User reviews

It's Halloween again and my thoughts about this film, which I saw at TIFF 2015, are as mixed as ever. Bruce McDonald's art-house take on Halloween horror is terrific until the frustrating non-ending. I was loving the eccentric direction, off-kilter cinematography, sympathetic performances, mysterious killer kids, end the whole dream-or-reality puzzle. But then...

I suppose the short run time should be a hint this is an unfinished movie, but honestly what were the producers thinking, letting this be released? Why not sit down with the director, point out this glaring problem, and offer to scare up funds for some additional writing and shooting to finish a potentially worthy follow-up to his great Pontypool.

All that said, I still can't recommend against watching it; you don't want to miss what there is, but be prepared to imagine a third act.

To be honest I can't really say I'd recommend Hellions. I found merit in it being quite different, having a decent cast and having some cool effects and not a bad and relatively original premise. The Hellions themselves had great potential and really looked quite cool. The movie eschewed normality for quite a surreal atmosphere and visual palette, there was also some cool original music which was creepy. It all got very confusing however between what was dream, reality, supernatural or whatever. By the end I didn't really care anymore as the narrative was lost due to me being confused generally. Maybe some horror fans may appreciate this movie, do not however watch if expecting a child it was quite graphic in some brief scenes.

Yours truly is a diehard horror fanatic, but also a sucker for mushy traditions. During the Christmas period I seek out holiday-horror with psychotic Santa's or demonic elves, and on All Hallows' Eve I like to stay in theme as well. And, since you can't watch John Carpenter's "Halloween" every year, it's good to have some alternatives. "Hellions" isn't nearly as good or entertaining as, say, "Trick 'r Treat" or "Tales of Halloween", but I'm nevertheless glad that I watched a genuine Halloween flick with spooky seasonal decoration, gruesome costumes and lots & lots of pumpkins! Perhaps I'm being too generous here, as I was in a festive mood, but I think "Hellions" is a solid film for a mere two-thirds of the running time. Bruce McDonald, director of the - in my humble opinion - heavily overrated "Pontypool", creates an ideally sinister atmosphere and comes up with an efficiently unsettling premise. The rebellious but troubled 16-year-old Dora Vogel finds out she's pregnant, so she's pondering alone at her house while the rest of her family goes out trick or treating. Eerie kids with seriously terrifying masks and outfits soon come knocking at her door, but these little monsters aren't satisfied with regular candy. They want Dora's unborn baby, and anyone who tries to protect her won't survive the night! The set-up of the plot is great, the little demon-kids look petrifying and Chloë Rose is a persuasive young actress. So far so good, but admittedly Bruce McDonald has no idea where his surreal storylines are going or how to lead everything towards a credible finale. The skies over Dora's isolated little town suddenly color purple and pink, along with various other surreal and inexplicably bizarre phenomena, which causes us to suspect that McDonald tries to cover for the lack of content and/or continuity with visual distractions. Nice try, but horror fans really aren't as dumb as some people think, you know! I'll remember it for the handful of authentic frights, but "Hellions" definitely won't become a cult classic.

This movie sounded as though it would be, at most, a typical horror movie. I was very, very wrong here. Started off about normal (as normal as a Tarantino film at least) and can keep your interest for a bit... but... eventually it turns from a decently average flick to a 'holy crap acid trip OMG OMG OMG', for a lack of more descript terminology. There is no decipherable plot, and whatever deep thought the writer and director were attempting to invoke are lost on the idiocy of pig references and bath salts. I actually gained a headache, and I believe lost brain cells from watching this. Regardless of what 'good' reviews you will read, trust that a normal person is not going to enjoy this movie at all. Unless of course you are on acid.

I just figured it out. I like watching terrible movies. Why else would I do it so often? I like them because they give me so much to rant about on IMDb.com. OK movies and good movies are too boring. Everything is so good and well done, who wants to write about that? Give me the unbearable, give me the laughable; I can write all day about that.

This mutilated "Children of the Corn" knock off was about a Gothic, slutty, petulant teenager that gets pregnant and finds out about it on Halloween. While staying at home to sulk about her new, and seemingly baffling situation, she's attacked by (I guess) Hellions. Their name is such a misnomer because they looked like wee little ones in costumes. These annoying little cretins won't stop until they have the child in Dora's belly.

