Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Hellbender’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the motion picture, ‘Hellbender’.
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When a child is born into this world, everyone around that baby, firmly believes that it is going to have a life filled with wonder and joy, and love, and it makes sense as to why there is so much hope surrounding that tiny little life. For everyone sees the modern world as a place that affords children a safe environment in which they can grow up healthy and strong, and since people believe that child rearing is something a science now, parents no longer have to wing it. They can find support and guidance on how to raise their baby and do it right so that their child grows into a wonderful adult. One that is just and good and will undoubtedly change the world for the better and while that is a magnificent way to look at child rearing in the modern world, that perspective is sadly… supremely generalized and not entirely correct.
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For not everyone is the good parent we hope they will be and not everyone gets the support we think they will. Which makes child rearing in the 21st Century difficult for some and to complicate matters further, not every child that is in a loving home turns out the way the world hopes. Because there comes a point in every child’s life, where they begin to form their own opinion of the world and how they want to live their lives and it doesn’t matter what lessons they’ve been taught… they will follow their heart and that can lead to sorrow and strife for the parents as their baby transforms into someone they never envisioned, and that experience is top of mind today, because it serves as the central theme of a brand-new horror film on Shudder entitled, Hellbender.

Now in this particular movie, we are whisked away to the mountains to meet a teenager named Izzy who lives with her mother and is isolated away from the rest of the world. For her mother has informed her that she has a sickness that can cause harm around others and in order to not make her daughter feel akin to an outcast, her mother pours her heart and soul into nurturing Izzy and that has led to a close relationship, one where Izzy is steadily growing into a fine adult with a good heart. But a chance encounter with a hiker, ignites Izzy’s curiosity about the world like never before. Which motivates her to seek out others and learn more about her family’s mysterious lineage and this curious spark is unfortunately going to start a fire that Izzy’s mother will not be able to contain, for the secrets about the past that are about to unleashed… will transform Izzy into everything her mother fears.

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Which is a plot that appears to lean into the supernatural and you’d be correct in that assumption. For Izzy is the next generation in a long family line of witches and her discovery of said lineage is what allows for the horror elements of this movie to come into play. For once she comes to understand the power she can yield, Izzy becomes drunk with it and that leads to some genuinely wicked and creepy moments in this movie. The kind that let the audience’s imagination run wild in regard to Izzy’s potential as a mythical Hellbender, and this aspect of the story is quite fulfilling and worthwhile. Since the visuals in this part of the movie are akin to a waking nightmare and terrify and unsettle the audience as well.
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But all of that, serves as an allegory to the central themes of this story. Which do involve the horrors of watching a child grow into something monster-like. For Izzy makes a bevy of bad choices in this story, the kind that corrupt her soul and invite evil into her heart and that makes this something of a nightmare story for parents. For this is the worst-case scenario in any parent’s mind and how mother handles it, is painfully realistic. Because when a child chooses their path, be it good or bad, there is no going back for them and there’s nothing a parent can do but sit back and watch the choice unfold and that is a painfully visceral observation to make about parenting and humanity as a whole.

Which does appear to be quite the bleak bit of commentary to inject into this story, but oddly, it doesn’t feel that way. Because it does remind us that there is only so much we control in life and it also offers us realism and emotional perspective on what parents go through when their kids make ugly headlines for their choices. Making this quite the unique horror film, one that is basically a tragic everyday story that tells it like it is, and presents us with concepts that give us pause and of course, it doesn’t hurt that it is a visual feast and filled with some wild horror elements that make you squirm. So, if you’re looking for a fresh and original horror film that takes you on an outright incredible ride from beginning to end, swing by Shudder when you have a chance and give this indie horror gem a look. You’ll be glad you did.

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