''Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare'' is a 2025 British

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

written and directed by Scott Chambers. It is the third installment in The Twisted Childhood Universe (TCU), and serves as a horror retelling of

J. M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succe ...

's ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical ...

''. The film stars Megan Placito as

Wendy Darling Wendy Moira Angela Darling is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists of the 1904 play and 1911 novel ''Peter and Wendy'' by J. M. Barrie, as well as in most adaptations in other media. Her exact age is not specified in the origina ...

and Martin Portlock as the title character, with Kit Green, Peter DeSouza-Feighoney, Teresa Banham, Olumide Olorunfemi, Campbell Wallace, and

Nicholas Woodeson Nicholas Robin Frank Woodeson (born 30 November 1949) is an English film, television and theatre actor, and Drama Desk and Olivier award nominee. Early life and education Woodeson was born in Sudan and grew up in Haifa, Israel. He later moved ...

in supporting roles. It follows Wendy as she embarks on a quest to find her younger brother

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...

, who has been abducted by Peter Pan and

Tinker Bell Tinker Bell is a fictional character from J. M. Barrie's 1904 play '' Peter Pan'' and its 1911 novelisation '' Peter and Wendy''. She has appeared in a variety of film and television adaptations of the Peter Pan stories, in particular the 1953 ...

to be taken to

Neverland Neverland is a fictional island featured in the works of J. M. Barrie and those based on them. It is an imaginary faraway place where Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Captain Hook, the Lost Boys, and some other imaginary beings and creatures live. ...

. First announced in November 2022 as a ''Peter Pan''-based horror film, the film was subsequently revealed to be set in the TCU shared continuity. The cast was announced between January and June 2024, with Banham reprising her role from '' Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2'' (2024) as Mary Darling. ''Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare'' was released theatrically in the United States on 13 January 2025, and in the United Kingdom on 24 February. The film received mixed reviews from critics and has grossed $1.2 million worldwide.

Plot

Fifteen years ago,

worked at a fantasy-themed circus where he performs as a mime for many children. After a show that night, Peter attempts to abduct James in his house. James' mother, Roxanne, fights Peter and mutilates his face, but is overpowered and murdered while Peter abducts James. In the present day,

lives in a complex family dynamic with her younger brothers,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

and

, and their mother,

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

, who works as a

hypnotherapist Hypnotherapy, also known as hypnotic medicine, is the use of hypnosis in psychotherapy. Hypnotherapy is generally not considered to be based on scientific evidence, and is rarely recommended in clinical practice guidelines. However, several p ...

at the nearby town of Ashdown. On Michael's birthday, Wendy gives him a ride to school and promises to pick him up later. However, she gets distracted while talking to her boyfriend, and does not notice that Michael leaves on his bike. Michael rides through the woods and Peter eventually abducts him. The Darling family receives a phone call from Peter, who informs them that he will take Michael to "

". The next day, Peter slaughters a bus full of children. Simultaneously, Wendy, her best friend,

Lily ''Lilium'' ( ) is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs, all with large and often prominent flowers. Lilies are a group of flowering plants which are important in culture and literature in much of the world. Most species are ...

, and Lily's brother, Joey, drive to Ashdown, where they visit Steven Carter, whose

transgender A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth. The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...

child, Timmy, was abducted by Peter years ago. Wendy stays the night with Lily's family, but Peter arrives to abduct Joey; he kills Lily and her parents in the process while Wendy follows him. Meanwhile, Michael meets Timmy, now going as "

", who believes everything Peter has told her over the years due to the

drug abuse Substance misuse, also known as drug misuse or, in older vernacular, substance abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder, differing definitions ...

