✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ Read critic reviews
United States · 2021
1h 26m
Director Zelda Adams, John Adams, Toby Poser
Starring Zelda Adams, Lulu Adams
Genre Horror
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Teenage Izzy has been raised in her secluded home in the woods by her mother. Having never been allowed to leave the area, Izzy grows increasingly curious about the outside world, and when she manages to sneak away, she discovers horrifying secrets about her family's' past.
RogerEbert.com by Brian Tallerico
Like “The Deeper You Dig,” Hellbender gets better as it gets more surreal, but this one has a nice balance to the out-there imagery in Zelda’s grounded, coming-of-age performance. I love the movies she’s making with her family, but I’d also really like to see what she could do with another director too. She’s got the range and potential.
From beginning to end, Hellbender is an impressive, at times shocking, and enthralling triumph.
The Film Stage by Jared Mobarak
While there’s always a humorous slant to proceedings (kudos to Shawn Wilson’s endearingly pure park ranger), that edge of danger is where it excels.
If there’s a lesson to be taken from Hellbender, it’s this: Underestimate the small and unassuming at your own peril—whether that be the character of Izzy, the film’s real-life creators, or the movie itself.
Hellbender, a coming-of-age movie from a family that’s built their own indie horror house, is a captivating, smart, and delightfully witchy tale.
The New York Times by Lena Wilson
While the result is a mostly-compelling tale of matriarchal megalomania, occasionally this group composition feels more like a jumble.
The Guardian by Leslie Felperin
Although made on a tiny budget, this highly original exercise in folk horror punches well above its weight with snappy dialogue, trippy visual effects and impressive camerawork.
Paste Magazine by Natalia Keogan
Tethered closely to the emotions and artistic sensibilities of the tight-knit family that created it, Hellbender is a can’t-miss foray into folk horror. Unabashedly creepy yet perplexingly comforting, it will inevitably remind audiences of the most eccentric aspects of our upbringings.
The acting can feel flat and unpolished, and the intimacy of the story is both an asset and a limitation to its ambitions. But any horror fan looking for the next “came out of nowhere” genre phenomenon need look no further. It’s not the “Citizen Kane” of witch movies, but it’s creepy and DIY fun and well worth tracking down.
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