Hellbender - Growing Up Is Hell

On it's surface, it's a decent supernatural "coming of age" story of a young girl, raised in isolation by her doting mother, who slowly learns of her true nature. It's a slow burn, with steadily increased tension as the pacing ramps up to a suitably bloody and chilling close. Extremely nice camera work and visuals and decent acting, even with some fairly clunky dialog. The soundtrack - with songs performed by the characters - are impressively good for the genre. But the real standout aspect of this film is that the three female leads and one secondary male character are an actual family: The father, John Adams, wife Toby Poser, and daughters Zelda and Lulu Adams. John, Toby and Zelda are listed as writers/directors. John composed the songs which apparently Zelda and Toby performed (though I'm not certain on that part, it could have been dubbed). This is a real family effort, and they are to be admired for it. I can only imagine what fun this crew has making these movies, and hope they continue. They have a real knack for the genre, and are a lot of fun to watch.

Usually movies where everyone is involved with everything aren't good.

Ex: the movies where the writer, director, producer, and main actor are all the same person.

This appears to be an exception to that rule

This is a movie that needs a bigger budget treatment. If mixed with some 60s or 70s European horror, it would have been an EASY 10.

THINK Suspiria. As I was watching I was getting those vibes. These people need more funds because they used minimalism and made it work. I'm hungry for more!! (but only the berries please)

If you want a minimalist witch movie with great music, this is it!

An indie movie made by a family, which held my interest throughout. Well shot at some places, not so much at others, but overall it looks much better than most small production horror movies you may come across. This was not the amateur hour I've come to expect from similar films. Surprisingly enough, the acting was probably the best part of it. Also enjoyed the music, which was kinda edgy, but just enough. Added a lot of character to the film.

Don't expect a great movie, or even a good one, but it certainly exceeded my expectations and was good for what it was.

"It's all in the pumping blood"

A low budget independent quality horror film by the Adams family. I loved the visuals, cinematography, atmospheric setting, elevated music and a well defined sound. I'm impressed by how they showed many meteorological seasons flawlessly and believable explanations for the secrets of witches and dark magic.

It's such a shame that indie horror films like this struggle to find proper budget they deserve. Imagine the possibilities if this film had a decent budget for VFX.

Well this was certainly something else.

I was not familiar with the 2021 horror movie "Hellbender" from writers John Adams, Zelda Adams and Toby Poser before now in 2022, as I had the opportunity to sit down and watch it. So I wasn't sure what I was in for here, and thus I had no expectations.

What drew me in to watch "Hellbender" was the fact that the movie had a nice title and also the fact that it was a horror movie that I hadn't yet seen.

And color me impressed. While "Hellbender" certainly is not a movie that will be likely to please everyone in the audience, then I must say that I was genuinely entertained by the movie. I like the bizarre atmosphere and strange storyline that drew the movie, and it was certainly a welcomed step away from the mainstream horror movies.

While "Hellbender" is labeled as a horror movie, this is not the type of horror that will scare you or is throwing one jump scare at you again and again, nay, it is a more deep and profound type of horror. You know, where the horror is brooding underneath the surface, hinting at something grander and way more malign than we ever get to experience in the movie. And it worked, because directors John Adams, Zelda Adams and Toby Poser brought the movie to life in a very fulfilling and enjoyable manner, where we as the audience are taken along for a ride of the occult, obscure, bizarre and disturbing.

There is not a huge cast ensemble in "Hellbender", but the actresses and actors in the movie were so phenomenally well-cast for their roles and characters, and put on great performances in bringing the characters and story to life on the screen. Especially Zelda Adams (playing Izzy) and Toby Poser (playing Mother) were exceptionally great in the leading roles.

Visually then "Hellbender" is not your typical horror movie. There is not an abundance of special effects and CGI in this movie, but the special effects are there, and it is all about presentation and getting it to showcase what it needs to do. And the special effects certainly do that in "Hellbender". And that is definitely a thing that works well in favor of the movie.

While "Hellbender" is not a crowd-pleaser, this is a movie that will find appeal with some viewers and disdain with others. But if you enjoy supernatural horror that is story-driven and brooding in atmosphere, then you most certainly should give "Hellbender" a chance.

My rating of "Hellbender" lands on a six out of ten stars.