Hellbender

This is a very ambitious and well done movie however I felt the story was lacking. The cinematography was excellent. Some of the early color pallets in the film are striking. However the acting and story line seemed choppy and incoherent. Just couldn't get into it.

Ending is a trip, and the story was unique, actresses were awesome - it's worth a watch. Not sure why this movie got negative reviews,but I'm glad I didn't pay attention to those.

This is how movies should be made. It starts with a good, original idea. Add to that a good script. Then bring in people who can act. Finally, find someone who knows what they're doing when it comes to filming and editing. This was fun from start to finish.

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.

This movie was good not great because it was way to slow in some parts but it has potential. I really didn't think I would like the actresses but they were not that bad. I love a good horror movie and maybe with more special effects. Or if they didn't take SO much time going from scene to scene. So it was at least half good, but too slow with the good parts far and few between. I recommend if you have nothing else to watch and like slow horror movies. Still trying to figure out at the end what the mother needed from the store, what is a face string?

Toby Poser, John Adams, and their daughters Zelda and Lulu made The Deeper You Dig, a movie that divided Becca and me. For their follow-up, the Adams family has created a movie all about 16-year-old Izzy (Zelda), whose mother (Toby Poser) keeps isolated due to a rare illness. Yet as Izzy begins to grow as a woman - beyond playing metal songs (written by Toby and Zelda) as the band H6LLB6ND6R without an audience may not be enough - she escapes to another home in the woods where she meets Amber (Lulu), who gives her a bikini and the chance to drink with teenagers. Yet when she consumers a live worm, the hunger of being a hellbender opens her eyes and she soon learns exactly why her mother keeps her from others. At first, I felt like this movie was kind of like seeing an opening act at a show and not feeling the first few songs that they play. It feels inauthentic. Not metal? Silly facepaint? And then before you know it, you're nodding your head and feeling the urge to headbang by the end of the set. This film took some time to grow on me - The Deeper You Dig had some of the same issues - but when it works, it works. The effects either look great for the budget or remind you of the budget, yet never feel like they're organic to the film. That's fine - this is a very DIY effort - and it actually becomes charming. I've never really trusted homeschooled kids who are too close to their parents, but maybe this is one of those families that gets the dynamic right. It's intriguing that Hellbender has been playing Fantastic Fest with Luzifer, another film that centers on an isolated relationship between a mother and child, albeit one that's more sacred and profane at the same time.