They won’t stop making Mickey Mouse horror movies – and now a Steamboat Willie slasher is on the way

Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse
(Image credit: Disney)

There are now four Mickey Mouse horror movies on the way – and it's all thanks to public domain.

According to BloodyDisgusting, another Mickey Mouse horror movie based on the 1928 movie Steamboat Willie is in the works. The Mouse Experiment "follows a group of friends stuck at a fairground amusement park hunted down by a mutated rat – Steamboat Willie."

When Steamboat Willie was announced as public domain just nine months ago, two movies were already in the works. Mickey's Mousetrap, directed by Jason Bailey via Into Frame Productions, follows a girl and her friends as they get hunted down by a masked killer dressed as Mickey Mouse on her 21st birthday. Screamboat, directed by Steven LaMorte, stars Terrifier's David Howard Thorton as a murderous Steamboat Willie – yes, Art the Clown himself.

Mouseboat Massacre was announced just last week. Director Andrea M. Catinella told BloodyDisgusting that the movie sees "the most beloved childhood character becomes an endless nightmare," adding, "Imagine Pennywise wearing the most famous rat mask."

It's worth noting that only Steamboat Willie has become public domain, and Disney has the right to sue the pants off of any studio that uses "Mickey Mouse" anywhere in the film. These Mickey Mouse horror films are also not part of the "Poohniverse," which includes those upcoming Cinderella, Peter Pan, and Winnie the Pooh indie horrors.

The Mouse Experiment will be released on VOD in October. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2024 and beyond, or, skip right to the good stuff with our list of movie release dates.

Lauren Milici
Senior Writer, Tv & Film

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for 12DOVE currently based in the Midwest. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.

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