The Benders

"Demons follow a strict pattern, ghosts want revenge … People are just crazy!" This piece of dialog, which is an actual quote taken from the show, is the best possible summarization of this fifteenth episode in the magnificent show "Supernatural". So far, this is the only installment that doesn't live up to the name, as there's absolutely nothing supernatural about the type of evil the Winchester brothers encounter here. Whilst scouting around in a remote Minnesota countryside town where there is a mysteriously large amount of unsolved missing person cases, Sam himself disappears in a parking lot. With the help of a local police detective, Dean quickly discovers the root of the evil. Rather than mythological monsters or restless spirits, the brothers are up against the sickest and most unpredictable kind of enemy. A family of hillbilly hunters deranged as hell and probably as inbred as they come, uphold their tradition of capturing unsuspecting people and hunt them down again in the woods. "The Benders" is definitely the most effectively unsettling episode of the first season because, let's face it, there's nothing scarier than flesh and blood human beings. The Bender family is a collection of eerie redneck freaks, with obligatory bad dental hygiene and sniveling laughs, and their modus operandi of abducting victims and holding them is inventive but admittedly a bit too sophisticated for a bunch of yokels. The basic plot of "The Benders" is inspired by one of the oldest but still one of the greatest horror/cult movies ever made, namely "The Most Dangerous Game". This 1932 film has been imitated numerous times, with variable success, but never surpassed in terms of quality. This "Supernatural" episode brings another terrific homage to the cinematic landmark. Due to the typically remote backwoods setting and the archetypal redneck characters, the script is also stuffed with references and little tributes towards tons of other 'Hicksploitation' movies, most notably "Deliverance", "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Just Before Dawn".

Good episode for the simple fact there are no monsters in this one. Well,actually there are but they are human ones, which makes this one of the most scary in the series.

Vampires, zombies, demons and other assorted types of their ilk may make for interesting viewing, but we know in our heart of hearts that they are not lurking around the corner for us. Whereas with human killers, that is not the case. The brothers enter a missing people scenario thinking it the work of the type of creatures they hunt. Only to find it is all too human and with the aid of a almost friendly female sheriff, they discover the depths of evil that people can sink to.

A good 'Deliverance' type plot on dry land and a satisfying conclusion make this an excellent addition to the ongoing series.

It was inevitable that the show would eventually explore the cult murderous family that makes up a lot of the horror genre. This episode fits in with dozens of other "dangerous game" stories and nothing sets it apart. Of note, the Benders' characterization is utterly banal and predictable. Of course they hunt because it is fun. This is wasted potential.

The Benders is a key element to the series, simply because it reminded the audience how frightening humans can be and how similar they are to the daily monsters shown in the series.

The episode has some very terrifying villains, and it has the direction and cinematography look to that of a real crime/thriller film. It is punchy and not afraid to show the real nature of what people like this can do, and in that respect it reminded me of Rob Zombie's brilliant The Devil's Rejects. Anywways, one of the season's best and sure to please all of Supernatural's fans, even when, there is nothing supernatural about the situation.

Dean and Sam go to Hibbing, Minnesota, to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a local. Once there, they realize that there are many missing persons in the place. When Sam vanishes in a parking area, Dean asks for help to Officer Kathleen (Jessica Steen), whose brother also disappear a couple of years ago. Dean and the sheriff disclose that Sam was abducted by a family of deranged hillbillies that hunt human beings.

"The Bender" is the scariest episode of this series up to this moment. In this tense story, the Winchester brothers do not face demons, ghost or fiends, but sick human beings worse than their usual enemies. I liked the open scene when Kathleen kills the father of the Benders; it is not explicit, and each viewer is allowed to have his or her own interpretation. In my point of view, justice worked through the hands of the female sheriff. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): "A Família Bender" ("The Bender Family")