Pinocchio: Unstrung (2026)
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A sentient puppet's quest to become a real boy leads to a violent crusade against those who harm his only friend.
The story
After his parents die in a car accident, fourteen-year-old James is sent to live with his grandfather, Geppetto. To comfort the boy, Geppetto builds a sentient wooden puppet named Pinocchio. As the two develop a brother-like bond, Pinocchio's naive nature is influenced by the sinister voices around him. When Pinocchio learns of the dangers facing James, he begins a crusade to eliminate anything that could harm his friend, leading to a series of violent encounters as the puppet seeks to fulfill his desire to become a real boy.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
James, an orphan, lives with his grandfather Geppetto, who builds him a sentient puppet named Pinocchio. Pinocchio is manipulated by a 'Wood Mother' and a 'Talking Cricket' into believing he must eliminate anyone who threatens James. This leads to a series of gruesome murders, including a school teacher, a drunk driver, and several teenagers. During the carnage, Pinocchio even begins to wear the skin of his victims to feel more human. The truth is revealed when Geppetto admits he used the corpse of James' deceased friend, Zach, to power the puppet. In a final confrontation, Geppetto is killed by a mysterious creature, and the house burns. James, Mia, and Pinocchio escape, while the Cricket is shown to have survived in a post-credits scene.
- First release year
- 2026
- Runtime (minutes)
- 82
- Production countries
- United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Rhys Frake-Waterfield
- Writers
- Rhys Frake-Waterfield · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Richard Brake · Geppetto; Robert Englund · the voice of the Talking Cricket; Cameron Bell · James; Jessica Balmer · Mia; Jude-Evan Lloyd · the voice of Pinocchio; Emma Tate · the Wood Mother; Jack Art Gray · Dudley; Peter DeSouza-Feighoney · Michael Darling
- Genres
- Horror; Slasher
- Themes
- Manipulation of children; Identity; Friendship
- Premise and plot tags
- Slasher; Body Horror; Puppet; Retelling
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
- Franchise connections
- The Twisted Childhood Universe (TCU)
- Content notes
- R-rated; Gore
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics, making it the first in the Twisted Childhood Universe to do so.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 50 · scale: 100 · review count: 4
- Production trivia
- The character of Pinocchio was a fully practical animatronic.; The film was influenced by Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio for its use of practical effects.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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