The Big Picture

  • Bampire is a gory horror-comedy inspired by '80s and '90s slasher films, featuring a vampire deer on the loose.
  • The movie is supported and funded by fans through crowdfunding, offering a unique blend of live-action, animation, and practical effects.
  • With a talented ensemble cast, Bampire promises to be an insane and intriguing film that will keep fans on the edge of their seats.

Horror fans, heads up, a new Bambi-inspired feature, Bampire is on the way. Not to be confused with, Bambi: The Reckoning, which is part of the Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey universe, per Bloody Disgusting, Bampire will be a gory horror-comedy paying tribute to the iconic slasher movies of the ’80s and ’90s. The announcement comes as Bambi, the character created by author Felix Salten for his novel Bambi, a Life in the Woods, entered the public domain this year.

The first look at the feature is also out and the slew of images perfectly dive into this dark and gory world with ample blood and mysterious vibes. By the looks of the images, it seems like a vampire deer is on the loose in the woods. The feature is directed by Taylor Morden from a script written by Zoë Wassman, who describes the feature as “Evil Dead 2 meets Who Framed Roger Rabbit.”

‘Bampire’ is Supported and Funded by Fans

The indie movie already has a rally of fans behind it as the project is crowdfunded, “We still have a long way to go to finish this film. Crowdfunding is an amazing way to grow support for an independent production like Bampire and to get the word out about how great this film is going to be,” director Morden explains. “Bampire is a wild ride of a project! You’ve never seen anything like it!” There has been a slew of horror movies turning fan-favorite legacy characters into horror icons and Bampire seems to be riding the wave, rightfully. With the obvious addition of vampirism, it'll be interesting to see how much of Bampire overlaps with the classic tale we know and love.

“Bampire is arguably the most insane movie to ever try and produce at our budget level, but we believed it was a story worth telling. Still do,” Wassman said. “For all of us, Bampire is a labor of love; for one another, for the ability to create the artwork we enjoy creating, and for the true heart of the piece itself.” The movie boasts “heart-wrenching live-action performances,” along with hand-drawn animation by Josh Stifte, and practical gore by FX artist Trysta Kelley. Fans will also witness a claymation sequence from effects supervisor Webster Colcord and even diegetic VHS footage from an in-world camera. Overall Bampire sounds like a feature that will keep fans on the edge of their seats.

The movie has an ensemble cast including Diane Franklin, Greg Sestero, Lloyd Kaufman, Katie Gibbons, and Jeff Brosy. Further rounding off the cast are Malachite Saaquya, Weston Oliver, Melody Parra, Jacob Rayl, Levee Duplay, and Paul Addison.

Bampire's crowdfunding campaign is ongoing on Indiegogo and will run through April 12. You can learn more and support the film ahead of its October 2024 release on Indiegogo. See the new images above.