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Stephen King is renowned as a horror author whose works—novels and screen adaptations—have terrified many fans of all generations. We’re familiar withCarrie,Salem’s Lot,The Shining, andPet Sematary, but many are probably unaware of what influenced him to write these books.
King had a very intriguing but mysterious childhood. He reportedly had experiences that were so macabre they laid down the path for him toward becoming a master of horror. While this might have been instrumental to his career, he credits one Disney movie for inspiring him to write his novels.
Disney’sBambiscared the hell out of horror author Stephen King
Anyone who loves to watch Disney films knows that behind the colorful imagery and amusing storylines that end happily ever after are real-life disturbing and dark origins.Stephen Kingeasily recognized the horror in 1942’sBambithe moment he saw it in theaters.
When asked byRolling Stonewhat drew him towards writing horror stories, he replied, “The first movie I ever saw was a horror movie. It was Bambi. When that little deer gets caught in a forest fire, I was terrified, but I was also exhilarated.” The author remarked that he could not properly explain why he was obsessed with the genre, but it has always been built in as part of his equipment.
The famed writer admitted he’s not ashamed about his fascination with horror even though it is considered the least respected genre. “I thought it was great fun to scare people,” he added. The amount of movies and literary works that have sprouted through the years proves that fondness for the controversial niche has become socially acceptable.
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As for Disney’sBambi, it was adapted from Felix Salten’s 1922 novelBambi: A Life in the Woods. The film had become more popular than the source material, which is quite sad given the fact that it omitted many important parts in the book that made it dark and disturbing. In fact, the original version was banned in Nazi Germany as it was considered a parable about the treatment of Jews in Europe.
Of course, Disney had to make afamily-friendly movie versionand remove all the gory and violent scenes, but King surprisingly saw the horror through it all.
Bambigets a much darker and scarier modern retelling
For many children, it was Bambi’s mother getting shot and killed in the meadow that left them traumatized. For King, the forest fire was even more terrifying than we all thought. He saw the animals scatter in fear, and for a child witnessing this harrowing scene unfold before his eyes, he knew he was scarred for life.
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Today,Bambiis reimagined as a literal horror movie with Dan Allen’sBambi: The Reckoning. The premise follows a mother and son who got into a car wreck and are hunted by a mutated Bambi as it goes on a rampage to avenge the death of his own mother. We’re definitely excited to hear King’s opinion about this upcoming movie!
Bambi(1942) is currently available to watch on Disney+.
Ariane Cruz
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3532
Ariane Cruz is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 3,000 articles published. Her love for pop culture and the creative arts fuels her passion to deliver engaging and informative stories. Her daily consumption of films, shows, and books keeps her energized for the day, along with her mission to serve as the bridge between fans and their favorite franchises.
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