badgrrlkane Review of Lightning Bug

Lightning Bug (2004)

Pretty cool independent film with elements of horror but is mostly a coming-of-age film

[9/10 · 13 October 2005]

Very cool first time film from Robert Hall. Great performances from Bret Harrison (as I still am bummed about the cancellation of one of my fav TV sitcoms, that he was on Grounded For Life) as the main character Green Graves, ateen with a great talent for making models & for doing very realistic make-up of monsters & blood- n- gore. However, due to the fact that he lives in hillbilly land Alabama & his mom, played very good by the always awesome Ashley Laurence ( who was so amazing in 2 of my all-time fav's, Hellraiser 1 & 2) as a down on her luck very slow-witted trailer-trash mom who against her better judgement has a relationship with a terrible, white-trash mean m@#3#3f^&*&&r who is just one step away from beating her & her 2 kids to death & he also has to contend with the religious fanatics in the town, namely the character of Mrs Duvey played by Shannon Eubanks , who gives a great performance this side of the mom in Carrie, as a woman hell-bent on doing the Lord's Work & carrying & loving her pillow, who she thinks is her absent husband who left her holy-rolling ass for a stripper. Also good was Laura "That 70's Show" Prepon as Green's girlfriend & the young boy Lucas Til who plays Green's little bro. Was billed as a horror film.But it isn't. Horror fans will like it as it has a lot of horroresque material but this film isn't a horror film. But, it is something very special. *** out of ****