Pinnochio: Unstrung

Pinocchio: Unstrung
Starring Richard Brake, Robert Englund, Cameron Bell, Jessica Balmer
Directed by Rhys Frake-Waterfield

In a world where CGI has all but overtaken the cinematic landscape, seeing a film filled with practical effects is a breath of fresh air, no matter how convoluted the story is. "Pinocchio: Unstrung" - the continuation of Rhys Frake-Waterfield's "Twisted Childhood Universe" - falls under that category. While there's a lot about this movie that doesn't make a lick of sense, it can be forgiven because the practical effects are so well-done for such a small budget you can't help but admire it. Where production companies crap out soulless sequel after soulless sequel, Frake-Waterfield's work showcases his deep desire to see his vision come to life, and you can feel his heart beating with every scene.

After losing his parents, young James (Cameron Bell) goes to live with his grandfather Geppetto (Richard Brake) who's been planning something secret in his basement. He eventually reveals his creation to James - a sentient wooden puppet named Pinocchio (Jude-Evan Lloyd) who is to be James's best friend, unable to die. As the two form a close bond, Pinocchio desires to become a real boy, and when he's misled by the villainous Talking Cricket (Robert Englund) begins to murder anyone he sees as a threat to James and takes some of their organs to make himself into a real boy.

Everyone knows the Disney version of Pinocchio, and in 2022 they learned more about his origin story thanks to Guillermo del Toro's Oscar-winning animated film of the same name, but now we get the horror version in a clunky yet expertly designed film. While many people disregarded the original idea for the "Twisted Childhood Universe" film "Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey," Frake-Waterfield never gave up on his vision and has given more self-assured films including the "Blood and Honey" sequel, "Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare," and "Bambi: The Reckoning." Now with "Pinocchio: Unstrung," he is able to take all the characters and compile them into an "Avengers" style film coming out next year, but until then we got this little gem to enjoy.

What makes "Unstrung" good isn't the story, which both makes sense because it focuses on the history of the sentient wooden puppet, and also doesn't make a lot of sense either (such as the death of a particular person that other characters seem to just gloss over). What we tune into these movies for is the gore and carnage, and "Unstrung" delivers those in glorious practical effects fame. Be it taking a woman's teeth, or skinning a man alive, and other unspeakable acts, you'll cringe in disgust at the events occurring on screen while also appreciating the work it took to make it happen.

Throw in horror mainstay Richard Brake as a more villainous Geppetto and especially the Master of Horror Robert Englund as the voice of the Talking Cricket and you've got a fast-paced gorefest of a movie that is actually gut-bustingly funny as well, delivered not to perfection but enough for it to be enjoyed.

The Score: C+