Synopsis: The sixth feature film from acclaimed filmmakers The Adams Family (The Deeper You Dig), Hellbender is a spell-binding folk horror and coming-of-age story, boiling over with adolescent rage and wicked witchcraft. Teenager Izzy lives in isolation with Mother because she has a rare immune disorder. Or so she is told. After befriending local girl Amber, Lizzy begins to question the reality of her disease. And when she eats a live worm as part of a teenage game, she soon develops a ravenous hunger for living things, learning that she is the latest in a line of “hellbenders”, supernatural beings who possess immensely powerful abilities. Featuring a fantastic punk rock soundtrack with songs from the family’s band, H6LLB6ND6R, this truly unique film expertly blends beautiful and naturalistic cinematography, impressive and stylistic VFX and stunning performances from real-life mother and daughter team, Zelda Adams and Toby Poser.
What We Thought:
Hellbender has an intriguing concept, but unfortunately didn’t have the resources to make it outstanding. It’s solid and worth watching, but it could have been great with more money or a different cast. I will never put down filmmakers for making the movie they can afford to make (it’s not their fault), but I dug the concept and with a bit more resources it could have been something really unique.
It’s about a mother and daughter who live alone in the middle of nowhere. The mother convinces the daughter they have to live away from people and she needs to keep away from them because she’s sick. But she’s a teenager and needs some sort of social life and friendships. After running into a stranger and then exploring more and meeting another teen girl, she realizes she might not be sick and her mother might be lying.
This is when the film flips and it becomes a supernatural story. I’m usually not a supernatural fan, but this isn’t about ghosts and jumpscares. It’s a witchcraft story that deals with history and how we treated witches. I liked this aspect of the film, but unfortunately it’s also where not having the money of a Hollywood horror blockbuster hurts. Some of the special effects are fine for those of us who watch all kinds of movies, but those who only watch mainstream horror will call it out. I’d say the same for the acting as well. The mother and daughter characters are played by real life mother and daughter and again it’s a situation where mainstream audiences will want a Vera Farmiga or someone like that. They are far from bad, but unfortunately we do have expectations. The supporting cast feels the same way.
That being said if you like lower budget, indie horror you’ll probably like Hellbender. If you expect every horror flick to look like the latest Conjuring movie, you probably won’t. I really liked the concept and it’s a nice addition to the witchcraft subgenre.
Bonus Features:
- LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY CONTENTS
- High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
- Original lossless stereo 2.0 audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Brand new audio commentary with filmmakers Toby Poser, John Adams, Zelda Adams and Lulu Adams
- From the Forest She Rises, a brand new video essay by filmmaker Jen Handorf
- Black Magic Tricks, a featurette on the visual effects by VFX artist Trey Lindsay
- Behind-the-scenes compilation footage
- Fort Worden (2021), a short film by Zelda Adams
- Four music videos: Hit and Run (2024), Drive (2021), Lovely (2021) and Black Sky (2020)
- Original trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork by Beth Morris and original artwork by Sister Hyde
- Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Natasha Ball and Kat Hughes
The Nerds Templar 