Review by
Eric Hillis
Directed by: Toby Poser, John Adams, Zelda Adams
Starring: Zelda Adams, Toby Poser, Lulu Adams, John Adams
The Adams family is back on our screens. No, not Morticia and her
brood, but the filmmaking collective of patriarch John Adams,
matriarch Toby Poser and their daughters Zelda Adams and
Lulu Adams. They've been working in low budget regional
filmmaking for some years now, but recently found a wider audience with
last year's
The Deeper You Dig, which picked up streaming distribution. They've followed that up with
their slickest production to date, Hellbender.
The movie's title refers initially to H6llb6nd6er, the mother/daughter
rock duo of 16-year-old Izzy (Zelda Adams) and her mom (Poser), who don
KISS style make-up and rock out in the basement of their secluded home
in the mountains of upstate New York. Izzy hasn't left the surrounds of
her home since she was a child, as she suffers from a rare compromised
immunity syndrome. Or at least that's what her mom has been telling her
all these years.
When Izzy ventures further away from home than usual she comes across a
teenage neighbour, Amber (Lulu Adams), and despite hanging out
with her in close proximity, doesn't suffer any negative side effects
from human contact. Confronting her mom, Izzy learns the truth of her
real condition, which is connected to the flashback of an attempted
witch-hanging that opens the film.
Like The Deeper You Dig, Hellbender boasts production values way above its
relatively miniscule budget. The money made on their previous film seems
to have been invested by the Adams in the special effects department.
While some of the CG effects are still a little hokey, they have the
sense to cut away from such moments quickly. Other effects are genuinely
impressive regardless of budget, particularly the psychedelic montages
that present a subjective view of Izzy's confused mind.
What it also has in common with The Deeper You Dig is a
sustained buildup of atmosphere in its first two acts, only to be let
down by a messy final act. Thanks largely to an impressive performance
by Zelda Adams, whose lack of professionalism is perhaps a strength in
conveying her character's wide-eyed innocence, we're fully onboard with
Izzy's journey of self-discovery.
Once the film plays its hand and the reveal of Izzy's true nature is
made however, the film becomes a lot less interesting. The fact that her
mother is fully behind her means there's a notable absence of conflict.
Think of
Carrie
if young Carrie White's mother was fully supportive and sympathetic to
her daughter's supernatural abilities rather than viewing them as the
work of the devil. What little threat there is from the outside world
just isn't enough for us to fear for Izzy, while a late character turn
never quite convinces.