For some reason we're supposed to care about little goth girl during her fight for her life. Maybe because she wore white? The entire time the hellions are staging their attack the soundtrack alternated from "Silent Night" to kids chanting and yelling in unison. What Silent Night has to do with Halloween is beyond me, but the kids "singing" wasn't scary it was annoying. This entire movie for that matter wasn't scary. They went for cheap cinematic triggers such as flashes of random images, sepia tones for about a third of the movie and exploding pumpkins. Yes... exploding pumpkins. Because what drums up fear from the depths of your soul more than exploding pumpkins.

When I wasn't being assaulted by terrible acting and a worse script I was trying to figure out if she was dreaming or awake because they bounced back and forth between the two so often. Eventually I gave up and assumed I was the one dreaming. I had to be because why would I watch a movie like this? This must be a nightmare.

Unlike previous reviewers of this film, I failed to understand it one iota. I gave one star for the amazing cinematography and use of interesting camera angles and effects, but the plot (if there even was one) appears to have escaped me entirely. Like many of the movies which rack up independent film awards that few of us have ever heard of, this title promises so much and delivers so very little. It's as if someone came up with a good idea for frightening protagonists and got a good director on board but then asked a stoned hobo to come up with a storyline. For us mere mortals (who just enjoy a good movie) sadly, 'Hellions' is a complete waste of time. I stuck with it until the bitter end, hoping that somehow it would all come together or be explained, but alas I was left confused and bewildered. If you're willing to sit through the multitude of dream sequences, psychedelic backgrounds and don't require any sort of plot you're able to follow or even grasp at all, then perhaps this is the film for you.

This movie popped up in an email from Netflix as "something you may enjoy". Netflix, you couldn't have been more wrong.

To be honest, I'm still not sure what the hell I just watched. I thought it started out decent. It felt like I was watching The Strangers, but with children; home invasion and children, two very creepy things in my opinion. The movie quickly turned into "demons from hell" type movie, which I could get on board, if it weren't for the quick turn it made into that direction.

Some people say it's a pro-life propaganda movie, which I could kind of see, but that also may be reaching a little bit.

I thought the acting was good in some spots; I thought the music was definitely creepy (Christmas sounding music with a child like tone); and I thought some of the visual effects and costumes were cool.

What I didn't like were the lingering effects in scenes that looked choppy (the constant shot of her in the hanging sheets). I thought some of the dialogue was extremely lame. And, because the movie kind of goes by so quick, it's really hard to pin down what is actually happening. I felt like the film maker had a bunch of different good ideas in his head, and instead of picking one and running with it, he crammed everything into one movie.

Overall I think the movie could have been so much better. There are definitely good elements there, they just need to be justly presented.

Hellions is the latest film from Bruce McDonald who helmed Pontypool (2008), a film which showed that he was a director who was not afraid to approach old ideas in new ways. With Hellions, it could be said that he is adopting the same philosophy. Its story focuses on a teenage girl who lives in a town famed for its pumpkin crop. On Halloween night she discovers she is pregnant to her boyfriend and very soon finds herself home alone and terrorized by strange, costumed, demonic children who seem to be after her unborn child.

To be honest just going by the synopsis you could be forgiven for thinking this is going to be no more than a routine horror outing with little to differentiate itself from the pack. But in practice it's a whole lot better than that. This is mainly on account of the stylised manner in which its story has been brought to the screen. Once our heroine is in the midst of her struggles, lots of colour filters are used to create a weird Halloween fantasy land which creates quite a nice off-kilter atmosphere. Not only that but this is one of the few recent horror films that actually makes an effort with its soundtrack too; the score by Todor Kobakov and Ian LeFeuvre is a consistently inventive, layered and spooky concoction. Rounding things off there is a strong central performance from Chloe Rose and decent support work from Robert Patrick.

Content-wise, there's nothing especially new here but the manner in which it is brought to the screen shows considerable care and effort. There's quite a lot to appreciate in the visuals and soundtrack in particular, while the creepy kids are donned out in some imaginatively sinister costumes. This one successfully creates its own distinctive ambiance and that seems like a pretty good enough achievement to me.

