Movie · 2025 · Horror, Thriller · 1h 20m · NR · English
Curator score: 0.4/10 (15.2K ratings)
Welcome to his stomping grounds.
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.
Ratings
Curator score: 0.4/10
IMDb: 4.9/10
Letterboxd: 2.11/5
TMDB: 5.5/10
Director
Dan Allen
Production
Jagged Edge Productions
Cast
Roxanne McKee, Tom Mulheron, Adrian Relph, Nicola Wright, Alex Cooke, Ewan Borthwick, Big Tobz, Joseph Greenwood, Russell Geoffrey Banks, Samira Mighty, Catherine Adams, Luke Cavendish, David Ambler
Where to watch
Peacock Premium, Peacock Premium Plus
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.