🎬 Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare (2025)


Trailer provided by Rotten Tomatoes Coming Soon via YouTube


Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Release Date: March 28, 2025
Genre: Horror, Thriller, Fantasy
Platform: Theatrical Release
Director/Writer: Scott Chambers
Cast: Martin Portlock, Megan Placito, Kit Green, Peter DeSouza-Feighoney, Charity Kase, Teresa Banham, Nicholas Woodeson, Kierston Wareing, Olumide Olorunfemi


If you thought Neverland was just a place where kids never grow up and adventures never end, Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare is here to obliterate that fantasy—and replace it with something far darker, bloodier, and deeply unsettling.

The third installment in the Twisted Childhood Universe (TCU), following Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey and Bambi: The Reckoning, Neverland Nightmare continues the TCU’s mission of dragging beloved childhood tales into grim, nightmarish territory. This time, writer-director Scott Chambers takes aim at J.M. Barrie’s whimsical classic, reimagining Peter Pan not as a mischievous boy-hero, but as a predatory, cult-like figure who lures children to Neverland for sinister purposes.

And honestly? It works disturbingly well.


Plot Overview

The story centers on Wendy Darling (Megan Placito), now a teenage girl, who finds herself plunged into a waking nightmare when her younger brother Michael (played by Peter DeSouza-Feighoney) disappears one night. All signs point to a mysterious entity known only as “Pan,” an eerie figure whispered about in local legends. When Wendy discovers that Pan has taken Michael to a place called Neverland—a realm that exists just beyond the reach of time and logic—she embarks on a terrifying journey to retrieve him.

But this Neverland isn’t filled with playful fairies, mermaids, and lost boys looking for a mother. It's a decaying world built on delusion, ruled by Peter Pan (Martin Portlock), who is more cult leader than carefree child. Time doesn’t just stand still in this version of Neverland—it rots.

As Wendy uncovers the truth behind Pan’s sinister domain and the children he’s trapped there, the film spirals into a hallucinatory blend of horror, folklore, and psychological trauma.


A Horror Reinvention That Cuts Deep

What makes Neverland Nightmare so effective is its commitment to tone. This isn’t a slasher flick in a green hat—it’s a surreal, atmospheric descent into madness, more The Witch than Friday the 13th. The visuals are drenched in decay: gnarled trees, crumbling pirate ships, blood-stained feathers, and eerie shadow creatures that stalk Wendy through the woods.

Scott Chambers’ direction leans into psychological horror, with Neverland presented as a symbolic space shaped by childhood fears, trauma, and forgotten grief. It’s less about jump scares (though there are a few effective ones) and more about the oppressive dread that grows with every scene. The pacing is deliberate, even meditative at times, as Wendy pieces together the truth about Peter and the twisted nature of eternal youth.

There are heavy themes lurking beneath the gore—abandonment, exploitation, and the loss of innocence. Peter Pan, in this version, doesn’t just want to keep children young forever—he wants to keep them his forever, emotionally manipulating and mentally breaking them down. This is where Martin Portlock shines.


Performances: Spotlight on Portlock and Placito

Martin Portlock’s Peter Pan is one of the most chilling villains in recent horror memory. He plays Pan with a childlike lilt that occasionally slips into something monstrous. His charisma is unsettling, his smile always just a bit too wide, his obsession with control hidden beneath the façade of charm. Portlock gives Pan the aura of a cult leader—a charismatic predator with delusions of grandeur and a dark need for adoration. It's a bold reimagining, and Portlock carries it with disturbing ease.

Megan Placito, as Wendy, is the emotional backbone of the film. Her performance evolves from cautious worry to outright desperation, and eventually into steely determination. She captures the fear and confusion of a girl thrown into a surreal nightmare, but she never plays Wendy as helpless. Her vulnerability is balanced with grit, and by the third act, she becomes a force of her own. Placito brings heart to a film otherwise heavy on despair.

The supporting cast adds texture. Charity Kase (of RuPaul's Drag Race UK fame) makes a memorable impression as a deranged Tinker Bell-like creature who speaks in riddles and drips with menace. Peter DeSouza-Feighoney (from The Pope’s Exorcist) brings a haunting innocence to Michael, while Kit Green and Teresa Banham help flesh out the eerie ensemble of Pan’s manipulated "Lost Ones."


Visuals, Sound, and Atmosphere

Visually, the film is stunning. Cinematographer Aaron Reid creates a Neverland that is simultaneously lush and rotting, magical and malevolent. Think Guillermo del Toro meets Pan’s Labyrinth—only with less whimsy and more blood.

The production design is a standout. The pirate ship, the forest, and the dilapidated treehouses all ooze atmosphere. Every inch of Neverland feels corrupted, like a memory curdling in real time. The costume design—particularly Peter Pan’s tattered green ensemble and Charity Kase’s nightmarish fae garb—leans into the theatrical, adding a gothic, almost operatic layer to the horror.

The score, composed by a relatively unknown talent, pulses with tension. It mixes childlike melodies with distorted strings and low droning hums, creating an auditory sense of dread that never fully lifts. Combined with smart sound design—whispers in the forest, creaking branches, distant screams—the atmosphere becomes suffocating in the best possible way.


The TCU Finds Its Groove

With Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare, the Twisted Childhood Universe seems to have found its identity. While Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey was more of a campy slasher and Bambi: The Reckoning leaned into creature-feature territory, Neverland Nightmare strikes a balance between psychological depth and horror spectacle. It proves that this franchise can be more than internet meme material—it can be a platform for smart, stylish horror reinterpretations of beloved tales.


Flaws and Final Thoughts

While Neverland Nightmare is a strong entry in the horror genre, it's not perfect. Some pacing issues slow down the middle act, and a few characters are underdeveloped or feel like exposition devices. There are moments when the symbolism veers into the obvious, and horror fans looking for gore-heavy thrills might be disappointed by the film’s more cerebral approach.

Still, for what it sets out to do, Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare succeeds. It’s bold, unsettling, and surprisingly emotionally resonant. It forces you to reexamine a classic story through the lens of horror, showing just how thin the line can be between childhood wonder and existential dread.


Verdict

Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare is a gothic fever dream soaked in childhood trauma and fairy tale decay. With standout performances, haunting visuals, and a chilling reinvention of a beloved character, it’s the strongest entry in the TCU so far—and a must-watch for horror fans craving something different.

4 out of 5 stars – a twisted tale worth losing sleep over.