The devilish antics of WENDELL & WILD

Trevor Hogg gets acquainted with Hell Maidens and the underbelly of a giant demon thanks to the visual effects and animation teams of Wendell & Wild

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For horror fans, the pairing of filmmakers Henry Selick and F Jordan Peele is a dream come true as they have both refreshed the genre, which is evident in the Netflix stop-motion animated feature Wendell & Wild.

It's a supernatural story based on an unpublished book by Clay McLeod Chapman that revolves around a delinquent teenager trying to resurrect her deceased parents, greedy land developers, two mischievous demonic brothers, a nun who happens to be a Hell Maiden, and the ruler of the underworld making an appearance in the land of the living.

“I didn’t think anyone would have expected the combination of Henry Selick and Jordan Peele, but that’s the only way that something like this could even get made,” says animation supervisor Jeff Riley. “I remember people thought Henry was pushing it too far on Coraline and so many people list it as their favourite movie from childhood. Having characters overcome difficulties is important to see and Henry isn’t going to traumatise children, but take them on a good adventure.”

In the end, humans turn out to be the true monsters, not the monsters themselves. “That’s what Henry was going for,” says animation supervisor Malcolm Lamont. “Who really are the villains in life?”