Bampire, a Horror-Comedy Based on Bambi, is Coming Soon

Taylor Morden, the filmmaker behind The Last Blockbuster and Getting LOST, an upcoming documentary about LOST, has launched a crowdfunding campaign to create Bampire, a new horror comedy based on the public-domain novella Bambi. Written by Zoë Wassman, the crowdfunding camapaign on IndieGoGo features a first-look at the footage, and gives fans a chance to order limited edition merchandise and the ability to pre-order copies of the movie. Set in 1997, the crowdfunding campaign offers fans a chance to get a Bampire pog…so you get a pretty good sense of the vibe they’re going for. Wassman described it as “Evil Dead 2 meets Who Framed Roger Rabbit?.” The campaign also describes the film as being heavily influenced by the anti-war undertones of the original story — themes that didn’t play heavily into the famous Disney version.

Riffing on characters from the original novella Bambi by Felix Saltan, Bampire features live action performances, hand-drawn animation by Josh Stifter (A24 and Kevin Smith’s Tusk), practical gore by award-winning FX artist Trysta Kelley, a claymation sequence from effects supervisor Webster Colcord (Stranger Things, Deadpool), and even diegetic VHS footage from an in-world camera. 

“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,” Morden said in a statement. “Bampire is a wild ride of a project! You’ve never seen anything like it!”

“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 added. “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 crowdfunding campaign runs through April 12th and then the film is slated for release in October 2024. A full description of the project is available on Indiegogo at bampiremovie.com

Bampire (produced by PATH Films and Popmotion Pictures) features appearances by Diane Franklin (Better Off Dead, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure), Greg Sestero (The Room, The Disaster Artist), and even Troma’s own Lloyd Kaufman (Creator of The Toxic Avenger).

The film also includes an ensemble cast including Katie Gibbons (Blind Duet, Take a Hike), Jeff Brosy (Animal House), Bampire co-creator Malachite Saaquya, Weston Oliver, Melody Parra (Nena, Devotion), Jacob Rayl (It’ll be OK), Levee Duplay (Operation Hope, Birds Eye Witness) and Paul Addison (The Killing of Billy the Kid). 

This project brings together an intrepid crew of Oregon filmmakers, as the principal photography is taking place in forests outside Veneta, OR and in the Community Television Studio in Eugene, OR.