Author: Joel Fisher

Izzy (Zelda Adams) and her mother (Toby Poser) live by a mountain in the woods where Izzy is home schooled because she has a condition which means that she can’t get too close to other people. However, Izzy is a teenager and like all teenagers she’s curious about what the world has to offer and longs to be out there among other people.

Izzy’s mother does like to keep her daughter occupied though and they have a good life at home. They even like to write, compose and perform in their own rock band they call Hellbender.

Then one day Izzy goes wandering in the woods and meets Amber (Lulu Adams) and despite Izzy’s better judgment, she makes friends with Amber and they start spending more time together. In fact, Izzy becomes enamoured with Amber and maybe because of her social inadequacies, she starts to get too close. The thing that Izzy doesn’t know is that her mother is holding a secret about Izzy’s true nature that brings a whole new meaning to the term Hellbender. Izzy is about to find out the extent of what she can really do.

Hellbender is a supernatural horror written and directed by John Adams, his daughter Zelda and her mother Toby Poser. It even co-stars sister Lulu Adams which truly makes it a family affair. Audiences may think there’s a familiar theme within the story of Hellbender as there are undertones of Carrie and the mother/daughter connection, although not abusive, could lead them to suspect something more sinister.

However, Hellbender is altogether more original than being a Carrie knock off and with great performances by mother and daughter, it shows a real bond between them. It also helps to cleverly misdirect the audience as to what’s really happening.

The story of Hellbender has many layers which explore the connection between mother and daughter, the worries a parent may have about her child and even the awkwardness of teenage friendships, but never goes where the audience may think. The performances in the mother/daughter band and the songs punctuated throughout the film are great too.

Hellbender is a unique film which will fascinate and even scare the audience a little whilst keeping them captivated by the story.

Amy Carr (Naomi Watts) is still grieving for her husband. She’s trying to get by and still has a regular routine like jogging in the woods to try and take her mind off things. However, she only has her son, Noah (Colton Gobbo) to lean on. Also, Noah isn’t handling the loss very well either.

Then one day whilst out on her regular run, Amy gets a notification on her phone that Noah’s school has gone into lockdown after a shooter has been identified on the grounds. Five miles from town by now and with no quick access to any answers or a fast way home, Amy has to find her way to her son whilst dealing with the events as they happen.

The Desperate Hour (or Lakewood in the UK) is a thriller directed by Philip Noyce and written by Chris Sparling. It seems that the way in which the story unfolds in The Desperate Hour may be inspired by other films, many of which have won awards for their stars such as Locke starring Tom Hardy and Cast Away starring Tom Hanks. This is notable because for the vast majority of the film, Naomi Watts is the only actor on screen.

Watts is of course an accomplished actor and holds the attention of the audience right the way through, but some may wonder if her performance is the thing that’s driving the film and the plot is secondary.

It may not necessarily go that far though, as the next plot point is quite literally at Amy’s fingertips. So, it seems that the thriller format is what overtakes any temptation to play to the audience and so despite the contrivances of Amy’s involvement in that plot, it moves along.

Putting a mother at the centre of a story such as this is certainly unique as it may normally be told from a student’s perspective. Pairing that with the way that it’s told and The Desperate Hour gives its audience something familiar, but done in an original way.

However, despite the good intentions of the message at the end, it does feel more generic than the poignant message it wants to portray.

Catherine (Teagan Johnston) is a musician and decides to go away for a while to work on her music so that she can be alone and really concentrate. She’s very talented too and may be on the verge of something big and is very serious about her art. She also misses her friend, Grace (Jenna Schaefer) and when she’s not thinking about her music, she’s thinking about her.

The trouble is that Catherine may or may not be alone after all. After a while, things start happening and Catherine becomes increasingly convinced that she’s either being watched or that something supernatural is happening.

The Strings is a slow burn horror co-written by Krista Dzialoszynski and directed by Ryan Glover. Taegan Johnston herself is also a musician and provides the music for the movie.

