Hellbender | |
---|---|
Directed by |
|
Written by |
|
Produced by | Toby Poser |
Starring |
|
Cinematography |
|
Edited by | John Adams |
Music by | John Adams |
Production company | Wonder Wheel Productions |
Distributed by | Shudder |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 86 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $67,474 |
Hellbender is a 2021 American horror film directed by, written by and starring John Adams, Zelda Adams and Toby Poser. The story follows a mother-daughter metal band living in an isolated woodland home, whose relationship is challenged when the daughter encounters other teenagers.
Izzy and her mother (who is never named) live a quiet, remote existence in the woods, spending most of their time creating metal music. They eat a strictly vegan, foraged diet, and Izzy is home-schooled and forbidden to have any contact with others, her mother telling her that she has an autoimmune disease. Her mother visits the nearby town for art supplies, but Izzy is not allowed to go. After a chance meeting with a teenaged neighbor, Izzy is invited to a party where she consumes a worm on a dare, and begins to hallucinate. Her mother is disturbed when she learns of it, but begins to tell Izzy about what they are and the powers that are awakening in her. She explains that they are Hellbenders, an all-female, matriarchal clan of supernatural beings. ("A cross between a witch, a demon, and an apex predator.") Their magic is based on fear, especially the fear of death, which the Hellbender absorbs when she eats a living thing; the bigger and more advanced the creature, the more power is drawn from eating it. Izzy realizes that she was never ill, and that their isolated life has been her mother's plan to keep her from realizing her heritage. Izzy's mother stresses the importance of controlling their power by strictly limiting what they consume - she snacks on mealworms as a treat - but Izzy becomes power-hungry and begins killing animals in the forest. Her mother grows alarmed as she realizes she is losing control of Izzy and her increasing power, and their relationship becomes strained. In an attempt to bond with Izzy and remain close to her, her mother shares her mealworm stash and they have a hallucinogenic experience together. Under the influence, she confesses to Izzy that she is over a hundred years old, and that Hellbenders reproduce by consuming their mothers. Izzy constructs a tunnel under the house and traps her teenaged neighbor there, using her as a food source. When her mother discovers it, Izzy calmly tells her she's in no danger, because Izzy isn't yet ready to become a mother. She then says she's going to town and soars into the sky, appearing for the first time in her full, monstrous Hellbender form.
John Adams and Toby Poser are married, and Lulu and Zelda are their children. [1] Inspired by the musical project H6LLB6ND6R they had formed two years earlier, the family devised a film exploring parenting, witchcraft and matriarchy. [2] [3] The filmmaking family shot the film in their home in Catskill, New York [3] during COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, taking turns as the film crew. [1] Many scenes and dialogue in the film were improvised. [2]
Hellbender premiered at the 25th Fantasia International Film Festival on August 14, 2021. [4] It was released on Shudder on February 24, 2022. [1]
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2022) |
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 97% of 67 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.3/10.The website's consensus reads: "Hellbender stirs a boiling cauldron of adolescent angst, serving up a coming-of-age story with dark horror overtones." [5] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 70 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [6]
Leslie Felperin of The Guardian awarded the film three out of five stars, praising the film's script, visual effects, and cinematography, calling it "[a] highly original exercise in folk horror". [7] Katie Rife from The A.V. Club scored the film a grade B, commending the film's cinematography, visuals, editing, and performances, while also noting the films' low-budget special effects. [8]
Alice Maud Krige is a South African actress and producer. Her big break came in 1981, when she starred as the Gilbert and Sullivan singer Sybil Gordon in the British historical film Chariots of Fire, and as Eva Galli / Alma Mobley in the American supernatural horror film Ghost Story. She received a Laurence Olivier Award for her performance in the West End theatre production of Arms and the Man (1981) and later joined the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Shrooms is a 2007 psychological horror film written by Pearse Elliot and directed by Paddy Breathnach. The film stars Lindsey Haun, Jack Huston, and Max Kasch. Its plot follows a group of American students and their English guide who are stalked by a serial killer while out in the woods looking for psilocybin mushrooms.
Down a Dark Hall is a 2018 supernatural horror film directed by Rodrigo Cortés and written by Chris Sparling and Michael Goldbach. It is based on the 1974 novel of the same name by Lois Duncan. Summit Entertainment released it in select theaters and through video-on-demand in the United States on August 17, 2018.
The Remains is a 2016 American horror film written and directed by Thomas Della Bella and starring Todd Lowe as a widower and father named John. In The Remains, John moves his family after his wife passes, but the items that had been left in the house turn out to be haunted.
The Beach House is a 2019 American horror film written and directed by Jeffrey A. Brown in his feature directorial debut. It stars Liana Liberato and Noah Le Gros as a college-aged couple who take a vacation to a beach house, where they meet an older couple and are threatened by a mysterious infection that spreads across the coast.
