[Interview] The Adams Family Discusses Making Horror Films and HELLBENDER on Slay Away

We had the opportunity to gather the Adams family of filmmakers around our campfire to discuss their award-winning occult coming-of-age film, Hellbender.

The Adams family joined us on the Slay Away horror podcast to discuss their award-winning occult-horror film Hellbender that premiered at the 2021 Fantasia Fest! The film is a coming-of-age story, with it's own unique magical mythos exploring the theme of identity. The power of fear also plays a significant role throughout the film. You can listen to our full podcast interview for behind-the-scenes details, while getting to know the family of filmmakers, to discover more about the mythology and occult inspirations for the film and beyond.

In Hellbender, 16-year-old Izzy (Zelda Adams) suffers from a rare illness that has kept her isolated on a mountaintop with her mother (Toby 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.

John Adams and Toby Poser joined me from their home in the Catskill Mountains in southeastern New York where the film was shot, while Zelda Adams called in from Fashion Week in New York City. In addition to our exclusive Hellbender discussion, Zelda shared details about the family's latest horror film project, When The Devil Roams, a period piece during the Great Depression that follows a family of serial murderers with Lulu Adams co-directing. Zelda said, "It's kind of a mix between Frankenstein and Bonnie and Clyde."

Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium streaming service for horror, thrillers and the supernatural, will exclusively premiere the critically acclaimed Shudder Original, Hellbender on Thursday, February 24, 2022.

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