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An 82-year-old Disney movie is why Stephen King writes horror books

An 82-year-old Disney movie is why Stephen King writes horror books

Stephen King is recognized as a horror author whose works, novels, and screen adaptations have terrified many fans of all generations. We are familiar with Carrie, Salem Lot, The brilliantand Pet Sematrarybut many are probably unaware of what influenced him to write these books.

Stephen King CBS News
Stephen King / Credits: CBS News

King had a very intriguing but mysterious childhood. He reportedly had experiences so macabre that they laid the path to becoming a master of horror. While this could have been instrumental in his career, he credits a Disney film for inspiring him to write his novels.

Disney’s Bambi Scared of Hell by horror author Stephen King

Anyone who likes watching Disney Films knows that behind the colorful images and fun stories that end happily ever after are disturbing and dark origins. King Stephen he easily recognized the horror in 1942 Bambi The moment he saw it in theaters.

When asked about rolling stone Which led him to write horror stories, he replied: “The first movie I saw was a horror movie. It was Bambi. When That Little Deer Gets Caught in a Forest Fire, He Was Terrified, But He Was Also Excited. The author commented that he could not adequately explain why he was obsessed with the genre, but it has always been built as part of his team.

Disney Bambi Forest Fire
Forest fire scene in Bambi / Credits: Walt Disney Productions

The famous writer admitted that he is not ashamed of his fascination with horror even though it is considered the least respected genre. “I thought it was really fun to scare people.“He added. The number of films and literary works that have emerged over the years demonstrates that the hobby for the controversial niche has become socially acceptable.

Regarding Disney’s Bambiwas adapted from the 1922 novel by Felix Salten Bambi: a life in the forest. The movie had become more popular than the source material, which is quite sad given the fact that it left out many important parts in the book which 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 a family movie version And it cuts out all the bloody and violent scenes, but King surprisingly saw the horror through it all.

Bambi Gets a Much Darker and Scarier Modern Retelling

Bambi the calculation
Bambi: the calculation / Credits: ITN Studios

For many children, it was Bambi’s mother shot and killed in the meadow that left them traumatized. For King, the forest fire was even scarier than we all thought. He saw the animals scattered in fear, and for a boy who witnessed this heartbreaking scene unfold before his eyes, he knew he was scarred for life.

Today, Bambi is reinvented as a literal horror movie with Dan Allen’s Bambi: the calculation. The premise follows a mother and son who get into a car accident and are hunted by a mutated Bambi as he moves to avenge his own mother’s death. We’re definitely excited to hear King’s take on this upcoming film!

Bambi (1942) is currently available to watch on Disney+.

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