The Twisted Childhood Universe recently made a horror version of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare — but Once Upon a Time already accomplished this several years ago. Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare premiered on January 13, receiving a short theatrical run. The movie takes place in the Twisted Childhood Universe, where Winnie the Pooh‘s horror movie, Winnie the Pooh: Blood & Honey, also takes place. Similar to Blood & Honey, Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare is a twisted, devious version of a classic children’s tale.

Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare has surprisingly done much better than its predecessor — so much so that the theatrical release of Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare was extended because the movie scored 70% among audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. While Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare has been much better received than Winnie the Pooh’s horror films, the movie feels redundant because a horror version of Barrie’s Peter Pan already exists. Once Upon a Time, a popular TV show aired on ABC in the 2010s, created a distorted version of this classic childhood fairy tale character years earlier.

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While Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare is the best film in the Twisted Childhood Universe, ABC’s Once Upon a Time already has a horrific interpretation of Peter Pan. At the end of Once Upon a Time season 2, Greg and Tamara kidnap Henry Mills, Emma Swan and Regina Mills’ son, and take him to Neverland. Peter Pan is quickly established as a major villain in Once Upon a Time, aiming to use Henry’s heart for himself. Peter’s time in Neverland is running out, so if he wants to stay young forever, he needs the heart of the Truest Believer: Henry.

However, Once Upon a Time‘s Peter Pan is far more than just a typical villain. His followers terrorize, manipulate, kidnap, and kill people on his behalf. Peter manages to influence and intimidate people all over the Land Without Magic and other realms. Even Rumplestiltskin, one of Once Upon a Time‘s most devious characters, is terrified of Peter Pan, which shows how threatening he is. Once Upon a Time turns a classic childhood icon into one of the scariest villains, making Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare seem a bit redundant.

From A Certain Perspective, Peter Pan Was Always A Horror Story

A Magical Boy That Never Grows Up Offers A Lot To Work With

While Once Upon a Time turned Peter Pan into a horror story before the Twisted Childhood Universe, Barrie’s original story can be viewed as a horror narrative on its own. Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare serves as a horrific parody of the original tale: a story about a boy who refuses to grow up. Barrie’s Peter Pan explores the dicH๏τomy between the carefree innocence of childhood and the bleak reality of responsibility in adulthood. While Peter Pan frames adulthood as something negative, it also illustrates the prospect of Neverland as horrific.

Although Peter Pan will never grow up and is free to do as he pleases, his time in Neverland highlights how his flaws have consumed him. Peter is arrogant and impetuous, always getting into trouble. In Barrie’s story, the Lost Boys exist because Peter kidnaps them if their parents do not claim their fallen babies within a week — the same timeframe for other horror classics, such as The Ring. The original Peter Pan narrative is a beloved children’s tale, but the story contains many horrific elements that make it easy to create a horror interpretation.

The Poohniverse Movie May End Up With A Peter Pan Very Similar To Once Upon A Time

Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare Might Fit In The Horror Genre More, But Once Upon A Time’s Peter Is Scarier

Although Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare fits in the horror genre more than Once Upon a Time, the latter surprisingly has the more terrifying interpretation. In Once Upon a Time, Neverland is a separate realm that no one can leave unless Peter Pan provides explicit permission, except for mermaids, because they can freely travel between realms. However, Neverland in Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare is an abandoned circus park. It might be challenging to free kidnapped children, but it is certainly not as terrifying as the prospect of being stuck in a different realm.

The gore that Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare has is a significant reason why the movie is horrific. However, Once Upon a Time‘s Peter Pan manages to be horrifying without gruesome gore. Furthermore, Once Upon a Time‘s version of Peter Pan existed before Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare, the first interpretation portraying Peter as a terrifying villain. Therefore, Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare had high stakes because someone else had already portrayed this concept. Although Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare and Once Upon a Time have vastly different audiences, it is clear that Once Upon a Time‘s interpretation of Peter Pan is superior.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes