Hellbender (2021)

[bunniefuu]

♪ Women cut women ♪

♪ Women cut women ♪

♪ I'm a bad luck penny and
I'll take you pound for pound ♪

♪ I'm a bad luck penny and I'm
born to rip, cut you down ♪

♪ Women cut women ♪

♪ Women cut women ♪

Ow, I love it!

But you know what's
missing, don't ya?

Little bass solo.

No, what?

Okay, one
more chorus though.

No.

Heavy and quick,
that's our thing.

Okay, uno mas?

Eins, zwei.

Eins, zwei, drei, fear!

Hey, Iz.

I'm making the trip to town
tomorrow, you want anything?

Can I come?

Can I have some charcoal
pencils and drumsticks, please?

Sure.

Hey, that was a good
practice tonight.

Yeah.

Love you, Iz.

Love you.

♪ I ♪

♪ I'm on my way ♪

♪ I'm on my way
with devil rays ♪

♪ I'm on my way
to hunt you down ♪

♪ I ♪

♪ I'm on my way ♪

♪ I'm on my way
with devil rays ♪

♪ I'm on my way
to hunt you down ♪

♪ I'm not your maker,
but I will destroy you ♪

♪ I'll have you
begging on your knees ♪

♪ I'm not your maker,
but I will destroy you ♪

♪ I'll have you
begging on your knees ♪

That is one of my
favorite pieces.

Local artist, she's fabulous.

I remember you.

I know you.

You haven't changed a day.

You were my grandmother's nurse.

I'm sorry, I think
you're mistaken.

That'll be $75.

Thanks.

Thank you.

You have a great day.

Bye!

Hey, Mom.

Hey, kiddo.

How was town?

Same old, same old.

Got some fun sh*t though.

Check this out.

Oh!

New look for the band maybe?

I love it, man.

That is sick!

It's so cool.

What else?

I went to the record shop.

Thought these looked cool.

That's awesome.

I can't wait to
look through them.

- Thank you.
- You're welcome.

I like making you happy.

How about you?

How was your day?

It was good.

I went hunting.

For what?

A laugh.

But

it was a ghost.

Great food in
the in the forest today.

It looks good.

Spring eats
winter, winter eats fall.

Fall eats summer,
summer eats spring.

Oh!

Hi!

Oh my God.

Sorry, sorry to bother you.

Woo, I am so lost!

You're, you're trespassing.

Understood.

Oh my God, I've been
hiking for hours.

I, I parked on 209,

and now I just can't
find my way back.

Do you know where 209 is?

Is this your property?

Yeah, I live here with my mom.

You're a country
girl, like my niece.

Amber Hanson?

She goes to school in town.

I'm homeschool.

Oh.

Anyway, she lives like
one mountain over,

or one mountain over.

She lives a mountain
over.

I gotta show you something.

Look at this.

Those don't work out here.

If they did work, I
wouldn't be so lost.

I took a picture of something
that was just super odd.

Have you ever seen
anything like this?

I'm sick.

Oh, you don't look sick.

- I am.
- Well, look at this.

Hey!

Pleased to meet you.

Oh, f*cking god!

How the f*ck?

So, is that your
daughter that I met?

What's wrong with her?

Do you know the Hansons?

I was telling your
daughter that my niece

lives fairly close.

I was thinking that maybe
I could introduce them.

I think they'd really

get along.

Are you married?

No.

Do you have any children?

No.

I would have liked
to have kids though.

Okay.

I didn't get too
close to him, I promise.

Okay.

You think I'm gonna be okay?

You'll be fine.

Hey!

I see you, you big perve!

AJ!

I'm gonna f*ck you up!

Oh!

You're not AJ.

Sorry.

I'm Izzy.

Amber.

I'm your neighbor.

I live up on that mountain.

Which mountain?

That mountain.

Well, that's news to me.

You want a beer, neighbor?

Well, are you gonna be creepy
or are you gonna come over?

Are you gonna sit the
f*ck down or what?

I'm sick.

What do you got, an STD?

I'm just f*ck' with ya.

Sit.

I can't get close to people.

None of us can.

I'll sit.

How come I've never
seen you before?

I'm homeschooled.

Well, what do you do for fun?

I hike.

I draw.

And swim, I swim.

I'm in a band.

