Hellbender is a micro budget horror film that is the very definition of a mixed bag, and most of this stems from the fact that the filmmakers reached far beyond what their budget permitted.
The performances range from great to terrible. The cinematography ranges from competent to atrocious. The editing ranges from effective to irritating. The dialogue ranges from emotionally resonant to laughably stupid. And, the visual effects range from extremely convincing to embarrassingly unconvincing.
Still, what keeps this movie elevated above its low-budget flaws is its story. It's tragic and it's executed in a way that I haven't seen before. And that alone is something worth praising from the rooftops.
Aside from some character motivations that were too muddled and confusing, I loved the two lead characters and how they were portrayed. This is a coming-of-age story that concludes in the exact opposite way that one would traditionally expect: with every parent's worst nightmare.
There is a great deal about Hellbender that does not work, but there is just a bit more that does. And the climactic final scene legitimately gave me chills.
I love supporting tiny indie films. Go watch it if you can.
