Hack or Slash - A Horror Movie Review Podcast · Hack or Slash

Bambi: The Reckoning (2025)

November 28, 2025·1 hr 16 min·10 clips

The panel opens by asking whether Bambi: The Reckoning is a gothic tragedy or some unholy Bambi mutation. Chris brings in the rest of the crew, and the show quickly settles into its familiar blend of hangout energy and sharp criticism. They frame the movie as part of the Twisted Childhood universe and keep coming back to the way it turns cyclical trauma into a fairy-tale monster. The conversation moves fast, but it never stays shallow for long. The hosts keep pulling apart what the movie is trying to do and how hard it leans on its own premise. They note that the film is not shy about violence, and Sean describes the gore as enthusiastic without drifting into pure gore porn. He also points out that the movie uses a healthy mix of CGI and practical effects, which makes the kills feel more convincing than cheap. That balance becomes one of the clearest points of praise. The group obviously enjoys having something to argue about. The ending gets a lot of attention because it lands emotionally before backing away. One host calls that reaction brutal, while another wants to unpack a part of the finale that feels like bullshit. The episode never pretends the movie is elegant. It lets the rough edges stay rough. The animal report segment becomes its own moment, and the reaction is strong enough to feel genuinely disgusted. That part is not treated like a quick joke. It lands as a real warning about how unpleasant the film gets when it puts animals in the blast radius. Even with that repulsion, the discussion keeps moving and never turns into pure dunking. The panel keeps circling the same question: does the movie earn its nastiness? The answer is complicated, but not dodgy. By the time they get to ratings, the hosts settle on two hacks and two slashes. That split verdict fits the episode's shape, which is more argument than agreement. They still call the movie fun, and they still tell listeners to watch it anyway. The B-side tease points to more childhood-horror material, which fits the show's habit of turning personal memory into genre fuel. The whole thing feels like a group of horror fans working through a movie in real time. It is funny, grim, and willing to sit with the ugly parts instead of rushing past them. The strongest moments come when the show shifts from joke to analysis without making a big deal of the turn. The roughest stretch is the animal report, and the episode is clear about why it hits so hard. That clarity gives the conversation its shape. It knows exactly what kind of horror nonsense it is dealing with. And it knows exactly when to laugh at it.

As heard by us

A lively horror review that balances gore, jokes, and a surprisingly emotional ending.

Hacker Slash frames Bambi: The Reckoning as the latest Pooniverse expansion, and the discussion leans into cyclical trauma, Bambi's primal rage, and a medium gore score.

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Why you'd press play

If you want a horror review that laughs, winces, and still takes the movie seriously, press play.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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