Hellions review. Not enjoyable at all.
Hellions review
Director: Bruce McDonald
Cast: Chloe Rose, Robert Patrick, Rachel Wilson, Rossif Sutherland, Luke Bilyk
Certificate: 15
Running Time: 82 Minutes
Synopsis: On Halloween, a young pregnant woman is terrorised by pumpkin headed trick-or-treaters who are out for her unborn child.
Hellions has a great idea at its core, and then does absolutely nothing with it in a film that is a surprising mess from the director of Pontypool. Hellions seems to be part experimental journey of discovery, while a split personality also wants to play it incredibly safe. It results in a film that sets up ideas, but is too scared or lazy to explore them.
Leading the way is Dora (Rose), an unconvincing 17 year old who has just found out she’s pregnant. Unsure of how to handle this news she decides to continue Halloween celebrations as normal, by partying with her boyfriend. Only her boyfriend (Bilyk) never shows up, and instead Dora is visited by sack-headed trick-or-treaters who seem to know a lot about her pregnancy. It becomes a fight for survival for Dora, which could have explored the depths of impending motherhood at such a young age, and maternal instincts in their most natural form. So why does it fail so miserably?
Hellions review
The first big problem is the character of Dore. Despite not looking 17 at all, thus lessening her vulnerability, we know three things about this character. She smokes pot, she skips classes, and she is pregnant. That’s it. We can’t formulate a bond with somebody so bland. There’s no way to agge her relationship with her boyfriend, or how she ultimately feels about parenthood, making her upcoming struggles fall completely flat.
And once the very thin plot does get going it sees director McDonald try and go all arthouse on us. The film is, for the majority, shot in a pink tinged sepia tone, which is horrific to behold. It makes the entire film look cheap, ugly, and more like a faded VHS tape of a poorly shot porno. It’s a shame as it adds nothing to the film, other than trying to give the essence of an alternative reality. It also eradicates the lovely autumnal colours that we are able to enjoy early on. Browns and oranges are such a staple of the holiday, but now you can enjoy faded pink.
Add to that some very nauseating editing, that contains coloured liquids swirling around, and sped up clocks, the sort of imagery more usually found in first time film school projects. The music is also used poorly, often just playing over scenes whether it fits or not. These missteps are often common in first features, but McDonald has impressed and entertained with some of his previous efforts.
Hellions review
The actors have very little to do, with Rose doing a lot of screaming, and everybody she calls for help just winding up a bit of easy fodder for the villains. Earlier scenes show what could have been, with genuinely frightening and tense moments with the trick-or-treaters at the door. But if it’s demonic pranksters you’re after, may I suggest the short segment from Trick ‘r Treat?
Hellions is not enjoyable, not well constructed, and not worth your time. By the point where pumpkins just start exploding, you don’t know if you’re supposed to be laughing or not, and that’s when you realise these symbolic dreamlike sequences are probably meant to be thought provoking instead of cringe inducing.
Hellions review by Luke Ryan Baldock, August 2015.
Hellions was screened at Frightfest and is released on DVD on 26th October 2015, just in time for Halloween.
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