I really don't remember how I even came to know about this movie. I just know that once I saw the title of it online and watched the trailer that I had to watch it. The reviews at the time were mostly overly negative. But I still couldn't go on without having seen it. The premise was strange. I'm a sucker for strange horror films. So I bought it and after two viewings so far I can say with confidence that this movie is not nearly as bad as these negative reviews make it out to be.

First off, if you don't like weird or somewhat artsy movies, then you might not like this. This isn't a typical horror movie like the kind that gets released nationwide in theaters for teenagers to bring their lovers on dates with. Though I honestly wish it would've been released in theaters across the country as this is a visual treat. The cinematography is very well done for such a low budget movie. The musical score is a new horror theme classic for me. The acting was decent for the genre. The monsters are really creepy. There isn't really a coherent plot past the 15 minute mark, but this isn't supposed to be an award winner for best screenplay. It is a art horror film for most of the movie. Sure many will call it pretentious. But this is honestly one of the best surrealist horror films in a long time. Sure the plot might be a bit dumb, but the visuals and overall vibe of the movie have cult classic written all over it. Some of the special effects are silly. Some are really well done for the budget. Right now I'm sure most expected a simple good vs evil straight forward horror film. This one really is that grey area of movies. I'd compare its style to films such as "Paper House" and "Eraserhead". It does seem to partially be inspired by David Lynch. There are even moments that have a slight Silent Hill vibe. I'd say its the American surrealist take on the French Horror film "Inside". It's also pretty gory. It doesn't have an 'Unrated" rating for nothing. I didn't wanna give any plot spoilers as this movie is best viewed without any prior premise knowledge. I'd say if you haven't already, then don't see the trailer either. Just know it's a surreal and strange horror movie. If that doesn't sound like something you'd enjoy, then don't watch it. I can see this becoming a Halloween season cult hit as the years go by and more and more open minded horror fans view it and spread the word. I'm not saying everyone will absolutely love it, but I know for sure it doesn't deserve these horrible reviews it seems to be getting from the get go. I am adding this to my Halloween season go to list. Give this one time and it'll gain a huge cult following I promise that. A B-movie surreal horror masterwork of weirdness. And no I'm not on drugs, like some reviewers say you have to be on to enjoy this. Turn off the lights and partake.

Hellions is a very well made Horror movie that's for sure but it's more than a Horror movie it plays on fears of childbirth & the terrifying realisation that a girls world is about to change along with her body.

Chloe Rose is the pregnant 17 year old this movie is about & she plays Dora abit of a loner goth type of rebel chick & Rose gives a fantastic performance of all the ranges of emotion & then some & she's acts it brilliantly so i think this girl will do well in the movie world.

One of my all time favourite actors is in Hellions & that's the always good veteran Robert Patrick & here he plays a tough serious local police officer who is there to protect & serve our hero Dora & again although under used his screen presence is always welcomed & gives a solid performance for his screen time mixed up in this crazy nightmare world.

The movie looks BEAUTIFUL most of the time with stunning cinematography & i like the way it starts as a proper Halloween themed Home invasion Horror with demonic trick or treaters & then crosses over into a twilight zone type nightmare world.

There is bits that doesn't make sense or atleast to me & you never REALLY know what is real & what really happened but it's a part of the crazy acid trip dream like charm & you can make your mind up with what plays out.

All in all Hellions is a beautiful Looking Halloween Horror with underlining messages of fear & anxiety about pregnancy.

I think Hellions is a good watch but because it's very weird & dreamlike it's not one to watch lots.

This movie is clearly a piece of pro-life propaganda from about five minutes in and while philosophical stances in movies and using horror as allegory is not always a bad thing, in this case it is just too heavy handed and shallow to really be any good.

There is barely any thought given to character or plot and it is more all about creating striking visuals to drive home the message of how wrong it is to have an abortion. Whatever your stance on the issue it does not mean that you can't make a subtler and more thought-provoking film on the subject, otherwise you are just preaching to the converted.

If you can look past the blatant bias that this movie possesses then there are some cool visuals and a dream-like feel that makes the film pretty unique considering it seems like the people who made it didn't actually care about the substance of their product. Still though I can't recommend a movie for style alone so I would give this one a miss, unless you just want to be told what you already know.

