Hellbender
The family that makes flicks together sticks together.
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“Hellbender” (now streaming on Shudder) is the sixth feature from the Adams/Poser family’s Wonder Wheel Productions. The Adams/Poser clan is comprised of John Adams, his wife Toby Poser and their daughters Lulu and Zelda Adams. Their previous efforts include “Rumblestrips,” “Knuckle Jack,” “The Shoot,” “Halfway to Zen” and “The Deeper You Dig.” (None of which I’ve actually seen.) “Hellbender” played numerous film festivals including Fantastic Fest, Fantasia and locally as part of the Indianapolis-based Heartland International Film Festival’s Heartland Horror programming before debuting on the horror streamer.
“Hellbender” concerns Izzy (Zelda), a teenager who lives in isolation with her mother (Poser) in the Catskill Mountains of southeastern New York. Izzy is homeschooled as she supposedly has an auto-immune disorder. The truth is they come from a long line of witches known as Hellbenders, who subsist mostly on moss and conifer cones, can live for centuries and reproduce asexually like ferns. Mother and daughter also play in a two-woman rock band – the stylistically-named H6LLB6ND6R wherein Izzy drums, Mom slaps da bass and they both sing, but they only play for themselves. (The tunes are actually pretty cool and available for your listening pleasure on Spotify – I’m listening to ‘em as I’m writing this.) Mom’s kept Izzy isolated not only to protect her daughter from society, but to keep society protected from her daughter.
Fatefully, Izzy makes a friend out of Amber (Lulu), a free-spirited teen who whiles away her days by swimming in other people’s pools. When hanging with Amber, AJ (Rinzen Thonden) and Ingrid (Khenzom), Izzy does a tequila shot with a live earthworm in it. Consuming the worm makes Izzy realize her supernatural powers are amplified when she ingests another creature’s life force. All hell breaks loose from here.
“Hellbender” is written and directed by John, Zelda and Poser. A lot of the acting and dialogue is cheesy (Lulu’s Amber is especially guilty of these sins), but some of this cheesiness ultimately comes off as charming. Where the picture really excels is in its nifty special effects by Trey Lindsay (especially impressive given the movie’s low budget) and trippy visuals (John and Zelda photographed the film with Zelda serving as drone operator). John’s editing and sound design also add greatly to the creepy atmosphere.
“Hellbender” is equal parts modern-day folk horror, coming-of-age story and the time-tested tale of a parent having to relinquish control over their child. The Adams/Poser clan seem like a cool bunch. John’s a former model. The 18-year-old Zelda’s currently modeling for Gucci. While a lot of us were busy gaining weight and binging shows during lockdown, these folks went out and made a movie … and the resulting product was good enough that I’m now eager to also check out “The Deeper You Dig” (also streaming on Shudder). It appears as if the family that makes flicks together sticks together.