ominously sitting on the floor.

How Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare Fits Into An Existing Horror Trend

Childhood Stories Continue To Be Popular Choices For Horror Adaptations

If this is a motif traced throughout the film, it suggests that Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare will play on the visuals of some of the other J.M. Barrie adaptations, reinventing them in a horror context.

While only a brief glimpse, these images give a hint as to the esthetics of Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare. While none of the central characters are displayed in these photos, the color green plays a key factor in both images. If this is a motif traced throughout the film, it suggests that Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare will play on the visuals of some of the other J.M. Barrie adaptations, reinventing them in a horror context.

Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare falls under the umbrella of a recently trendy subgenre of mascot horror films. A mascot horror film is one that takes a classic piece of benign childhood iconography and turns it upside down through the twisted lens of the (usually slasher) horror genre. The most concrete example of this trend is found in the Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey franchise, which makes the world of Winnie-the-Pooh into a serial killer universe. Other recent mascot horror movies include Five Nights At Freddy’s and The Mean One.

Of the mascot horror films, Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare perhaps makes the most sense in some ways. There are already a number of horrific elements to the original story of Peter Pan. Captain Hook’s arm is eaten by an alligator, who now taunts him with a ticking clock that triggers a PTSD-like response. The Lost Boys are orphans, who are blessed with never growing up but tortured by the lack of maternal figures. Given these elements, Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare should be ripe for a great mascot horror adaptation.

Source: @KillerChainsaw9/Twitter