Hellbender (2022): Feel the Chaos of a Teenage Witch (Blu-Ray Review)

Hellbender is the sixth feature film from the Adams family (made up of Toby Poser, John Adams and Zelda Adams) and their third in the horror genre. Following its release on Shudder in February, it arrives on DVD and digital through Acorn Media International making it their most readily available film. In contrast to their previous horror, The Deeper You Dig, Hellbender leans into an odd, surreal style of storytelling with a focus on the experiential. It is a film full of blood. It is not just the kind we typically see in horror, like shocking gore, a symbol of bad things happening. It is the life source for all living things, containing huge power that can be harnessed for good or evil.

This dichotomy forms the structure for the entire film as it explores the duality of the titular Hellbenders, a specific type of witch named for their turning away from heaven and being “bent to Hell”. The exposition on where Hellbenders come from and their legacy is brief and told as part of an oral history that the Mother (Toby Poser) recounts to her daughter Izzy (Zelda Adams). But for Mother, this history is something to reject as she hopes to turn Hellbenders back to heaven or at least towards a kinder, respectful way of living. This attempt at reconceptualising what a Hellbender can be is shown before it is stated through a failed execution of a Hellbender – cutting straight to Mother and Izzy playing in their band, also named Hellbender, hundreds of years later. Even the location of Mother and Izzy’s home in an isolated wooded and mountainous area shows a desire to escape from the past, retreating into a reliance on nature rather than people.

In this set-up of an overprotective mother shielding her daughter from outside influence, Hellbender begins as a fairytale-like story that shifts into an occult coming-of-age tale as Izzy begins to overstep the boundaries set around her. Taken away from civilisation when she was five because of an apparent sickness, Izzy shows comfort in solitariness and having nothing to do but explore her surroundings. When she encounters a neighbour of her own age, Amber (played by Zelda’s sister Lulu Adams), her homeschooling proves insufficient in preparing her for modern teenage life, evident in the contrast with her peaceful swims alone in a lake with the chaotic party in a pool with Amber and her friends.

It is at this point when the film-making becomes more chaotic, reflecting the turbulence within Izzy as she begins to reckon with the dangerous power within her. To be reductive, the tension between Izzy’s new-found autonomy and Mother’s well-meaning over-protectiveness manifests in Lady Bird with witches. Their relationship is always loving throughout this power play, a refreshing take on a combative mother versus daughter narrative. Mother and Izzy are trying to assert their own individual powers rather than imposing it on the other, but the problems arise from the impact of this clash of magics.

Their battleground and their power are rooted in nature, which is itself amoral but, as Mother says, “our nature” as Hellbenders “is dark.” Their engagement with nature, its produce and its beings is ultimately a tool for their practices. Their magic comes from something deeper: “the fear of death” which resides within the blood of all living things. So we come back to blood and the inescapable hold it has over us. When the blood of another is consumed, anything could happen because of the unpredictable possibilities of tapping into such power.

Perhaps it is this that frightens Mother; she wants to generate change that can be controlled, whereas Izzy is more than willing to embrace the chaos. Their chant that recurs throughout the film, “Spring eats winter, winter eats fall, fall eats summer, summer eats spring,” highlights how change may be violent but natural. The film thus avoids a simplistic take on the nature versus nurture debate by providing two rounded characters on either side, exemplifying the virtues and limitations of both sides.

For all its ambitious themes, there is a rough and ready charm due to it being filmed under Covid lockdown conditions, but the effects are impressively done and seamlessly integrated into the world of the film. One of the few supplements on the disc has Trey Lindsay from Black Magic Tricks breaking down each of the individual effects that he worked on. He’s a candid and informative guide with great anecdotes, such as his direction from John Adams on the psychedelic visions in the film were for them to “look cool.”

The other notable supplement are music videos for four songs by their band H6LLB6ND6R directed by Zelda and John Adams – Lovely, Drive, Black Sky, and Falling in Love. They don’t really tie into the film but sit comfortably within the Adams family aesthetic. Other incidental supplements include bloopers and behind-the-scenes footage that highlights how much of a real family unit the filmmakers are and how their process is the definition of DIY. Unusually, there’s also a link to a blog that provides a diary-like account of the road trip that they undertook to make the movie.

Despite the scarcity of supplements, it’s a real sign of faith in the Adams family to release their work with such extolment. With these last two features, the Adams family are drawing an increased amount of attention with Hellbender showcasing a commitment to creating work in their own uncompromising style. There is a lot to enjoy and pick over, especially for a film that runs for less than ninety minutes. It is a firmly alternative indie film but for any technical shortcomings, it has a power that holds you tight and dares you to let go.

Hellbender is also available on Shudder

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