HELLRAISER: HELLSEEKER (aka Hellraiser 6)

Hellraiser: Hellseeker Movie Review

Following a car accident, Trevor (Dean Winters) attempts to figure out what happened to his wife Kirsty (Ashley Laurence) while also trying to differentiate his dreams from reality. The sixth installment of the Hellraiser series, like the one before it, was originally not a Hellraiser film at all, rewritten last minute to incorporate things familiar with fans of the horror series. Thankfully, this one pulls off this little trick better than Inferno, but we're still left with a film that feels out of place. My main issue with this movie is Winter's performance.

Mayhem

Don't get me wrong here--I do not dislike Winter. In fact, I have typically been a fan of his work, but he was terribly miscast here. Multiple scenes were ruined by his apparent attempt at holding back a laugh or smirk. The story itself is rather bland and relies on dream sequences far too often. Practically every scene turns out to not be reality, resulting in my interest in each individual scene diminishing as the movie progressed. The film is somewhat saved by the end, however, and the connection of Kirsty to Pinhead and the first two films is well done. Unfortunately, this movie feels far too disconnected from the series to seriously be considered a Hellraiser film, and it seems a waste of Kirsty's return to the series.

On A Scale Of One To Ten: 5

Hellraiser: Hellseeker Movie Trailer

HELLRAISER: INFERNO (aka Hellraiser 5)

Hellraiser: Inferno Movie Review

Detective Joseph Thorne, a crooked cop with few, if any, redeeming qualities, is assigned the case of the mysterious "Engineer" killer. While investigating he comes across some strange, disturbing incidents, and all fingers point to him being behind it all. The fifth installment of the Hellraiser series feels like anything but a Hellraiser film--and for good reason. But more on that in a moment. This film, other than not feeling like a Hellraiser movie, is filled with things to dislike, and it starts with our lead character.

This guy--no, it's not Angel

Off the top of my head, I cannot think of a lead character in any film I have cared so little about. There is literally nothing to like about this character, thus no reason to be concerned for his well being. When he meets his inevitable fate, you likely will find yourself cheering. The story is somewhat interesting, but not as a part of this film franchise. Now for the story of this film--the reason it doesn't feel like a Hellraiser film is because it wasn't supposed to be one. This was a stand alone thriller that Dimension turned into a Hellraiser film last minute. Thus, the box is vaguely brought into the story, Cenobite-esque creatures are seen throughout, but ultimately have little to do with the story, and Pinhead doesn't show up until about an hour and twenty minutes into the film. This plays out as more a crime mystery, and a below average one at that, though it is shot wonderfully. The false finishes near the end assume that by this point you even still care about the ending--I didn't.

On A Scale Of One To Ten: 4

Hellraiser: Inferno Movie Trailer

HELLRAISER: BLOODLINE (aka Hellraiser 4)

Hellraiser: Bloodline Hellraiser IV Movie Review

We start off in the year 2127, on a spaceship, with some guy who looks like Rob Van Dam (actually Bruce Ramsey from Alive) telling a woman who looks like Hilary Swank the history of his family--the family that created the box that brings the Cenobites from Hell into our world. We flashback to the late 18th Century, get the story of the box being created, flash forward to 1996 to see his family battle Pinhead, and then back to 2127 to see another battle with Pinhead and his...pet dog?

Sit!

This movie somehow manages to spend about equal amounts of time on each individual setting, with, honestly, none being any better or worse than the other. Ramsey plays all three members of his bloodline, to equally poor results. Some of the things we are used to in the series are still here--Doug Bradley returns as Pinhead (albeit a somewhat toned down Pinhead from the third installment), the box is back, and the general idea is here, but much of what we know from the previous installments is gone. No other Cenobite returns, and, other than the box being buried amongst a building, nothing really connects the story to the storyline from before. Also gone, for the most part, are the fantastic makeup, special effects, and brutality. Overall this isn't quite a jumping of the proverbial shark--it's more Hellraiser Lite.

On A Scale Of One To Ten: 5

Hellraiser: Bloodline Movie Trailer

HELLRAISER III: HELL ON EARTH

Hellraiser III: Hell On Earth Movie Review

Club owner J.P. Monroe (Kevin Bernhardt) unleashes Pinhead from his captivity in a statue. Now reporter Joey Summerskill (Terry Farrell), with the help of Elliot Spencer (Pinhead in his human form, both played by Doug Bradley), must attempt to send Pinhead back to Hell. The third installment of the Hellraiser series takes a turn in a few different ways--Julia is gone, Kirsty is almost gone (she's used to connect the first two films to this one), and, most importantly, Pinhead is given much more personality (and one liners), and is finally brought front and center.

At last!!

