Hellbender

One of Shudder's biggest homegrown hits of recent years arrives on DVD with a collection of extras which eschew the in-depth analysis frequently found in such packages in favour of a more grounded, practical approach which viewers will find informative and fun. It's neatly summed up by a blooper reel which doesn't contain messed-up lines or improvisation, but provides an insight into the sort of things which go wrong when working on special effects shots with a small team which is doing a lot of things for the first time. It's no less amusing as a result.

The visual FX featurette here is intriguing because the team had originally wanted to rely a lot more on practical effects, but production was interrupted by Covid, necessitating a different approach and allowing more time in which to work on it. This means that there was a focus on achieving the sort of solidity and realism of practical work with more of the material being generated digitally, and with many scenes involving hybrid work. Effects creator Trey Lindsay talks through many of the film's most impressive scenes to explain how they were created using layering, splicing together multiple practical effects which could be put together under lockdown conditions. He also discusses the film's aesthetic and the importance of creating a form of magic which felt consistent and convincing but (fore effects notwithstanding) completely avoided any Disney-style sparkles.

The behind the scenes footage included here has no narration, but simply gives viewers a direct look at the process of making different aspects of the film. It's surprisingly involving, and more effective at capturing the mood of a film set than many more formally structured segments of this sort.

The Travelling With Wonder Wheel 'feature' is in fact a link to a blog, which is worth reading but feels a bit odd in this context. The Zelda’s Alter Ego feature is a TikTok video, and correspondingly short, but sweet. Making up the rest of the package are four music videos which are only very loosely connected to the film but will appeal to fans of Zelda Adams' burgeoning music career. When I chatted with the family about Hellbender, they told me that Zelda, who grew up acting in their films, was beginning to experiment with directing herself. She directed one of these videos with her dad, John Adams, and another (perhaps the most relevant to the film) by herself. It's the first chance for viewers to see what she has to offer behind the camera, and it makes a strong impression.