There are different kinds of horror movies; ones that are campy, filled with jump scares and are designed to make an audience leap from their seats. Then there are slow burn, thoughtful horror movies that slowly increase the tension to the point where the audience won’t know what to expect. The Strings falls into the latter category.

The problem is that although Teagan Johnston may give a good performance for somebody who has never acted before and is very talented musically, it seems that the film is more interested in showing that side of her. This means that there is a lot of time showing Teagan while she works and for a long time there is very little else.

There does come a point where the tension does start to rise, but for some it may take too long and once it gets there, there seems to be little reason for it. Catherine also seems rather unimpressed by the bumps in the night and when it comes to its climax, The Strings may not satisfy its audience.

The Strings is a horror movie which may divide audiences and those looking for answers and a satisfactory conclusion may be disappointed. However, those looking for a horror movie that leaves them thinking about what it all means then The Strings is something different among all the jump scares.  

The Runner (Kris Esfandiari) is a woman running alone and finds a small, secluded town. The only thing that makes her stand out in this town is that she’s covered in blood, that and the fact that she never speaks despite having various encounters with the townspeople which often veer into the realms of horror.

There’s also the small detail that wherever she goes she’s accompanied musically by a Darkwave band called Boy Harsher who seem to be making music videos based around the things that she does. Although their connections to the events of the short film bear very little resemblance.

The Runner is a short film on Shudder with a soundtrack by Boy Harsher who also had a hand in writing and directing. The trouble is that it seems that The Runner is one of the more unusual additions to Shudder as it barely passes as horror and is clearly just a series of music videos for the band.

Fans of Boy Harsher are bound to be delighted that their favourite band have had such a prominent platform to display their music. However, those who are not fans and have no idea who they are may be confused as to how a short film which is really a series of music videos has made it onto the horror streaming service.

That’s not to say that Boy Harsher’s music is bad, which it isn’t and for those unfamiliar with the band might find themselves dancing along with the tunes and maybe wanting to find more of their music. It’s just that for those who are perhaps looking for a unique short indie film then they may feel like they’ve been duped.

In fact, those who may soon realise what The Runner is may quickly turn it off and look for something else. However, for those who are looking for something very different and has a good soundtrack, then you may want to give it a go.

There’s no real telling how The Runner found its way on to Shudder and we may never know. Although it may be interesting to see what Shudder consumes in future just because of its vague horror connection.

After sixteen years, Joanna Quinn and Les Mills are back again to tell another tale of Beryl’s (Menna Trussler) life, along with their particular brand of art and sense of humour. Following on from Dreams and Desires: Family Ties, Affairs of The Art gives audiences another piece of unique British animation from the makers of Girls Night Out and Famous Fred.

This time Beryl is wondering what happened to her life when she looks back on her childhood and her love of art that faded just like her body.

Beryl tells the audience all about her family life with her morbid sister Beverly (Joanna Quinn) and her vengeful and inventive son, Colin and it makes for a rather darkly comic affair which only Joanna Quinn and Les Mills could do quite as well. Of course, this isn’t exactly a story for children either, but for the adults who may have either grown up delighting in Quinn’s sense of humour or been reminded of her beginnings over thirty years ago.

Along with the audience, it seems that Beryl is at that age where the best years of her life are behind her, but she’s still carrying on.

Those who are new to Quinn and Mills’ work may be taken in by the beautiful pencil drawn animations, only to realise that this is no family animation like The Snowman. However, adults who are unaware of Beryl may still smile and enjoy the jokes and the drawings and may want to find their previous work.

The unusual stories of Beryl’s family life are as bizarre as they are comical and although the sense of humour may not be for everyone, Beryl and her family may be something to which many of the audience could relate. Whether it’s a mischievous little brother who takes things a bit too far, or a sister whose life ends up in a way you may never have imagined.

Affairs of The Art is a short which still shows how wickedly sharp and talented these filmmakers are and their spark for observation and something uniquely British is still there.