HELLIONS (2014) Reviews and overview

What do you think of this movie? Click on a star to rate it
  

hellions_1sheet_web

‘They are not here for candy.’

Hellions is a 2015 American horror film directed by Bruce McDonald (Pontypool) from a screenplay by Pascal Trottier (A Christmas Horror Story; The Colony; Blind Fear).

Cast:

Robert Patrick (Lost After Dark; The Faculty; Terminator 2), Rossif Sutherland, Luke Bilyk, Rachel Wilson, Chloe Rose, Peter DaCunha, Sydney Cross, Adelaide Humphreys, Joe Silvaggio, Stephanie Fonceca, Karlo William, Nicholas Craig, Emir Hirad Mokhtarieh and Aliyah Jhirad.

hellions-horror-movie-news-4

Plot:

Strange trick-or-treaters plague conflicted pregnant teenager Dora Vogel (Chloe Rose) at her isolated home on Halloween. Under siege by forces she can’t understand, Dora must defend both body and soul from relentless Hellions, dead-set on possessing something Dora will not give them…

Hellions-Studiocanal-DVD
Buy: Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

” …a maelstorm of horror traditions and tropes, good and bad alike. While the film is never boring for its constant barrage of evocative imagery, cacophonous score and sound design, McDonald and writer Pascal Troitter are never able to marry such bombast with their intended themes…” Twitch

Hellions-Robert-Patrick

“Lead actress Rose, who bears a passing resemblance to Jennifer Lawrence, does admirable work, including a very strong sequence in which she squares off with herself in a mirror. The fatal flaw is the script. No explanation, plausible or otherwise, is ever offered for the haunting beyond Dora’s condition, which loops back to the point about an incoherent yet disturbing message about pregnancy.” Meet Mr Karma

hellions-horror-movie-news-3

“The more Hellions tips into the realm of waking nightmare, the more uncertain McDonald’s touch becomes. Gone is the menace of creepy kids with a mysterious agenda, replaced by a maelstrom of tacky effects, like a supernatural tornado that sweeps inside the house (one of several references to The Wizard of Oz) and the CGI detonation of pumpkins.” Scott Tobias, Variety

Hellions-2015

“If you can get past the surreal interlude, then I think you’re going to enjoy Hellions. McDonald is one of those rare filmmakers that delivers on both style and substance and doesn’t sacrifice one for the other. Hellions is a really fun Halloween time horror film that is perfect to watch all alone with the lights out.” Anything Horror

Hellions-Scream-Factory-Blu-ray

Buy Blu-ray: Amazon.com

” … there’s something to be said about a relatively small-scale picture whose creators embrace its limitations. The experimental dream sequences and hallucinations that make “Hellions” a McDonald movie also make the film a perfect, light midnight movie that should go great with light drinks, good company, and a warm blanket.” Simon Abrams, RogerEbert.com

“Bruce McDonald’s latest is a genre-freak-only affair that even at 81 minutes feels like a joke that takes much too long reaching its punch line; though horror fests may bite, commercial prospects are slim despite the fanboy-friendly presence of Robert Patrick as a grizzled small-town cop.” John DeFore, The Hollywood Reporter

Beauty, Power and Grace

hellions-horror-movie-news

MOVIES and MANIA rating:

MOVIES and MANIA provides previews, our own film reviews and ratings, plus links to other online reviews from a wide variety of trusted sources in one handy web location. This is a genuinely independent website and I rely solely on the minor income generated by internet ads to pay for web costs and cover yet more movies. Please support us by not blocking ads. Thank you. Oh and as an Amazon Associate, I earn a tiny amount from any qualifying purchases.