Stressful and non-nexus film. In several moments we are seeing something that is not the reality and this ends up confusing the public. History could be better taken advantage of! I was sleepy and disappointed! The film is so silly that hardly anyone is satisfied with the ending.

This movie was just hard to watch, not because it's scary mind you. It's a blurry mess of a film, I watched it till the end hoping to find some sort of redeeming essence but found nothing of the sort. The movie continuously jumps around towards the end leaving the viewer wondering which of these scenarios actually happen. Also the director needs to give his head a shake because he seems to change his mind a lot throughout the film which in the end makes this movie much worse. I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone unless you are in the mood to watch a steaming pile. I really wanted to enjoy this movie since it's Canadian so it saddens me how bad it really was.

This is some trippy, dream-like metaphor for the fear of young parenthood. Little kids terrorizing a 17 year old who just found out she's pregnant. Does this whole thing take place in her head? It's presented as such, and even if it's not, you know from the way things unfold there's not much reality to the proceedings. This film should basically be a pure atmospheric horror ride but it's too much in the main character's head, a head we don't know that well and we know isn't that important beyond the type it represents anyway.

It's hard to find a tangible connection with this film and I found it hard to engage with the "terror" scenes outside a passing interest in the way they were shot and assembled. They didn't engage me, and in a non-cerebral film like this that's basically a death knell.

Be warned, not all horror geeks out there will adore this supernatural arty flick. Yes, I said the word, arty. There's a lot done with colour grading in post production and to make it look weird they added some arty shots. But is it still worth picking up, yes.

What I did like about Hellions is the fact that you want to know what is going on and at the end you don't still know what is really going on. Being a horror it is low on blood and doesn't contain any gory moments but it's the creepy atmosphere created with the grading and sound that makes it worth watching.

Gore 0/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 3/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5

This movie is getting a lot of hate and poor scores, and I am failing to see why.

What we got was a movie that could have easily been a feature in "Trick r' Treat" or "Tales of Halloween". This is a good thing. The imagery and setting in this film might have been some of the best I have seen. The colors and backgrounds that almost made it look like a painting were just wonderful to look at it, and there were times where it felt almost Rob Zombie like.

The designs of the "Hellions" were clearly inspired by Sam from Trick r' Treat and I am 100% okay with that. They were dirty and creepy. Buckethead was my favorite design by far.

People are too used too and too spoiled by the jump scare horror movies that are plaguing the industry today, that when they get a movie built around imagery, they are confused.

This isn't the kind of movie that is suppose to scare you. This is the kind of creepy atmospheric Halloween movie that you can watch in the fall to really put you in the Halloween spirit.

Take what you want when it comes to underlying meaning to the movie, I am not going to touch that. What I saw was a wonderfully crafted Halloween movie, and I am happy with that.

I could go on and try to really explain what makes this fun little movie special, but chances are if you have already seen the movie, then what I am trying to convey will fall on deaf ears, but for those who are on the fence about seeing it:

See it. But go into it knowing the story is nothing new and the acting is mediocre (not bad though), and you will get some silly scenes that seem a little out of place when compared to the rest of the movie, but the overall tone and feeling are clear. Fans of TrT and Tales of Halloween are sure to love this flick. From the opening scene, this movie is Halloween-tastic!

BLOOD FOR BABY.

Hellions is a garbage movie it was so bad that it made me angry for watching it, it was filled with sh!t that didn't make sense an awful pink hue to most of the movie and a plot that doesn't explain itself, this movie should be burned and never watched don't even waste your time.

Boring, clichéd teen ghost story/slasher that is more of an exercise in how to recycle tired elements such as overused sound effects, children being creepy, and the whole unborn demon pregnancy angle.

What's worse is most of the movie is filmed in this gross purple-pink filter, which doesn't make sense... and as expected, the main character makes several unrealistic, irrational choices that help escalate the situation she's a victim of.

I feel for Robert Patrick, who now seems relegated to playing the generic role of a small town cop in lame horror movies. His minimal screen time suggests he probably did not earn much for this appearance, though he is or was always a relatively dignified actor.

This movie made me roll my eyes so hard that I could hear it, and incidentally it was the first time I jumped.