The next Mickey Mouse horror film to hit theaters is Screamboat, which puts a deadly spin on Disney's classic animated short, Steamboat Willie. However, the first official look at the villain shows him repeating the most disappointing element of Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood & Honey, but there's a twist that may save him. A popular, if controversial, trend in horror that continues to gain traction is adaptations of children's characters and stories. While the Twisted Childhood Universe continues to build its own world, other studios aren't missing the opportunity to bring a touch of terror to once-innocent characters.
David Howard Thornton, best known for his terrifying portrayal of Art the Clown in the Terrifier series, faces a new kind of threat in Screamboat, a fun and frenetic horror slasher that promises to turn a simple ferry ride into a nightmare.
Director: Steven LaMorte
Writers: Matthew Garcia-Dunn, Steven LaMorte
Stars: Tyler Posey, David Howard Thornton, Jesse Kove
Joining Thornton in the cast are Kailey Hyman (Terrifier 2), Tyler Posey (Teen Wolf), Jesse Posey (Selena: The Series), Jarlath Conroy (Day of the Dead), Jesse Kove (D-Day: Battle of Omaha Beach), and Brian Quinn (Impractical Jokers). The film features creature designs by Quantum Creation FX, the team behind The Last Voyage of the Demeter, inspired by Avatar: The Way of Water artist Christian Cordelia.
A very popular character among horror filmmakers is Steamboat Willie, who has already had a couple of horror films and has more in development. The next horror version of Steamboat Willie, due for release in 2025, is Screamboat, directed by Steven LaMorte and written by him and Matthew Garcia-Dunn. Screamboat will transport audiences to New York City, where a nighttime ferry ride turns into a nightmare. Ahead of its April 2025 release, the first glimpse of Screamboat's villain was revealed, but it repeats Blood & Honey's biggest mistake.
The 1928 black-and-white animated short film Steamboat Willie was released in January 2024, allowing anyone to use the character in various works. The horror genre seized this opportunity and created a pair of Steamboat Willie-inspired films, one of them being Screamboat. The project was announced in April 2024 and teased to be a horror-comedy with the famous mouse as the villain. Unlike other horror versions of Steamboat Willie, Screamboat's villain is a miniature mouse, described as "mischievous" and capable of unleashing murderous mayhem.
To achieve this, Screamboat combines special effects, miniatures, and prosthetic makeup, with David Howard Thornton portraying the mouse. Although Screamboat's premiere is still a couple of months away, the first full official look at killer Mickey Mouse has finally been released… and it's curious. The mouse is certainly tiny and wears the Steamboat Willie costume, but he's clearly a man dressed as a mouse, which is eerily and unfortunately reminiscent of Winnie the Pooh and company's appearance in Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey.
Screamboat was described as a horror-comedy, although the first trailer was more horror than comedy. Screamboat's tone may have changed after production began, but it's precisely its comedic side that justifies Mickey Mouse's appearance. The only image released so far of this evil Mickey Mouse isn't exactly scary, especially considering he's the size of a mouse. In short, Screamboat's Mickey Mouse design isn't at all threatening.
Despite his design flaws, Screamboat's Mickey Mouse has one great asset: his actor. David Howard Thornton is no stranger to the horror genre, best known as Art the Clown in the three Terrifier films to date and in his television appearances. Thornton also played a horror version of The Grinch in The Bad Guy and will appear as a zombie in the upcoming film Night of the Living Dead II. Thornton, therefore, knows how to bring truly terrifying characters to life, even if his design isn't exactly nightmarish.
The key to Screamboat's success lies in its comedic side through its villain and also in Thornton's performance. It will be interesting to see Thornton as a miniature mouse seeking to kill everyone on a ferry, and his performance is what makes this Mickey Mouse unsettling and terrifying despite his disappointing and strange appearance.
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