Get ready for a whole new world… of terror. The trend of twisting beloved childhood tales into horror fodder continues, and this time, the target is Agrabah’s famous street rat. As reported exclusively by Deadline, an independent horror film titled Aladdin: The Monkey’s Paw is heading into production next month in the UK. The project comes from Empire Studios, Every Entertainment, and 8th Law Pictures. Instead of focusing on magic carpets and witty genies, this version is described as a “dark, supernatural reimagining” of the classic story. Aladdin: The Monkey’s Paw also steps far away from the beloved Disney animated movie by mixing Alladin themes with the monkey pawn trope so dear to horror fans.
Aladdin: The Monkey’s Paw updates the setting and the source of magical wishes, grounding the terror in a contemporary environment. The official synopsis states, “A modern-day Londoner, Aladdin, inherits an ancient monkey’s paw believed to grant wishes, only to discover that every desire comes at a soul-crushing price.” The cast includes Nick Sagar (Queen of the South), Ricky Norwood (EastEnders), and Montana Manning (Tell Me Everything), with Bradley Stryker (Terrifier 3) pulling double duty as director and cast member. The screenplay is penned by Charley McDougall, who also produces alongside Jamie McLeod-Ross, Nick Sagar, and Bradley Stryker.
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“We always wanted to explore horror through a personal lens — not just the scares, but the human cost of wishes,” writer-producer Charley McDougall explained. “This story’s been haunting us for a while, and it’s time to let it loose… We’re not just making another horror film — we’re building a world around a truly iconic concept. The paw, the mythology, the characters — it’s all there.” Director Stryker highlighted the planned dynamic of the film: “This film will be so much fun — it’s all about the peaks and valleys; the highs of lows of what we deem our dreams and desires… and then we slam that into a genre film in which the stakes have never been more diabolical and entertaining.”
Aladdin is Just the Latest Disney Classic to Become a Horror Movie
This dark interpretation of Aladdin: The Monkey’s Paw follows a now-established pattern within the independent film circuit, made possible by copyright law. When the copyright expires on the earliest published versions of certain characters and stories — versions often famously adapted by Disney decades later — those specific original iterations enter the public domain. This allows any filmmaker to use them without needing permission from the corporations associated with later, more famous adaptations. This legal loophole has fueled a wave of low-budget horror films leveraging the name recognition of childhood figures to tell drastically different, often violent, stories.
The current wave of public domain horror arguably began when A. A. Milne’s 1926 book Winnie-the-Pooh became public domain in the US in 2022. UK’s Jagged Edge Productions, spearheaded by Rhys Frake-Waterfield, quickly produced Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey. Released in early 2023, this micro-budget slasher depicted Pooh and Piglet as feral killers seeking revenge on Christopher Robin. Despite poor reviews and multiple Razzie wins, its viral buzz led to profitability and a sequel, Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2, which arrived in March 2024 with slightly improved reception and the addition of Tigger. A third installment, Blood and Honey 3, is planned for 2026 with a larger budget.
Following Pooh, J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan entering the public domain enabled Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare. Released in early 2025 and directed by Scott Chambers, the film presented Peter as a disturbed kidnapper. Jagged Edge Productions has branded these interconnected films “The Twisted Childhood Universe” (TCU), or “Poohniverse.” Next from the TCU is Bambi: The Reckoning, based on Felix Salten’s 1923 novel. Scheduled for a mid-2025 release and directed by Dan Allen, its trailer showcases Bambi as a mutated “vicious killing machine.” Other announced TCU films include Pinocchio: Unstrung and the crossover Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble.
Will you be watching Aladdin: The Monkey’s Paw? What do you think of horror movies based on classic childhood stories? Let us know in the comments!
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