"HELLBENDER" (2021)
A lonely teen discovers her family's ties to witchcraft.
(IMDB)
WHERE?
Shudder on Amazon Prime Video
WHY?
I like well-done supernatural horror and thought the movie trailer was decent. Check it out here: Hellbender - Movie Trailer
THOUGHTS?
2021's HELLBENDER was a quaint but engaging coming-of-age story for a young American witch who lives with her mother in the mountains near a small town.
I thought it was impressive that a family made and starred in this movie.
The opening scene and build-up of discomfort between mother and daughter, along with some decent special effects and beautifully-kaleidoscopic dream sequences, kept my attention until the film's end.
I found almost every shot of the film so centered, or well-angled, that each felt picturesque and worthy of being a movie poster.
Without spoiling too much, there's some really cool scenes with keys and voodoo stick-formations.
The acting is pretty subtle, never cranking up the emotion too high or beyond the main actors talents.
Unfortunately the ending felt rushed and confused me with its inclusion of special effects that felt bizarrely sub-par compared to every other previous instance of special effects in the film.
When I saw the ending I immediately thought, "What a pretty and haunting indie movie ... too bad they must've run out of money at the end ."
The film reminded me of the popular European fairy tale of Snow White, except with a twist.
In the popular Snow White, an older waning witch wishes to replenish her power by consuming a younger blossoming princess.
This movie, Hellbender, appears to ask -- What if the witch and princess were both witches, and what if they were mother and daughter?
Also, instead, what if the hunger for power corrupted the younger woman instead of the older one?
I hope anyone who hasn't already seen the film finds this short review helpful.
THANKS FOR READING!
HELLBENDER MOVIE INFO BELOW:
RELEASE DATE:
February 24, 2022 (USA)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
United States
PREMIERE:
Fantasia Fest
LANGUAGE:
English
PRODUCTION COMPANY:
Wonder Wheel Productions
DIRECTED BY:
John Adams, Zelda Adams, and Toby Poser
WRITTEN BY:
John Adams, Zelda Adams, and Toby Poser
STARRING:
John Adams, Zelda Adams, Toby Poser, Lulu Adams
RUN TIME:
1 hour, 26 minutes
COLOR:
Color
ASPECT RATION:
1.85:1
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Too scary for me ;)