‘Terrifier’ Star Suits Up as a Psychotic Steamboat Willie in First Look at Latest Public Domain Horror Flick

The first official image of David Howard Thornton, best known for playing Art the Clown in the Terrifier franchise, as a slasher version of Steamboat Willie has been revealed, along with a new release schedule. Starring Teen Wolf’s Tyler Posey and directed by Steven LaMorte, who helmed the Grinch slasher film The Mean One, re-imagines the first version of Disney’s iconic mascot now in the public domain. Titled Screamboat, the movie centers on a late-night ferry ride in New York City where Mickey Mouse, specifically Steamboat Willie, kills the passengers.

Iconic Events Releasing, via Variety, revealed the first look of actor David Howard Thornton as Steamboat Willie in Screamboat. The distribution company also announced that the film’s release date would be pushed back from January 2025 to April 2025, with several pre-screening events planned across the United States ahead of the new release date. Screamboat will also get a push at horror conventions before the movie opens in theaters. Writer-director LaMorte said this regarding the film:

“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. 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.”

While the Walt Disney Company retains exclusive rights to the iconic depictions of Mickey Mouse, the Steamboat Willie version of the character entered the public domain on January 1, 2024. As is the case with many beloved IPs commonly associated with Disney that enter the public domain, cheap slasher horror re-imagines are immediately put into production to cash in. Screamboat is one of those films, as it was announced the day after Steamboat Willie entered the public domain.

‘Screamboat’ Isn’t the First ‘Steamboat Willie’ Horror Film Close

Despite the character only being in the public domain for a little over a year, Screamboat is actually going to be the second Steamboat Willie-based slasher film. The first was Mouse Trap, which was released on demand on Aug. 6, 2024, and was widely panned by critics. Neither Screamboat nor Mouse Trap are part of the other slasher horror franchise based on public domain characters commonly associated with Disney called The Twisted Childhood Universe (TCU).

Often referred to as The Poohniverse, seemingly named after the financially successful first entry, Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey, and not the quality of the productions. Despite sounding like a series of SNL bits, it has become a horror series that includes Winnie-the-Pooh: Bloody and Honey 2, Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare, and upcoming titles like Bambi: The Reckoning, Pinocchio: Unstrung, and the team-up film, Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble.

Related Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood and Honey Director Says Steamboat Willie Projects ‘Might Get a Bit of a Shock Soon’

Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood and Honey director warns others on using Steamboat Willie.

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While the entire enterprise of turning a piece of media often associated with children’s media into an R-rated slasher film has already become a tiresome trend, which has burned out quicker than the multiverse, Disney live-action remakes and legacy sequels, it does speak to a possible desire for a return to slasher movies.

Slasher movies dominated cinema in the late 70s and 1980s, with Scream (1996) both deconstructing and reviving them simultaneously. However, aside from the remake trend of the 2000s, slashers gave way to other horror genres, like found footage, paranormal hauntings, and the more surreal atmospheric horror popularized by many A24 entries.

The Terrifer films have become a new iconic horror franchise, with David Howard Thornton’s Art the Clown being the most popular new horror villain since Jigsaw in Saw back in 2004. He himself has become a big name in the horror community, and combined with general audiences perhaps being curious about a killer Mickey Mouse movie, Screamboat, could prove to be rather popular.

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Screamboat HorrorComedy Director Steven LaMorte Cast David Howard Thornton , Jesse Kove , Jesse Posey , Jarlath Conroy , Allison Pittel , Amy Schumacher , Anthony E. Williams , Charles Edwin Powell Main Genre Horror