My quick rating – 5.2/10. Going into Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare, I fully expected another lazy public domain horror cash-in—one of those throw-a-classic-character-into-a-mask-and-make-them-stab-things kind of flicks. Instead, I got something surprisingly well-constructed and far more thoughtful than its title suggests. This one actually takes the time to build a story around its slasher premise, rather than just leaning on name recognition and gore. It’s still ridiculous, yes, but it’s crafted ridiculous.
The film follows Wendy Darling (Megan Placito), now a gritty, determined young woman on a mission to rescue her brother Michael (Peter DeSouza-Feighoney) before he’s spirited away to Neverland—though this version of Neverland is a far cry from the magical place you remember. It’s more like a nightmare purgatory ruled by a twisted version of Peter Pan (Martin Portlock), who lures children with promises of adventure but has far darker intentions. The real kicker? Along the way, Wendy meets a strung-out Tinkerbell (Christopher Green) who’s addicted to what she thinks is fairy dust. Yeah, it’s that kind of movie.
Portlock’s Peter Pan is a genuinely creepy presence. He’s not your typical slasher villain with a knife and a mask—he’s charismatic, childlike in the worst way, and clearly off his rocker. His performance walks a nice line between theatrical and disturbing, and it works. He feels like someone who believes he’s still in a fairy tale, which makes the violence he unleashes even more unsettling.
Placito brings the right mix of strength and desperation to Wendy. She’s not helpless, and there’s actual effort put into her arc as she transforms from someone looking for her brother into someone who realizes what it’s going to cost to save him. The entire cast is shockingly decent, which is rare for low-budget horror, especially of the public domain reimagining variety. Even Tinkerbell, portrayed with twitchy, tragic energy by Green, brings something memorable to the table.
The film makes good use of practical effects, which is always appreciated. Blood splatters are tangible, kills have impact, and even the sets, low budget as they may be, feel imaginative and immersive. There’s a fight scene toward the climax that, while not Hollywood-polished, has some surprisingly decent choreography. And the ending? Brutal and appropriately bleak. No winks to the camera. No cute resolution. It commits to its tone and follows through. There is a twist late in Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare, but it’s not exactly a shocker. Most viewers will likely see it coming from a mile away, but it doesn’t hurt the movie much because it isn’t trying to pull a fast one, it’s just moving the story to its grim, inevitable conclusion.
Director Scott Chambers takes some big swings with this one, and while I don’t know if J. M. Barrie would be thrilled to see his characters soaked in blood and existential trauma, I’ll admit it: this worked. It’s not art, but it is a creatively nasty take on classic lore. Definitely a step above the Piglet approach of “just put a Pooh mask on and kill stuff” approach we’ve seen in similar projects. If you’re into twisted fairy tales with actual effort behind them, this is one nightmare worth visiting.
Justwatch doesn’t have any streamers listed atm, but I am sure that will change.