Well, that's cool,
what do you play?

The drums.

Oh, cool, I used
to date a drummer.

They're hot, but dumb.

I sing, too.

Nice.

And I write the lyrics also.

Damn, girl, what's
your band's name?

Hellbender.

Wicked.

You should come play at
a part of mine sometime.

That'd be so cool!

Drink up.

But don't piss in the pool.

Liar!

Mom.

What's happening?

♪ Hell yeah ♪

♪ There's a new dance up,
it's called kiss the chaos ♪

♪ Hell yeah ♪

♪ So get your lipstick
going and pucker up ♪

♪ Hell yeah ♪

♪ Well, you're talking
like a little b*tch ♪

♪ Your last kiss sucked ♪

♪ Hell yeah ♪

♪ So get your party pants
on and shut the f*ck up ♪

♪ Hell yeah ♪

♪ Ki, ki, ki, ki,
ki, kiss the chaos ♪

♪ Hell yeah ♪

♪ Ki, ki, ki, ki,
ki, kiss the chaos ♪

♪ Hell yeah ♪

♪ Ki, ki, ki, ki,
ki, kiss the chaos ♪

♪ Hell yeah ♪

I better get home, I got
a babysitting gig tonight.

What?

This isn't your home?

You thought
I lived here?

No f*ck' way.

I just sneak in
to use their pool.

Somebody's got to use it.

They're city-ots,
they'll never know.

Well, where do you live?

About a mile down the road.

It's not as nice.

I've got some friends coming
tomorrow, you should come.

Okay.

Bring a bathing
suit this time.

I don't have a bathing suit.

I'll bring you one.

You look like a cross between
Kurt Cobain and a wet dog.

Okay.

See you tomorrow, Hellbender!

See ya, Amber.

I want to play out.

What?

I want to play out, for people.

That's not gonna happen.

Why not?

I mean, we do all this
and we're really good.

I think that we
should show people.

Well, you know, we do it for us.

It's our thing.

'Cause it's fun.

I love playing with you,
but I think it'd be fun

to share our f*cking amazing
songs with other people.

I think people would
really like them.

If a band plays in the woods

and there's no one
there to hear it,

did the band really play?

Izzy, what's going on?

Nothing, I'm just.

What if I'm better?

You're not.

You took me away from
people when I was five.

How do you know?

I know that I don't want
to take any chances.

I love you too much.

I love you, too.

But I also love the idea
of meeting other people

who might like music as
much as me, or something.

You know?

Maybe I could just
have one friend.

All I need is one.

Izzy, you can't be
around anyone, ever.

Let's just practice.

Armageddon?

Okay.

One, two, three, four.

♪ I dream days in so many ways ♪

♪ I know they're all
the same and sometimes ♪

♪ I run away from the
truth and the pain ♪

♪ I know apologies are hollow ♪

♪ I'll follow you tomorrow ♪

♪ I'll follow you tomorrow ♪

♪ I get my peace in Armageddon ♪

♪ I get my peace in Armageddon ♪

♪ I get my peace in Armageddon ♪

♪ I get my peace in Armageddon ♪

♪ I get my peace in Armageddon ♪

There she is.

All right, Hellbender.

I got you something
on the chair.

Hot Mama!

Hi, I'm AJ.

Hey, I'm Ingrid.

AJ's going to med
school in the fall.

You should tell
him about your STD.

I don't have an STD.

I have an immune disease.

Oh, which one?

X-linked severe combined
immunodeficiency disease.

That's weird.

I thought only boys got that,

and it's super fatal
passed infancy.

Well, if that's true you
can thank your mom for it.

That's what the X means.

Oh my god, you suck.

Hellbender.

♪ Maybe I'm the rain ♪

♪ Maybe I'm the ocean ♪

♪ Falling from the sky ♪

♪ Like a super potion ♪

♪ Maybe I'm the rain
falling from the sky ♪

♪ Maybe I'm the sun
burning till I die ♪

♪ Maybe I'm the rain,
maybe I'm the rain ♪

Cheers, I'll drink to that, bro.

Tequila?

In celebration of our new friend
and her first tequila shot,

I will place in one of these
cups not the typical dead worm

you'd find at the
bottom of a bottle,

but a real, live, bloody
bodacious earthworm.

