The occult coming-of-age horror film Hellbender won’t be making its world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival until August 14th, but it has already landed an international distribution deal. The Shudder streaming service will be releasing Hellbender in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand sometime in early 2022.
Hellbender is the sixth feature film from Wonder Wheel Productions, a company formed by Toby Poser, John Adams, and their children Zelda and Lulu. Poser, John Adams, and Zelda Adams wrote and directed Hellbender together, with Zelda taking on the lead role of
16-year-old Izzy, who suffers from a rare illness that has kept her isolated on a mountaintop with her mother (Poser) her whole life. As Izzy begins to question her sickness, she pushes back against her confinement and secretly befriends Amber (Lulu Adams), another girl living on the mountain, but her newfound happiness is derailed after she eats a live worm as part of a juvenile game and finds an insatiable and violent hunger awakened within her. To understand the hunger, Izzy must learn the dark secrets of her family’s past and the ancient power in her bloodline.
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The Adams family also scored the film with tracks from their experimental punk band H6LLB6ND6R.
Shudder’s Craig Engler had this to say about the distribution deal:
We are thrilled to bring this family-focused folk nightmare to Shudder with such a talented actual family in front of and behind the camera. With Hellbender, Wonder Wheel Productions has made their most polished feature yet, and we know our audience will delight in the film’s shocking visuals and scares.”
The Adams family released the following statement:
Teaming up with Shudder was at the top of our bloody bucket list. They’re the pinnacle of beautiful horror, and to be a part of that is beyond thrilling for our family.”
Justin Timms of Yellow Veil Pictures, which helped the family negotiate the Shudder deal, added:
Hellbender is an absolute stunner. I am obsessed with every frame and couldn’t be more excited to partner with Shudder for the release of such an ambitious and unique movie.”
This movie sounds quite interesting, and the fact that it was a family production adds some charm into the mix. I’ll be sure to check out Hellbender when Shudder releases it into the world.
Here’s a first look image from Hellbender:
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