It’s almost Mother’s Day, so I found it fitting to review a movie about a mom and her daughter: Hellbender.
16-year old Izzy and her mom live in an isolated mountain home, living their best lives with nature and music. But Izzy feels the isolation growing, and starts hanging out with some local teens — much to her mother’s chagrin. But what Izzy doesn’t know is that their family has a wicked — and dangerous — connection to nature. They are witches… dangerous ones.
This movie came out the summer of 2021, soon finding its way onto Shudder, which is where I first saw it. I remember sitting at home watching and just being entranced with the mother-daughter dynamic. It was nice to see a small but extremely close family unit, quietly and peacefully living their lives in the forest in their big house, making really good music for no one in particular. The movie felt like its setting: summer. Hellbender has an atmosphere that is so refreshing and simple.
Then the atmosphere changed, not into something bad, but something different. This low-budget indie film went from “soft summer days in converse shoes” to its horror namesake: Hellbender. Through small clues given here and there, we see that the mom has something to hide; after Izzy unwittingly eats meat, it comes to light that she and her mother possess magical powers — ones that come with a bloodlust. Izzy finds out about their history as feared witch-folk and releases her pent up teen anger, first on her mom, then on the world.
I love indie movies and folk horror so much. They’re not in-your-face with scares, but have a quality that gets under your skin and hits all the way to the bone. I cared about Izzy and her mom. I wanted to follow their story. I wanted to research the Hellbender symbol and experience the hallucinogenic — demonic — visions that even one small mealworm could give them. Like Venefica, it’s a coming of age story about power that can only come from inside yourself. You wield your own destiny.
Hellbender has great music. The storyline is simple and easy to follow. The effects are really good. The characters have no abrasive qualities and their emotions make sense. Hellbender is more than a witchy mother-daughter film; it’s a movie about growing up and finding your potential, despite what others throw in your way. And it’s not just for women either — there is a softness to the blood shed, but it’s blood nonetheless (fitting, considering the high feminine energy Hellbender has).
If you’ve got a few hours to spare and want to see some winged creatures kill to a badass soundtrack, watch Hellbender. If you like fantastic special effect work, watch Hellbender. If you want a coming of age film, watch Hellbender. If you have Shudder, watch Hellbender. And if you’re reading this review, watch Hellbender!
What did you think of Hellbender? Let us know in the comments!
Hellbender is available to stream on Shudder.
