Hellmington

Part police procedural, part cult horror, and part crime drama, HELLMINGTON brings a lot to the table. And, like a large feast spread before you, you're going to like a lot that there, but you're also gonna wanna pass over some of what's offered up.

From IMDB:
A detective investigates her father's dying words; the name of a girl who has been missing for 9 years.

As usual, I'll kinda lead with this I wasn't thrilled with, but that others may love.

They had a heck of a story rolling that kept me engaged and thinking the whole time through, but where they veered off with it at the end didn't appeal to me 100%. That being said, I'm pretty sure it's a personal thing and that it's something that may change with an additional viewing. (Scheduled for the near future)   It's not like they made it a comedy at the end or something, but it just was a choice that had me scrunching my face up for a moment muttering, "Really? Hmmmm....ok..."  I guarantee that people will call me crazy for that.

Moving on.



What an engaging film this was! The characters were really well fleshed out, the relationships made sense, and the pace was great. Nicola Correia-Damude was great in the lead and managed to play it with a grace that sold it. She could have been overdramatic and big with it, but went into the realm of "dead inside and broken", then on task wonderfully. I have to look for her in THE BOYS on Amazon where she plays Elena. Michael Ironside is grand as usual and his performance is super solid. The supporting cast is all on par, turning in solid performances and believability that was really needed in order to care about a serious film like this. I've seen other films aim for this level, but the acting comes off as that of a college drama 100 play. This is professional all the way and helps to draw the audience in.

Hellmington was written and directed by Justin Hewitt-Drakulic and Alex Lee Williams which always interests me. I've written a comic with a friend of mine ( Gothic/horror/romance tale TAKING EDEN - shameless plug ) and that was a challenge to coordinate the path and characters. Then to take the story and direct it with someone else....it just must be challenging on many levels. But, the combination works and works very well in this case. The duo nail a fantastic flow and hit the PROFESSIONAL LOOK target without question. The film is beautiful and dreamy in parts and raw and gritty in others. The soundtrack backs the visuals beautifully as well. The whole package works like a charm!

Lastly, the overall plot. Gripes aside, this story had a lot to love for me. I am a big fan of something going naturally astray from the path. When you are moving along and think things are going to go a certain way, only to have them change, then change again in a naturalistic way (not jarring and awkward) it makes me happy. Films like LAKE BODOM and...keeping the lake theme....LAKE MUNGO did this and really brought a smile to my face. It's almost like a surprise party.  Hellmington does this, though some of the elements are eluded to in the trailer....




So, is the film worth a watch. Oh yes it is! I was super happy with the way things turned out on the whole and I'm looking forward to giving it a rewatch.  Totally worth a viddy!!!!