Hellion was originally a 6 minute short film written and directed by Kat Candler that debuted at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. After garnering high praise for her 2013 submission to Sundance entitled Black Metal, Kat Candler expanded Hellion into a full feature that will compete in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, January 16-26.
Hellion stars Aaron Paul (Last House on the Left, Smashed), Emmy Award winning actor from Breaking Bad, and the upcoming Need for Speed. Paul stars as Holis Wilson, a single father from a fractured family in the refinery town of Port Arthur, Texas. Holis is trying to raise his two sons as a single father after the tragic death of his wife. His oldest boy, played by newcomer Josh Wiggins, acts up and causes trouble, becoming the hellion in the title. His behavior causes enough trouble to deem it appropriate that the younger boy, played by Deke Garner (also a newcomer), be taken away by social services to live with his Aunt Pam, played by Juliette Lewis (Whip It, Natural Born Killers, August: Osage County). Holis spends the rest of the film trying to redeem himself and regain custody of his son.
Hellion’s production team is Kelly Williams, Farah White, and Reilly Smith, who produced Take Shelter and Mud.