Hellbender

2021

1 hr. 26 min.

Horror

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List

97%

68 Reviews

Tomatometer

55%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

A teen and her mother live simply in a home in the woods, spending their time making metal music. A chance encounter with a fellow teen causes her to uncover a connection between her family and witchcraft, which causes a rift with her mother.

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Premiered Jul 26

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Critics Consensus

Hellbender stirs a boiling cauldron of adolescent angst, serving up a coming-of-age story with dark horror overtones.

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Thirdi A

this is always recommended on reddit horror movies and it just is not good

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

04/03/24

Full Review

French C

The first hour of the movie dragged on, wasn't scary, and the plot felt muddled. I thought the ending was the only "redeeming" quality, but the movie wasn't interesting enough to watch again.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/17/24

Full Review

Diamond W

Referring to this movie as a "coming of age" tale is patently absurd, missing the point completely. This movie is a wonderful treatise on witchcraft; philosophy and practice. Some say it is derivative, and they are correct. Luckily the sources of it's inspiration are excellent, from the psychedelia of the 60's, the hard-core glam of the 70's, to the alternative, indie-rock swagger of the late 00's. The movie has great visual effects, despite it's obviously limited budget. None of the acting is remarkable, yet the quality of the story makes up for that. The story is similar to "The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw". In both films a powerful, young witch must surmount the restrictive, protective containment imposed by her mother witch. In both cases, the mother witch is motivated by fear and pride to repress and hide her daughter from a vulnerable society. Both films also mention "legacy", which seems appropriate. For fans of the occult and witchcraft, "Hellbender" is a spunky, fun film, but also gratifyingly dark.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/23/23

Full Review

Al B

I don't normally write reviews, but as I have been in a litany of poor films as of late, this was a pleasant surprise. I was initially apprehensive due to the bland nature of opening scene, however the storyline immediately gains momentum and keeps a consistently engaging tempo, until the conclusion.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/28/23

Full Review

Ian M

I find it hard to criticize the quality of the film based on the independent and low budget nature. However, I found the characters annoying,. Much of it felt forced which made it not scary as it was trying too hard. The music was decent, but the lyrics were terrible. Again, totally forced. I recommend lowering your expectations and you might enjoy this movie more than I did.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

10/17/23

Full Review

James M

How this has topped the charts of the scariest film of 2022 I have zero idea. The only horrifying moment is mother and daughter tripping balls on maggots resulting in them splitting blood on each other. If that's your bag, step right in. You'll be wondering whhere the hell this film actually leads though.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

09/19/23

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John Adams

Director

Zelda Adams

Director

Toby Poser

Director

Zelda Adams

Izzy

Toby Poser

Mother

Lulu Adams

Amber

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Hellbender: Trailer 1

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Tim Cogshell

FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)

A wicked little movie -- with a lot of good music, too.

Mar 12, 2022

Full Review

Mark Kermode

Kermode & Mayo's Film Review

Mad and interesting stuff...it's a coming-of-age story on the one hand and a feminist parable, but it's all that and so much else.

Mar 9, 2022

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Lena Wilson

New York Times

Some keen editing by John Adams and special effects by Trey Lindsay elevate this into formidable genre fare, with psychedelic sequences that are remarkably polished.

Feb 24, 2022

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Hector A. Gonzalez

Loud and Clear Reviews

Hellbender (or H6LLB6ND6R) uses DIY horror aesthetics to deliver a hallucinogenic and bloody entertaining mother/daughter story revolving around witchcraft.

Rated: 3.5/5

Feb 10, 2024

Full Review

Nadine Whitney

The Curb

Hellbender is a wicked and thrilling horror film that also canvasses questions about identity and destiny.

Sep 6, 2023

Full Review

Nuha Hassan

Nuha Hassan

The movie is spellbinding, gory and savage which may satisfy horror fans, compiled with the emotional drama between the mother-daughter duo that pulls at the hearts of the audience.

Jul 21, 2023

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Synopsis

A teen and her mother live simply in a home in the woods, spending their time making metal music. A chance encounter with a fellow teen causes her to uncover a connection between her family and witchcraft, which causes a rift with her mother.

Director: John Adams, Zelda Adams, Toby Poser
Screenwriter: Zelda Adams, Toby Poser, John Adams
Production Co: Wonder Wheel Productions
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 24, 2022

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