A public-domain creature-feature riff that mostly lands as disposable, joke-forward splatter rather than a genuinely sharp horror-comedy. The premise has novelty, but the execution sounds too thin to justify the runtime unless you enjoy low-budget creature chaos and ironic trash cinema.
Bambi: The Reckoning
Where to watch: Buy
Movie · Horror · Thriller
Fri · 1h 20m
Director: Dan Allen
Starring: Roxanne McKee, Tom Mulheron, Adrian Relph
Overview
After a mother and son get in a car wreck, they soon become hunted by Bambi, a mutated grief-stricken deer on a deadly rampage seeking revenge for the death of his mother and wife.
Director
Dan Allen
Cast
Roxanne McKee, Tom Mulheron, Adrian Relph
Curator Review
Verdict
A public-domain creature-feature riff that mostly lands as disposable, joke-forward splatter rather than a genuinely sharp horror-comedy. The premise has novelty, but the execution sounds too thin to justify the runtime unless you enjoy low-budget creature chaos and ironic trash cinema.
Best for
Viewers who enjoy knowingly silly, low-budget horror
Fans of public-domain mashup slashers
People looking for a late-night group watch with laughs
Audiences tolerant of rough CGI and thin plotting
Skip if
You want polished horror or real suspense
You dislike irony-first genre movies
You need strong characters or emotional payoff
You’re not in the mood for cheap gore and broad absurdity
Overview
Bambi: The Reckoning is the kind of horror movie that arrives with its joke already built in. The public-domain premise gives it a hook, and the mutated-deer setup is exactly the sort of ridiculous concept that can work if the film commits to the bit with wit, energy, or a mean streak. Here, the reaction suggests something more uneven: watchable in patches, but mostly too flimsy to rise above novelty value.
Worth noting
The best-case reading is as a trashy creature feature with a few accidental laughs and some decent practical-to-CGI hybrid mayhem. The worst-case reading is a movie that wants the audience to do most of the heavy lifting, while the script and direction stay one step behind the premise. That leaves it in a familiar zone for this wave of public-domain horror: amusing as an idea, less convincing as a movie.
Bottom line
If you’re already sold on the Twisted Childhood Universe style of exploitation, there may be enough here for a curiosity watch. For most viewers, though, the smarter move is to skip and revisit a better-made animal attack or darkly comic horror film instead.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Eddie @ The Cottage (3.5★) · 360 likes
This is trash but I'm a raccoon
Joel (2★) · 315 likes
if these just leaned into being dark comedies they’d actually be something entertaining at least. This isn’t unwatchable, but it’s for sure not a good movie.
elio 🎧 (1★) · 258 likes
no! please don’t kill me mr bambi, i want to be in the sequel
frejaoneill (2★) · 168 likes
who would win in a fight? bambi in this film, or the mutated compound v sheep from the boys?
ItsLV (3.5★) · 153 likes
Fucking stupid but better than being deported. fun.