Drink up.

I'm vegetarian.

You were vegetarian.

Now, you're a worm-atarian.

Oh, come on guys,
leave her alone.

I'll have the worm.

No, them's the rules.

You get the worm,
you eat the worm.

Come on, kid.

It'll give you
superhuman strength.

Hold your nose, you
won't even taste it.

Hey!

Oh my God.

They never come up
on weekdays!

Dude, you forgot your clothes.

And your f*cking shoes.

You wild woman!

I'm gonna need that bikini back.

Oh my God, you're
so f*cking screwed.

Dude, I'm not g*y.

But I got friends
you could meet.

What the f*ck, dude?

Don't you ever f*cking
come near me again!

Hey, you're f*cked!

I'm sick of you kids
trashing my pool

and breaking into my pool house!

That is a vintage drum set!

Look at me when I'm
f*cking talking to you!

Are you stoned?

Are you f*cking high?

Hello?

f*cking pathetic.

You're an idiot.

You're coming with me
and I'm calling the cops.

Where have you been?

I was with some friends.

I ate a worm.

A live worm.

Are your friends okay?

They'll be fine.

I'm not sick.

You're dangerous.

My friend Amber's uncle's
been missing for two days.

Izzy.

It's gonna be okay.

I'm gonna help you.

Can we talk about
what happened today?

Hey!

You're not gonna
eat that, are you?

No.

'Cause the hairs kind of
get stuck in your teeth.

Why did that
worm make me so crazy?

It wasn't the worm.

It was the life in the worm.

Magic comes from the
fear, the fear of death.

Every living thing has it.

The more fear pumping through
the blood, the more power.

You think the worm
gives you power?

Try a rat.

Or a dog, woo!

Or a deer.

It's all in the pumping blood.

What happens if we eat...

What?

People.

Then you'll know power.

Is this a dream?

Wow.

I have never seen you like
raspberry thorn so much.

Your tastes are maturing.

I shouldn't have said anything.

Will you take a
rainy hike with me?

Sure.

I shouldn't have
kept this from you.

It was a mistake.

It's all right.

Why did you?

Keep you safe.

From what?

You've opened a door that

once it's open, it
can be hard to shut.

But you only opened
it a little, right?

So, that's good.

In fact, it's.

It's great.

It was bound to be open
and I wish I was there.

I should've been there.

You're good, Izzy.

You're good.

I can help you keep
it all in control.

So, we're the same?

Yeah.

Was your mom like us?

Well.

She was, but she
wasn't a good mother.

And in the end, she might've
wished she had been.

So, can we leave
the mountain now?

No.

Why, I'm not sick.

Look, I'm gonna
show you something,

but you gotta promise
no more door slammin'.

Okay?

Eat it quick while
it's still alive.

All right, show me
what you got, kid.

Holy sh*t.

And that's why you can't
leave the mountain.

♪ Yeah, I'm a mother
f*ck' mountain ♪

♪ Yeah, flowin'
like a fountain ♪

♪ I'm a make a ton,
I'm a make a ton ♪

♪ I'm a make a ton,
I'm a make a ton ♪

♪ I'm a hit and run,
I'm a hit and run ♪

♪ I'm a hit and run,
I'm a hit and run ♪

♪ I'm a hit and run,
I'm a hit and run ♪

♪ I'm a hit and run,
I'm a hit and run ♪

♪ I'm a hit and run,
I'm a hit and run ♪

♪ I'm a hit and run,
I'm a hit and run ♪

Hey.

Hey.

What are you doing down there?

I was just putting
back some paint.

I can hear you hearing me!

Hey.

Can I come in?

Sure.

You remember the friend you,
uh, you made last summer?

Amber?

Yeah.

You still friends?

Do you ever see her?

No.

Is that because I'd
forbidden you to

or did something bad happen?

The last time I saw her,

she said that my friendship
was kind of suffocating her.

That's not your fault.

But remember, Iz,
we're not like them.

We don't need them.

We can be perfectly
happy here, together.

Alone.

How come I'm the only one
who's completely alone then?

Well, we can work on that.

When...

When I'm not dangerous?

Yeah.

Dangerous to who?

Whom?

Hey, Iz, I'm going to
town, do you need anything?

No, thank you.

Have fun.