The Dark and the Wicked is a 2020 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Bryan Bertino, starring Marin Ireland, Michael Abbott Jr., and Xander Berkeley. It follows two siblings who encounter a demonic entity at their familial farm after the suicide of their mother, who had long been caring for their infirm father.
Children of the Corn is a 2020 American supernatural slasher film written and directed by Kurt Wimmer. It stars Elena Kampouris, Kate Moyer, Callan Mulvey and Bruce Spence. The film is the third adaptation of Stephen King's short story "Children of the Corn" (1977) and the eleventh installment in the Children of the Corn series. It is the first film based on King's story to be theatrically released since Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice (1992).
The Queen of Black Magic is a 2019 Indonesian supernatural horror film directed by Kimo Stamboel and written by Joko Anwar. The film is a loose remake of the 1981 Indonesian horror film of the same name also produced by Rapi Films. It stars Ario Bayu, Hannah Al Rashid, Adhisty Zara, Ade Firman Hakim, Muzakki Ramdhan, and Ari Irham. Hakim received a posthumous Citra Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film.
The Twin is a 2022 psychological horror film directed by Taneli Mustonen. The original screenplay is written by Taneli Mustonen and Aleksi Hyvärinen, who also produced the film. The film tells story about a mother, who has to confront the unbearable truth about her surviving twin son. The film stars Teresa Palmer and Steven Cree.
Jakob's Wife is a 2021 American vampire horror film directed and produced by Travis Stevens from a screenplay by Stevens, Kathy Charles, and Mark Steensland. The film stars Barbara Crampton, Larry Fessenden, and Bonnie Aarons.
The Wonder is a 2022 period psychological drama film directed by Sebastián Lelio. Emma Donoghue, Lelio, and Alice Birch wrote the screenplay based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Donoghue. Set shortly after the Great Famine, it follows an English nurse sent to a rural Irish village to observe a young 'fasting girl', who is seemingly able to miraculously survive without eating. Florence Pugh leads an ensemble cast that includes Tom Burke, Niamh Algar, Elaine Cassidy, Dermot Crowley, Brían F. O'Byrne, David Wilmot, Ruth Bradley, Caolán Byrne, Josie Walker, Ciarán Hinds, Toby Jones, and Kíla Lord Cassidy.
The Power is a 2021 British horror film written and directed by Corinna Faith and starring Rose Williams, Emma Rigby, Shakira Rahman, Charlie Carrick and Diveen Henry.
Caveat is a 2020 Irish horror film written, directed, and edited by Damian McCarthy in his feature directorial debut. Starring Johnny French and Leila Sykes, it follows a drifter suffering from partial memory loss who accepts a job to look after a psychologically disturbed woman in a house on a secluded island. Funded by British producer Justin Hyne through his company HyneSight Films, it premiered at the IndieCork Film Festival in Ireland on 4 October 2020.
V/H/S is an American horror anthology franchise that includes seven found footage films, two spin-off films, and one miniseries. Created from an original story idea by Brad Miska, the plot centers around a number of disturbing VHS tapes that are discovered by innocent viewers and the possessive influence of the videos over those who see them. Realized by a collaboration of various filmmakers and different casts, the installments are mostly standalone in nature, though recurring elements indicate the same fictional villain as the source for all of its videos.
Vicious Fun is a 2020 Canadian comedy horror film directed by Cody Calahan, written by James Villeneuve, and starring Evan Marsh, Ari Millen, Amber Goldfarb, Julian Richings, Robert Maillet and David Koechner.
The Last Thing Mary Saw is a 2021 American folk horror written and directed by Edoardo Vitaletti. Set in 1843, the film follows the youngest daughter of a strict religious family who is under investigation after the mysterious death of her family's ominous matriarch.
Deadstream is a 2022 American supernatural horror comedy film directed, written, produced and edited by wife and husband Vanessa and Joseph Winter in their directorial debut, with Joseph also acting as lead actor and soundtrack composer.
Two Witches is a 2021 American horror film co-written and directed by Pierre Tsigaridis, and starring Rebekah Kennedy and Kristina Klebe. Klebe served as a co-writer alongside Maxime Rancon who also produced. The film tells two disparate but loosely-connected narratives focusing on a witch who intercedes in the lives of two women.
Spoonful of Sugar is a 2022 horror thriller that was directed by Mercedes Bryce Morgan, based on a script written by Leah Saint Marie. It stars Morgan Saylor, Kat Foster, Danilo Crovetti, Myko Olivier and Keith Powell. The film centers on a college student who takes on a job caring for a sickly child, only for things to go horribly wrong when she offers him some of her own medication.
A Wounded Fawn is a 2022 American horror film directed by Travis Stevens and written by Stevens and Nathan Faudree. It stars Sarah Lind, Josh Ruben and Malin Barr.