By Brent Snyder (3/3/2022)
"Magic comes from fear. Every living thing has it. The more fear pumping through the blood, the more power," says Mother (Toby Poser) to her daughter Izzy (Zelda Adams) in the brilliant low budget horror film "Hellbender."
Izzy, who has grown up isolated with her mother in the mountains, is learning about herself, her family's history with witchcraft - and her growing feeling of power as she experiences her first taste of magic. And being a lonely teenage outcast is hard enough without a ravenous blood magic addiction.
"Hellbender" is the sixth production from the DIY filmmaking group known as the Adams Family. John Adams and Toby Poser, along with their daughters Zelda Adams and Lulu Adams, collaborate on the writing, producing, directing and acting for their own Wonder Wheel Productions. They shoot their films at their home in the Catskill Mountains in New York. And the family band H3LLB3ND3R provides the film scores and songs.
And what exactly is a Hellbender? In the film, Izzy describes it as a cross between a witch, a demon and an apex predator that feeds off fear in the blood of its victims. In another production, such a creature may have been portrayed in a CGI heavy action flick where a heroic final girl slays the monster in the third act. But "Hellbender" is more imaginative and artful than that.
"Hellbender" is a beautifully made film, utilizing natural light and a vibrant color palette of greens, blacks, blues, reds and blinding stark white. The views of the woods surrounding the family's mountain home are breathtaking - some shot by Zelda Adams herself with a drone camera.
For "Hellbender," the family traveled in an RV and shot footage in a variety of areas - New Hampshire, Oregon, Washington - to create an almost idyllic fairytale setting for its folk horror tale. And the movie is filled with quiet, lyrical moments of characters conversing or communing with nature. Every shot looks like a piece of art that could be hanging in a gallery.
When the blood and violence comes - and it does - its in quick flashes or trippy psychedelic visions. There's even a little body horror thrown in for good measure.
I must praise "Hellbender" for one more thing - it's the first horror film - or any film - I've seen that addresses the existence of the current pandemic. When Izzy first meets another teen, Amber (Lulu Adams) on the other side of the mountain, she's afraid to come near her. All her life, Izzy's mother told her she was "sick" and warned her to stay away from other people. "I can't get close to people," Izzy says. "None of us can," replies Amber.
In an interview with Screen Daily (screendaily.com), Toby Poser says the real world pandemic was in the end a strange gift to their work of fiction. "Originally we had planned quite an ambitious storyline," she said. "It would have taken place in a school with lots of extras, and so the pandemic brought us back down to our roots which are very intimate, small shoots. - Our story has a lot to do with isolation and closeness. Covid killed closeness for everyone."
"Hellbender" is, thus far, my favorite horror film of 2022. While it stands apart from many in the horror pack for being not a remake, sequel or requel, but an original work - I can't help but hope for a sequel. I'm fascinated by this magical mother and daughter duo - and I would love to see more of them in another chapter. Plus I want to hear more from their rocking family band.
"Hellbender" is currently streaming on Shudder.
Four stars!
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