Hey, let's go to the ravine.

Okay.

Mom.

Mom.

Oh.

More bones.

What do you think did this?

I don't know.

I've been seeing a
lot of bones lately.

All stripped clean, like this.

Impressive.

Probably coyotes.

Beautiful.

But vicious.

No, no, I.

Whatever did this, it's
neither right or wrong.

It's just their nature.

What is our nature?

Our nature is dark.

But I can teach you to starve it

so it doesn't consume you.

But you said whatever
k*lled that deer back there,

that was in their nature.

You know why we're
called hellbenders?

Because we're powerful.

And anything powerful is feared.

Our ancestors grew drunk on
that fear, they craved it.

And so it was said we had
turned our backs on heaven

and bent towards hell.

Do you want that kind of legacy?

To be soulless?

Unloved?

Feared?

Pop quiz.

What happens when you mix
huckleberries and tears?

It enhances your eyesight.

Okay, that's too easy.

What if you crush
spiderwebs and ivy.

It makes your palms sticky

so you can climb
trees like squirrels.

Awesome.

It is.

Where'd you learn this stuff?

My mother.

Anywhere else?

No.

Hey.

What do you know about ferns?

Nothing.

Oh, such a beautiful plant.

Self reproducing, like us.

Awesome.

It is.

And if you've crush ferns

and fungus with one other
very special element,

you can smell blood on the wind.

Blood on the wind, I like that.

But I need you to understand

we don't need this
kind of thing anymore.

We're evolving.

Okay.

This is really f*cking
cool, do you want to try it?

- Yeah.
- Okay, good.

What do you smell?

A crow?

A rabbit?

I smell something big.

Good.

I smell a man.

Hello!

This is private property,
you're trespassing.

Actually, state land runs
right along these rocks.

That must be your property.

Can I talk to you for a minute?

How about 30 seconds?

We're just leaving.

10 seconds, I'm a fast talker.

All right, since
we're short on time

I'm gonna get
straight to the point.

Young lady, I need you to
be totally honest with me.

Where can I buy that shirt?

There's only one.

I made it for our band.

10 seconds.

All right, business.

I'm sure you all heard a
man was k*lled last summer

by a wild animal or wild animals

couple of miles from here.

It's my belief it's a
rabid mountain lion.

Have you guys noticed
any carcasses?

No.

This might have something to do

with the disappearance of a man.

We found his car on 209,
but no sign of his body.

You see many hikers around here?

Nope.

Well, maybe it's a hellbender.

What's a hellbender?

It's kind of a cross
between a witch,

a demon, and an apex predator.

They live off the fear that
pumps through human blood,

which gives them
exceptional power.

They've been around
since the dawn of time,

and they're still evolving.

Young lady, if you
don't become a designer,

you should become a writer.

All right, deal?

All right, ladies.

Take care of
yourselves out there.

Have a good one.

A worm?

You want to go back
to moss and twigs?

I mean, it's baby food.

Why don't we eat a frog?

Or a hedgehog?

Or we can just go out
for burgers.

Help mine.

♪ I listen to your lips,
I listen to your eyes ♪

♪ I listen to my head
and everything inside ♪

♪ I don't want to hurt,
I just want to drive ♪

♪ I don't want to hurt,
I just want to drive ♪

♪ Everything you said to me ♪

♪ Was empty as a
bubble in the rain ♪

♪ Your promises
were meaningless ♪

♪ Especially bearing
mysteries full of pain ♪

I love you so much, I
could just eat you up.

If you break my heart,
I'll devour you.

♪ I don't want to hurt,
I just wanna ride ♪

Hey, Izzy, I know you're pissed.

Let's smoke a peace pipe.

This is my special stash.

Maggots?

They're so small.

But potent.

They can't be that
frightful though.

Oh, they are the great
death feeders of the world.

Think about the
lifecycle of a fly.

A fly feeds on death,
plants its eggs there,

and then within that death
comes rebirth, maggots,

which then feed on death
until they turn into flies.

Then the whole cycle
starts over again.

How magic is that?

And these babies were chowing

on one of the deer I
found in the forest,

which looked like it came
to a pretty terrifying end.

Trust me, there is
plenty to get ripped on.

Try one.

Let's fly.

Come on, let's fly!