Peter subjected her to and is convinced that the children Peter kills are actually going to the fictional "Neverland". After following Peter to an abandoned manor, where he is holding Michael and Joey hostage, Wendy breaks into it to save him. Peter becomes aware of Wendy's presence as she finds Michael. The siblings are separated when Peter attacks them, and Wendy hides in the basement. She finds Joey alive in a closed coffin and helps him to escape through a window. Wendy also discovers James, now heavily mutilated and chained, with a hook for a hand. Tinker Bell betrays Peter after Wendy reveals that Steven misses her. In response, Peter brutally kills Tinker Bell and engages in a fight with Wendy, in which he bites off two of her fingers. Michael appears and bludgeons Peter in the face until James emerges from the basement, hooks a critically injured Peter in the shoulder, and drags him away as revenge for his mother's death. One year later, Michael celebrates his birthday with Wendy, John, and Mary. Wendy receives a phone call and hears the same music that was heard in Peter's original call.

Cast

Additionally, Eddy MacKenzie, who portrayed Piglet in '' Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2'', appears as Lee, a party storekeeper who is murdered by Peter. Charlotte Jackson, who previously appeared as one of Christopher Robin's colleagues in the same film, appears as Wendy's employer.

Production

In November 2022 the film was announced to be in development for ITN Studios and Jagged Edge Productions, with

Rhys Frake-Waterfield Rhys Frake-Waterfield (born ) is a British filmmaker who became known for his 2023 independent horror film '' Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey'' and its 2024 sequel. It was the first theatrical film of his career, as well as the first for his co ...

producing. The film was written and directed by Scott Chambers. In February 2023, the producers revealed that it would be set in the same continuity as '' Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey'' (2023) and its sequel. By January 2024, Martin Portlock, Megan Placito, Kit Green, Peter DeSouza-Feighoney, and Charity Kase were cast as

, Tinker Bell, Michael Darling, and Captain James Hook, respectively. By June 2024,

, Kierston Wareing, Teresa Banham, Olumide Olorunfemi, and Campbell Wallace were added to the cast. Banham reprised her role from ''Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2'' as

Christopher Robin Christopher Robin is a character created by A. A. Milne, based on his son Christopher Robin Milne. The character appears in the author's popular books of poetry and ''Winnie-the-Pooh'' stories, and has subsequently appeared in various Disney ...

Mary Darling.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

began on 9 May 2024 in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, which Chambers confirmed via his social media. The film was produced by Jagged Edge Productions in association with ITN Studios for a budget of £250,000–£310,000.

Release

''Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare'' was theatrically released in the United States by Iconic Events Releasing on 13 January 2025, and in the United Kingdom by Altitude Film Distribution on 24 February.

Home media

The film was released digitally on

Amazon Prime Amazon Prime (styled as prime) is a paid subscription service of Amazon which is available in many countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services inclu ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

on 13 May 2025.

Reception

Box office

''Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare'' grossed $1.2 million in the United States, the Netherlands, Australia, Bulgaria, Mexico, Colombia, Spain, and Russia.

Critical response

Sequel

In January 2025, director Scott Chambers announced plans for a sequel, acknowledging that the film needs to perform well at the box office before the project can be officially

green-lit In the context of the film and television industries, to greenlight is to give permission to proceed with a project. It specifically refers to formally approving its production finance and committing to this financing, thereby allowing the projec ...

. He also stated that the plot would explore the realization that though the first film depicts Peter Pan exploring Neverland while he is under the influence of drug abuse and the audience is intended to question its reality, the sequel would reveal that the location is indeed a real place.

Notes

References

External links

* {{Portal bar, Film, United Kingdom, Speculative fiction/Horror, 2020s 2020s British films 2020s English-language films 2025 films 2025 horror films 2025 independent films 2025 LGBTQ-related films British independent films English-language horror films Films about birthdays Films about child abduction Films about children Films about fairies Films about siblings Films based on adaptations Films produced by Rhys Frake-Waterfield Films produced by Scott Chambers Films set in London Films shot in London Horror films based on children's franchises Peter Pan films The Twisted Childhood Universe Transgender-related films Works featuring villain protagonists