With a sequel to Winnie The Pooh: Blood and Honey just around the corner, the newly coined Poohniverse is about to get a whole bigger and bloodier.
The next classic fairytale character getting the horror treatment is Bambi, in Bambi: The Reckoning. We caught up with director Dan Allen to tell us all about the film.
Can you tell us how you got involved in Bambi: The Reckoning?
I’ve known Scott and Rhys for a while. I’ve worked with them on lots of projects as both an editor and a director. It was super exciting to be asked to join the Poohniverse though!
You recently finished shooting the film, what was the process like bringing this story to life?
Very cold! We were filming in -3 celsius a lot of the time so it was a tough shoot and was almost entirely night shoots. We had a blast though. It was a lot of prep to make sure that our limited shooting hours could be put to maximum use. Myself and the writer Rhys Warrington spent a lot of time going over and over the script to make sure it was in the best possible place before we shot it.
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey made great money, was the aim to move quickly on this to ride the wave of its success?
I think honestly Scott and Rhys only have one gear which is full speed ahead so I think it has more to do with that haha. It’s a privilege as a storyteller to have an audience so excited about a world and franchise and I think missing out on the opportunity to serve up more twisted fairytale stories for an amazing fanbase would be a real shame.
Why do you think Bambi lends itself to becoming more of a horror story?
The original book has often been considered a horror. It’s a traumatic coming-of-age story for Bambi and I think this is a perfect companion story/adaptation that exists within the horror genre. Our film stays true to the heart of the original text and is pretty emotional as much as it is terrifying.
Can we expect plenty of gory special effects?
Yes! We’re actually about to shoot some bonus gore to dial it up to 11 so expect some savage deer action!
What was the casting process like?
It was cool! Nicola Wright was on the project before I was and she was a real treat to work with! Then there was quite a lot of exploration for the lead of Benji and Xana but I couldn’t be happier with who we found in Roxanne McKee and Tom Mulheron. The rest of the cast are all great and super interesting too. There’s a real edge to the whole line-up. Nobody sinks away into the background you know.
This looks like becoming a shared universe with Blood and Honey, how do the stories overlap?
You’ll have to wait and see… but i don’t think there’s been anything quite like it in the world of horror before. It’s a super exciting time!
How did Bambi differ from your previous work in the genre?
It’s my first time with a fully CGI creature which has actually been a really expansive opportunity. Especially once I saw the awesome work of Stephanie Bellgardt and Ryan Bellgardt (responsible for bringing Bambi and another special character to life). I took a lot of tricks from the original Jurassic Park (one of my favourite films) to make it as effective as possible. The film is very in line with my dark and gritty style overall though.
When is the film looking to be released?
All I can say is sometime in the next 12 months (as long as post goes smoothly!). It will be worth the wait! It’s an incredibly scary, sad and horrifying film!
Bloody Flicks 