It takes a lot more
than maggots to fly,

you greedy c**t!

Then you can have
your useless maggots!

Oh my god!

b*tch.

Have you been in my dreams?

We would make a great team.

Oh, I don't feel so good.

I need a shower.

That was fun.

Yeah, but we
cannot do that again.

That was very, very bad.

Tell me about your mom.

She was a monster.

She ate half a village.

They were children.

My friends.

She felt so guilty, she
sewed her mouth shut.

Did she starve to death?

No.

She was hanged.

A waste of rope.

So, then how'd she die?

The way all hellbenders die.

Spring eats winter,
winter eats fall.

Fall eats summer.

How old are you?

147, I think.

How old are you going to be?

You tell me.

Hey.

What are you doing here?

I just wanted to apologize.

How, how did you
know I work here?

You're stalking me.

- f*cking psycho.
- Hold on, hold on.

I just want to give you this.

What is it?

It's your bikini.

Thanks.

Thanks for letting me borrow it.

No problem, hellbender.

Sorry for being such
a weirdo last summer.

It's cool.

Can you believe what
happened to that guy?

What guy?

The guy who chased us.

He got attacked by
some wild animal.

Oh.

That's crazy.

I was hoping nothing
happened to you,

even though you were
being a nutcase.

Well, thanks for the bikini.

Oh, I almost forgot.

I want to give you these.

Barrettes?

They're yours.

I kind of stole them from you

when I first met
you at the pool.

You know what,
back the f*ck off!

Hey, Izzy!

Iz?

Hey, Mom!

You want to hear something
I wrote for Hellbender?

Okay.

There was a wolf who
longed to be a sheep.

So, she cut her claws
and cracked her teeth.

She buried deep
the wolf beneath.

And when she bore a cub,
she raised it as a lamb.

She cut its claws and
cracked its teeth.

She buried deep
the wolf beneath.

But when the lamb
grew, so did her claws.

So, did her teeth.

And the wolf ate her mother
who was just a sheep.

You like it?

Hey, did you meet
my friend Amber?

She's still alive and
she's scared shitless.

Cheers.

Please!

Help, help!

Help me.

Help!

f*ck!

Help, I wanna go home.

Help.

I can't, I can't move.

Is she here?

Please help.

I can't move my body.

Please help.

Help.

Help me, help me,
help, help.

Please help.

Let me out, let me go!

Don't let her do this to me.

Please don't leave me.

Don't leave me.

Please don't leave me!

Please, help me please.

Hey, Mom, that's
my friend Amber.

Remember, we met her uncle
in the woods that day.

I think you dusted him.

Ooh, I like that trick.

It's a great one to do
right in front of people.

It just f*ck' paralyzes
them with fear, like Amber.

I saw you take a taste.

- No.
- Izzy...

What, what have you done, what?

What is this place?

My happy place.

I'm not gonna let
you k*ll this girl.

I'm gonna save her
so I can save you.

Save me from what?

Izzy, I just wanted to save you

from the hell that I've known.

I just wanted us to be...

Please!

People.

People?

Like the people
you've kept me from?

Like Amber?

The people that believe
in good and evil?

God and the devil?

If they want to believe
in hell so badly,

I'll give 'em hell.

Let me go!

Izzy, you're good.

I raised you to be good.

Not evil.

I saw the book.

The blood, the bodies,
the babies, the terror.

I listened to your secrets
and I watched your dreams.

I know the truth, Mom.

I did what I was taught to do.

And you denied me that right.

Right.

To be a tool for the
hands of hell.

It's not a gift, Izzy.

Then why was it given?

I know the only way
a hellbender can die.

Winter eats fall,
fall eats summer,

summer eats spring,
and spring eats winter.

Did your mother
sacrifice herself or?

I think I know.

Watch out, Mom.

You might turn into
a real hellbender.

I know you're in there.

Show me.

Let me see.

There you are.

You're so beautiful.

Thank you.

Now, it's my turn.

I'm not afraid of you, Izzy.

You will be.

Help, please help me.

Don't, I'm not ready.

I'm not ready.

I'm not ready.

I'm not, don't.

Mom, I'm not gonna eat you.

I'm not ready to have
a little hellbender.

And I love you.

I'm going to town,
you need anything?

Bass strings.

You got it.