Bambi: The Reckoning Review (FrightFest 2025)
Another year and another attempt comes along to turn a once-beloved childhood character into a thing of nightmares. So far, the likes of Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, and Steamboat Willie have been given the horror movie treatment. Now, thanks to director Dan Allen, Bambi is the next victim in the firing line.
The film follows a mother and son who survive a car wreck and are hunted by Bambi, a mutated deer. The creature embarks on a rampage seeking revenge for the death of his mother, killing anyone who gets in his way.
Now, to mine and everyone else’s shock, Bambi: The Reckoning has a fair few things up its sleeve that are legitimately decent. Unlike other films within this oddly specific subgenre, like Blood and Honey or even this year’s Screamboat, this project appears to have effort put into many areas that instantly make it more palatable than those aforementioned films.
The biggest praise that can be given to Bambi: The Reckoning is its effects. Though the entire film is shrouded in darkness, the effects, both practical and CGI, are better than most would think. This is especially noteworthy for the titular deer itself, whose effects are very convincing for the most part. There is the odd shot here and there where the CG dips in quality, but during chase scenes or wide shots where the deer lurks in the shadows, the results are really well done.
A solid attempt is also made here to bring things together in a cohesive manner, rather than just having this creature exist for the sake of killing people. The connections are loose and clichéd, but at least the elements present try to give a little bit of purpose to the proceedings. The animation, which opens the film, is a refreshing way to add backstory to the deer’s bloodlust, while the grandmother’s drawings, which make little sense in or out of the context of the film, give an extra level of creepiness to the events that unfold.
Where the film shines in those areas, it still doesn’t make up for it with its shallow character work. Though a genuine attempt is made to get the audience to care about the mother and son at the centre of the film, the dialogue and writing as a whole aren’t strong enough to make this work. I realise compelling writing and strong characters aren’t what most people watch these films for, but it would be nice for a change to get bold characters that don’t just adhere to exaggerated stereotypes, something which this film tries and fails at on more than one occasion.
Compared to its contemporaries, Bambi: The Reckoning is actually not as bad as one would expect. It is still far from perfect, but throughout its runtime, it genuinely feels like thought and consideration went into the tone and pacing of this film and not to mention the surprisingly impressive CGI deer. It’s arguably the best of the bunch, but the bunch was pretty rotten to begin with anyway.
★★ 1/2
Playing at FrightFest 2025 from 21st August / Roxanne McKee, Tom Mulheron, Samira Mighty, Nicola Wright, Russell Geoffrey Banks, Joseph Greenwood/ Dir: Dan Allen / ITN Studios
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