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Stars: Tyler Posey, David Howard Thornton, Jared Johnston, Brian Quinn, Jesse Kove, Anthony E. Williams, Kailey Hyman, Brian Scolaro, Sarah Kopkin, Jesse Posey | Written by Steven Lamorte, Matthew Garcia-Dunn | Directed by Steven Lamorte

As someone who’s appreciated films like Jack and Jill, and Three Blind Mice but then didn’t adore Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey and its sequel, I approached Screamboat with a blend of intrigue and scepticism. The film delves into the growing trend of turning classic public-domain characters into horror icons, transforming the cheerful mascot of Steamboat Willie into a bloodthirsty nightmare. With David Howard Thornton, known for his silent yet menacing performance as Art the Clown in Terrifier, stepping into the role of this twisted rodent, I had cautious optimism.

The story unfolds aboard a late-night Staten Island ferry, where an unlucky group of passengers finds themselves trapped with a monstrous, mutated mouse that has one goal: slaughter.

There are two completely different kinds of brutality afoot in movies like “Screamboat,” the latest in the low-budget horror movie craze to pervert beloved intellectual property the instant their 95-year copyright protection lapses into the public domain. First, there’s whatever sadistic fates the filmmakers have in mind for the characters, from being impaled by a forklift to having their faces plunged into the propeller of the Staten Island Ferry. But the real violence — and the reason audiences presumably pay to see these IP parasites — is what’s done to the characters themselves, as there’s an illicit thrill in desecrating powerful brands, like Disney.

“Screamboat” isn’t the first slasher movie to spoof “Steamboat Willie,” the 1928 animated short that introduced a primitive black-and-white version of Mickey Mouse, but it’s a lot more fun than last year’s “The Mouse Trap,” a pathetic cash grab in which some guy...

In the curious post-Blood and Honey era of horror cinema, where beloved public domain characters are reimagined as homicidal maniacs, Screamboat arrives with a raucous splash and a gleefully raised middle finger. Directed by Steven Lamorte (who previously retooled the Grinch into a murderous misanthrope in The Mean One), this is an anarchic slasher that knows exactly what it is: low-budget, high-concept trash, and proud of it.

The premise is charmingly ludicrous. A ferry packed with New Yorkers heads out on a foggy late-night voyage to Staten Island, only to find themselves trapped with a maniacal rodent who’s less Mickey Mouse, more maritime Gremlin with a machete. David Howard Thornton, best known for his turn as Art the Clown in Terrifier, dons the whiskers and big ears here as Steamboat Willie, playing him like a demonic vaudeville performer, complete with gleeful whistles and malevolent mimework. He’s tiny, twitchy,...

“Screamboat” won’t set sail on its official theatrical voyage until April 2, but the movie’s star skipper is already seeing clear skies.

“I’ve been to two of the screenings so far, and the audience reactions have been fantastic. They’ve really gotten what we’re trying to do,” David Howard Thornton told IndieWire — ahead of the trailer’s exclusive debut. “I like to call it ‘splat-stick’ comedy because it’s just an absurd concept when you think about it. I mean, it’s a mutant mouse going around on a boat killing people.”

Directed by Steven Lamorte and co-written with Matthew Garcia-Dunn, “Screamboat” sees Thornton taking off his typical “Terrifier” make-up to disappear into the role of a serial killer Steamboat Willie. The upcoming slasher is the latest in a string of genre movies twisting beloved childhood memories into an indie filmmaking movement. The opportunity to spin Disney...

Exclusive: Signature Entertainment has acquired UK & Irish rights to horror-comedy Screamboat from DeskPop Entertainment.

The film stars David Howard Thornton, Art the Clown in the Terrifier franchise, as a murderous Steamboat Willie. The synopsis reads: “A late-night boat ride in New York City becomes a struggle for survival when a seemingly harmless mouse transforms into a dangerous monster.”

Also starring are Tyler Posey (Teen Wolf), Kailey Hyman (Terrifier 2), Jesse Posey (Selena: The Series), Jesse Kove (D-Day: Battle of Omaha Beach) and Brian Quinn (Impractical Jokers).

Pic is produced by Amy Schumacher, Martine Melloul, and Steven Lamorte (the team behind The Mean One) in collaboration with Steven Della Salla and Michael Leavy (Terrifier franchise) and directed by Lamorte from a script he co-wrote with Matthew Garcia-Dunn (Silent Hill: Ascension). Iconic Events Releasing is releasing in the U.S. in April.

Christian Beckman‘s Quantum Creation FX, Inc. created the creature...

Winnie the Pooh, Pinocchio, Bambi, Peter Pan, and now Mickey Mouse... kinda!

