Bambi: Die Abrechnung

"Bambi: The Reckoning" (2025), directed by Dan Allen, takes the beloved childhood character and twists it into a relentless, R-rated creature feature. Part of the "Twisted Childhood Universe," this film reimagines Bambi as a mutated, grief-stricken deer on a deadly rampage, seeking revenge on humans. While some critics note inconsistent pacing and CGI, many praise its effective monster design, creative kills, and willingness to lean into its wild premise. It's a bloody, unapologetic horror film that delivers on its promise of an unhinged Bambi.

Is it worth watching? If you're a horror fan looking for a campy, gory, and surprisingly fun take on a classic, and don't mind a B-movie aesthetic, then "Bambi: The Reckoning" is a surprisingly entertaining watch.

Deceptive though it might seem, high camp can be a tricky artform to pull off successfully on screen, especially in genres like horror and sci-fi. It requires deftly managed, evenly sustained pacing - not necessarily at the breakneck speed of a screwball comedy, but certainly steady in its regular dispensing of delicious nuggets of wry and macabre wit with bridge segments in between them that move the story along without overstaying their welcome. Sadly, however, in his fourth feature outing, director Dan Allen only gets this down pat about half of the time in this twisted and sinister retelling of the classic Felix Salten 1923 novel about a motherless roe coping with life in the forest. In this ghoulish iteration of the tale, a divorced mother (Roxanne McKee) and her 13-year-old son (Tom Mulheron) are on their way to visit her in-laws' family after her ex-husband (Adrian Relph) summarily ditches his promise to spend the weekend with the boy. However, the duo's journey is interrupted when their ride is brazenly attacked on a remote roadway by a ferocious mutant adult stag that looks like something out of the "Jurassic Park/Jurassic World" movies only with cheesier special effects (but with a supremely stylish set of hooves that resemble those in the inner sleeve artwork from the Rolling Stones' Tattoo You LP (1981)). Not only does the woodland monster go after the stunned mother and son, but also all of their relatives, including the family matriarch (Nicola Wright), who suffers from a form of dementia but seems to have an unusual (but unexplained) psychic bond to Bambi. This scenario is further complicated by a band of apparent bounty hunters who are charged with capturing and/or killing the creature, as well as other equally gruesome wild animals that have also mysteriously mutated, including a pack of rabbits whose carnivorous proclivities put the bunny from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" (1975) to shame. The reasons behind the hunt don't become clear until well into the film (after more than enough of the aforementioned protracted narrative hammocks), but they nonetheless provide the absent justification behind much of the story (as well as the source of Bambi's unrepentant rage), making for a final act that compensates for many of the picture's prior shortcomings. To its credit, the film's campy elements are well done, but there just aren't enough of them and they're a little too loosely strung together (at least initially), almost feeling as if the in-between sequences amount to little more than excessive padding to fill out the runtime. In addition, there's a certain predictability to the narrative wherein it's easy to guess who's going to get done in and when, as well as who ultimately ends up surviving the ordeal. I was also somewhat puzzled by the preponderance of F-bombs scattered throughout the screenplay, a count that rivals "The Wolf of Wall Street" (2013) at times, particularly for a story involving younger characters. These issues are somewhat made up for by the inclusion of several surprisingly touching moments, an unexpectedly nice counterpart to the graphic (but generally in-context) gratuitousness that pervades the film, often depicted in colorful and cleverly raucous ways (remember what I said about those bunnies). Indeed, those who enjoy their horror with a touch of dark humor are sure to enjoy this production from the makers of the "Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey" films, though don't be disappointed if you still come away from it hungering for a little more, especially in light of this offering's scant 1:21:00 duration. Nevertheless, come the movie's end, don't be surprised if you still find yourself heaving a heavy sigh and heartily exclaiming "Deer me!"

Look, Bambi: The Reckoning isn't a good movie in the traditional sense, and that's exactly why it's worth watching. This gloriously unhinged revenge-horror parody takes Disney's most delicate deer and turns him into a bloodthirsty woodland avenger. It's absurd, over-the-top, and completely aware of how ridiculous it is.

You don't watch this movie for nuance or storytelling, you watch it to see Bambi tear through people like Rambo with antlers.

It's the perfect movie for a late-night hangout with friends, some popcorn, and a sense of humor.

Is it bad? Absolutely.

Did I enjoy it? Without a doubt.

Review: Bambi: The Reckoning - A Disturbing Yet Stylish Horror Reboot

Bambi: The Reckoning is a bold and twisted reimagining of the beloved childhood classic - and surprisingly, it works. Turning a story about innocence and nature into a brutal tale of revenge and survival, the film embraces its absurd premise with full force and delivers a stylish, bloody horror experience.

The visuals are eerie and beautiful, with haunting forest landscapes and creative cinematography that give the film an almost fairy-tale nightmare quality. The creature design of Bambi is terrifying and impressive, combining grace with sheer menace.

While the plot is simple and leans heavily on horror clichés, it's effective. The pacing is tight, the kills are creative, and the atmosphere is thick with dread. The film also touches lightly on themes like environmental destruction and trauma, without becoming preachy.

Overall, Bambi: The Reckoning isn't for everyone - especially not for those hoping for nostalgia. But for horror fans looking for something bold, gory, and visually striking, this film is a wild and unforgettable ride.

Rating: 10/10.

(Watched July 25th, 2025) Bambi: The Reckoning is currently the best installment in the Twisted Childhood Universe. I love almost everything they went for in this movie. The only problem I have is some of the acting can be bad. But the acting wasn't terrible some of it was actually good, the story is decent, the CGI is amazing for a movie with a low budget, the deaths were clever, and it had some funny moments that I laughed at in the theater.