It’s January 1, 2024, meaning that a new pool of art, books, and media has entered the United States public domain. It also means the race is on for hundreds of indie filmmakers to make the first absolutely middle-of-the-road horror movie starring the public domain’s newest entry: Steamboat Willie.
“It’s chaotic right now, as we’re all trying to get a foothold into the lucrative Steamboat Willie market that global audiences are demanding,” said Chip Wentworth, an independent filmmaker.
“Steamboat Willie is in the public’s domain, and that means the public has gotta be ravenous for any kind of media containing this very specific 95-year-old cartoon mouse.”
Rhys Frake-Waterfield, best known for his work on Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey and currently working on both a Peter Pan and a Bambi horror movie, has expressed interest in throwing his hat in the enormous, hat-laden Steamboat Willie ring as well.
“I just genuinely enjoy taking old childhood stories and memories and giving them a scary twist for more modern audiences,” said Frake-Waterfield. “Also using an existing intellectual property is basically like printing money. You bet your ass I’m making a Betty Boop horror movie in 2026, and not even God can stop me.”
Other well-known filmmakers have expressed interest in making a Steamboat Willie picture, from Martin Scorsese to George Lucas to Guillermo del Toro.
“I always loved the idea of making a movie that explores the heart of this little mouse captain,” said del Toro in an interview with The Guardian. “Basically, if you give me a budget of $30 million, I’ll make you cry your eyes out over the most stylized, puppeted mouse you’ve ever seen.”
As of press time, here are all of the current Steamboat Willie-inspired horror movies currently in production:
- Steamboat Willies
- Whistle of the Mouse
- Steamboat Willie: Blood and Steam
- Steamblood
- Steamboat Killy
- The Mouse and the Boat
- Steamboat Willies 2 (Pre-production)
- Willie: Inspired by a True Story
- Steamboat Willie Meets The Wolf Man
- The Conjuring of Steamboat Willie
- The Exorcism of Steamboat Willie
- The Killing of Steamboat Willie
- The Conjuring of The Exorcism of The Killing of Steamboat Willie
- The Steamboat Murdering
- Willie’s Nelson (this one he kills by putting you in a full nelson)
- Steamboat Spree
- Steamboat Willie’s Wonderland
- Steamboat Willie and Sherlock Holmes
- Steamboat Willie and Sherlock Holmes 2: This One Is The Moriarty One
- The Grave of Steamboat Willie
- Nightmare on Steamboat Street
- Who’s That? Uh-oh, It’s Steamboat Willie
- Steamboat Chainsaw Massacre
- Steamy Willie (this one is a porn)
- It Came From Planet Steamboat
- Steamboat Willie: A Life Of Crime
- Scooby Doo: Steamboat Scaries
- Dude, Where’s My Steamboat?
- Alien vs. Predator vs. Steamboat Willie
- Suck My Willie (this one is also a porn)
- Speedboat Wilie
- Racecar Willie
- Motorcycle Willie
- Willied
- Steamboated
- Night of the Steamboat Willies
- Steamboat Willie’s Gold
- The Willies
- Steamboat Terror
- Steamboat Willie and the Secret Rings
Hard Drive will update this article with the additional 100 indie movie titles as they are announced in the next 24 hours.