The first teaser for Iconic Events Releasing's upcoming Screamboat movie didn't actually reveal the murderous mouse, but thanks to a new promo image (via Variety), we now have a first look at David Howard Thornton - who plays Art the Clown in the Terrifier films - as a twisted take on the classic cartoon character.

This project is not part of the Twisted Childhood Universe, aka the "Poohniverse," but by the looks of this reprehensible rodent, he'd fit right in.

As we're sure many of you will be aware, Steamboat Willie debuted in a 1928 animated short film directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, which is generally viewed as the first appearance of Mickey and Minnie Mouse. For all intends and purposes, Willie is the iconic Disney mascot, but something tells us this character won't be referred...

The next Mickey Mouse horror movie to be released in theaters is Screamboat, which gives a deadly twist to the classic Disney animated short Steamboat Willie – however, the first official look at the villain shows it’s repeating the most disappointing element from Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood & Honey, but there’s a twist that can save it. A popular yet controversial trend in horror that keeps gaining force is adaptations of children’s characters and stories. While the Twisted Childhood Universe keeps building its own world, other studios aren’t wasting the chance to give a touch of horror to once-innocent characters.

One character who has been very popular among horror filmmakers is Steamboat Willie, who has already gotten a couple of horror movies with more in development. The next horror take on Steamboat Willie to be released in 2025 is Screamboat, directed by Steven Lamorte and written by him and Matthew Garcia-Dunn.

A new twist on a beloved classic is set to hit theaters this April. Screamboat, a horror spoof of the 1928 Disney short Steamboat Willie, will bring a sinister version of the iconic mouse to life. The release date, originally slated for January, was recently pushed to April by Iconic Events Releasing.

Alongside this announcement, fans were treated to the first look at the murderous mouse, played by David Howard Thornton, known for his chilling performance as Art the Clown in the Terrifier franchise.

via Variety

Director Steven Lamorte, who previously directed the horror parody The Mean One, is at the helm of Screamboat. In his words, the film is “a way of paying homage to Disney while adding a sinister, yet comedic twist to the classic.”

Lamorte praised Thornton’s portrayal of the murderous Willie, describing the performance as both “hilarious and murderously entertaining.” The practical effects used to transform...

A new image has been revealed for the upcoming movie Screamboat. The film serves as a horror spoof of Steamboat Willie, the classic animated short that first introduced the Mickey Mouse character.

In 2024, Steamboat Willie officially entered the public domain. While later incarnations of Mickey Mouse are still protected by copyright law, the introductory version as shown in Steamboat Willie can legally be spoofed. This is part of a new trend that's picking up following the success of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, which took another beloved children's character and turned him evil thanks to the copyright protection going away. How Screamboat will turn out remains to be seen, but the first look at David Howard Thornton (the Terrifier trilogy's Art the Clown actor) in the role of the killer Willie has been revealed.

Related Terrifier 3 Fans Need to Watch This 40-Year-Old Holiday Horror Movie

The team behind...

Steamboat Willie’s reign of terror is now set to hit the big screen this spring.

Iconic Events Releasing has shifted the U.S. theatrical release date of the Steamboat Willie horror movie “Screamboat” from late January to April. The distributor has also unveiled a first look at the killer mouse, portrayed by David Howard Thornton, best known for his role as Art the Clown in the “Terrifier” franchise.

“I’m so excited to share our mischievous monster mouse with the world. ‘Screamboat’ is my way of paying homage to Disney while putting a sinister, yet comedic twist on the classic,” said writer-director Steven Lamorte. “Watching David Howard Thornton bring Steamboat Willie to life with the magicians at Quantum Creation FX has been nothing short of amazing — he’s hilarious and murderously entertaining. I can’t wait for audiences to meet Willie and experience the chaos we’ve created.”

Per the film’s official description,...

Production on “Screamboat” is chugging right along.

Director Steven Lamorte stepped away from an editing session to update IndieWire on his forthcoming horror comedy, expected in theaters early next year from distributors DeskPop Entertainment and Iconic Events Releasing. The slasher spoof plans to commandeer Disney’s “Steamboat Willie” from 1928 — now that its black-and-white versions of Mickey and Minnie Mouse are in the public domain. You can watch the film’s sinister first teaser trailer, making its exclusive digital debut with IndieWire, above.

“Our movie, while it is bloody and gory and raunchy, it really is a love letter to this character,” said Lamorte, who co-wrote the script with Matthew Garcia-Dunn. “As 2024 got closer and closer, it seemed like the copyright was really going to lapse. Once the clock struck midnight on January 1, and it was clear that we were going to be free to use the character and have some real fun with him,...