Hellbender

Izzy, Zelda Adams, and her mother live a quiet, remote life in the woods, spending most of their time crafting heavy metal music and keeping to themselves. They sustain a strictly vegan, foraged existence, with Izzy being homeschooled and strictly forbidden to contact the outside world. The pair rarely ventures beyond their secluded cabin, as Izzy’s mother shrouds their life in secrecy, explaining that Izzy is afflicted with an autoimmune disease and must stay away from others.

Their routine is interrupted when a chance encounter with a teenage neighbor leads Izzy to accept an invitation to a local party. On a dare, she eats a worm and immediately begins to experience vivid, disorienting hallucinations. When her mother learns of the incident, she is unsettled, yet she leans into revealing a hidden truth about their lineage and the powers awakening within Izzy. She introduces the concept of Hellbenders—an all-female, matriarchal clan of supernatural beings who owe their strength to fear, especially the fear of death. The Hellbenders absorb power by consuming living creatures, and the bigger and more sophisticated their prey, the greater the surge of power.

A cross between a witch, a demon, and an apex predator.

Their magic is rooted in fear, and Izzy begins to grasp that she was never truly ill; the isolated life she has known has been a deliberate plan to shield her from her heritage. Her mother emphasizes strict control over their power, insisting that what they eat matters, with even mealworms treated as a rare indulgence. But Izzy’s curiosity and growing hunger for power push her toward violence, and she starts killing animals in the surrounding forest, testing the limits of what she can do.

As Izzy’s abilities expand, the bond between mother and daughter strains under the weight of fear and control. The mother, hoping to reconnect and keep Izzy close, shares her own mealworm stash and the two embark on a hallucinogenic experience together. Under the influence, Izzy learns that her mother is more than a hundred years old and that Hellbenders reproduce by consuming their mothers. This revelation deepens the rift and reframes Izzy’s understanding of family, lineage, and power.

In a chilling turn, Izzy digs a tunnel under the house and traps a teenaged neighbor there, intending to use her as a source of sustenance. When the mother discovers the trap, Izzy calmly explains that she is not in danger because she’s not yet ready to become a mother herself. The tension culminates as Izzy announces she’s headed to town, and then leaps into a startling ascent—emerging in her full, monstrous Hellbender form as she soars into the sky, signaling a terrifying evolution of power and identity.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 16:23