Bambi: The Reckoning Trailer released
The Twisted “Poohniverse” Expands Again With Bambi: The Reckoning, A Ferocious Spin on the Disney Classic
Following the viral shockwaves of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey and its bloodier sequel, plus the nightmare-fueled Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare, the so-called “Twisted Childhood Universe” continues to carve out a bloody niche in horror with its latest entry: Bambi: The Reckoning.
Slated for theatrical release on July 25, 2025, via Seismic Releasing, this unhinged creature feature is helmed by director Dan Allen and written by Rhys Warrington, both of whom are diving deep into the public domain with a taste for gore and childhood nostalgia gone rogue.
Produced by Jagged Edge Productions and ITN Studios, Bambi: The Reckoning is being billed as the first-ever live-action take on the gentle forest fawn—albeit reimagined as a grief-fueled, mutated monster on a ruthless killing spree.
“After a mother and son survive a horrific car crash, they find themselves stalked by Bambi—a deformed and vengeful deer driven mad by the trauma of his mother’s death.”
A far cry from the tender coming-of-age tale generations grew up with, this Bambi has more in common with Cujo than cartoon classics.
The newly released trailer—which you can watch exclusively below—has already begun stirring buzz in the horror community. Early reactions are calling it “a twisted fairytale with teeth,” “wickedly fun,” and even “one of the strongest additions to the Poohniverse, if not the best.”
Starring Roxanne McKee (Game of Thrones), Nicola Wright (Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2), Russell Geoffrey Banks (Who’s Watching Oliver), Tom Mulheron (Slow Horses), and Samira Mighty (Love Island), Bambi: The Reckoning promises an unsettling blend of emotional trauma and visceral terror.
“We’re excited to bring the first live-action Bambi to the big screen—just not in the way anyone expected,” said Stuart Alson, President of ITN Studios. “Yes, it’s horror. And yes, it’s wild.”
Inside the Twisted Childhood Universe (a.k.a. the “Poohniverse”)
The horror renaissance of beloved childhood icons began with 2023’s Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, a viral indie slasher that turned the Hundred Acre Wood into a hunting ground for a feral Pooh and Piglet. Despite a modest budget and mixed reviews, it found cult success and spawned a more ambitious sequel in 2024 featuring upgraded effects, a broader mythology, and a bloodier body count.
Then came Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare, which turned the eternal boy into a sinister, soul-devouring force, dragging the Lost Boys into madness and decay. Both films have fed a growing appetite for public domain horror, a trend now thriving with Bambi: The Reckoning.
Looking ahead, Jagged Edge and ITN are reportedly developing other public domain horror takes, including:
- Pinocchio: Unstrung – A grotesque puppet comes to life, but not to become a real boy—he wants revenge.
- Sleeping Beauty’s Massacre – A medieval bloodbath meets surreal dream logic as Aurora awakens into a nightmare world.
- The Three Blind Mice – A rural slasher involving experimental surgery, insanity, and mutilated senses.
With the “Poohniverse” shaping into a sprawling horror multiverse of deranged childhood classics, Bambi: The Reckoning may be the most emotionally disturbing—and viscerally intense—installment yet.
Brace yourself. The forest is no longer safe.