Also of note is that all the Cenobites besides Pinhead are gone, and are not replaced until toward the end of the film. This, to me, is a fantastic film. For the most part the special effects and makeup jobs we are accustomed to in the first two films are gone, but the brutality is not. The acting also is a step up here--Farrell turns in a decent performance, Bradley, of course, is good, and Bernhardt is a scene stealer as the cocky club owner. This movie includes one of my all time favorite horror movie scenes as well--the fury Pinhead unleashes on the club. That scene--and the aftermath scene with Joey walking through the club--is a wonderful combination of brutality and "so bad they're good" special effects. To me the big drawback of this film are the dream sequences Joey has of her father. I understand this all sets up the finish, but the scenes are poorly directed, poorly written, and take away the mood set by the rest of the film--however, this is not enough to take away from this film. I have seen Hellraiser III more than any other film in the series, and I continue to enjoy it to this day...

...even if I now find her more annoying that hot

On A Scale Of One To Ten: 8

Hellraiser III: Hell On Earth Movie Trailer

HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II

Hellbound: Hellraiser II Movie Review

Following the events of the first film from the Hellraiser series, we find Kirsty (Ashley Laurence) in a psychiatric institution. There, Dr. Phillip Channard (Kenneth Cranham) discovers the secrets of the Cenobites, and feeds inmates to a returning Julia (Clare Higgins). Now Kirsty, with the help of puzzle solving savant inmate Tiffany (Imogen Boorman), enters the realm of the Cenobites to attempt to destroy Julia and the rest of the evil demons. This is a pretty solid follow up to the original film. The visuals are fantastic throughout the movie, particularly when they enter Leviathan.

Or Hell...whichever

As in the original, the makeup is also very impressive, and the special effects and acting less so. Laurence somehow goes from a good performance in the first film to being borderline awful here. This film brings Pinhead more to the forefront, and for the first time he is credited as "Pinhead", but he still somewhat plays second fiddle, this time to Julia. We do, however, get a small look into his past, and in fact get to see all the Cenobites in human form. This film had a much larger budget than the first film, but that does not translate into a better movie. The story is not quite as good, the acting is much worse, and the ending doesn't do much to help. Hellraiser II is a step down from the first film, but it is a small step as this is still a very enjoyable movie. As an added bonus, if you're a Queensryche fan your ears will likely perk up a couple times while watching this.

On A Scale Of One To Ten: 7

Hellbound: Hellraiser II Movie Trailer

HELLRAISER

Hellraiser Movie Review

A mysterious box unlocks demons who take the possessor, Frank, to Hell--Frank escapes, and now calls upon his former lover Julia (Clare Higgins), his brother Larry's wife, to bring him the flesh and blood of others to bring him back to complete human form, all the while fearing the demons, known as Cenobites, will return to take him away again. This 1987 horror film from Clive Barker is an absolutely horrific film--in all the right ways. The story is interesting, original, and frightening, but the real highlight of the film comes from the makeup department--the progression of Frank alone is something to behold.

Frank coming back

Frank coming along

Frank almost there

The acting is pretty shaky throughout, with the exception of Ashley Laurence, who does a really good job as Larry's daughter/our hero Kirsty. While the makeup is fantastic, the special effects are a bit dated, especially the final scene, which is so bad it is hilarious--it reminds me of something you'd see from a 1950s creature feature. And interestingly, though Pinhead is the iconic character of this series (and rightfully so), he is not in the film much--in fact, there is not a lot that differentiates Pinhead from the rest of the Cenobites, and he's not even known as Pinhead yet--he's credited as "The Lead Cenobite".

The Cenobites

This movie kicked off a very successful horror franchise, and as a stand alone movie it is really good. It may not be a perfect film but it is innovative, brutal, intense, and a must see for all horror fans.

On A Scale Of One To Ten: 8

Hellraiser Movie Trailer

RING OF CURSE (aka Gomennasai)

Ring of Curse Movie Review

Tired of being bullied by classmates and her sister, and ignored by her parents, high school student Kurohane finds a way to kill them all--by having them read cursed stories she writes. When classmate Yuka finds out Kurohane's secret she tries to find a way to stop the curse. This 2011 Japanese film is a mix of the familiar with the original, but those familiar with Japanese horror will know what to expect--for the most part anyway. The movie opens with the lead actresses (the members of a Japanese pop band, as it turns out) introducing us to the film and explaining they are playing the roles of real girls and this is based on a true story. When we get rolling we get the story from the perspective of Yuka, hit the turning point in the film, and then get the story told from the perspective of Kurohane. When the story returns to the turning point it is (primarily) told from Yuka's viewpoint once again.

The aforementioned turning point

I am a big fan of the shift in the viewpoint midway through the film, as it gives the viewer a chance to enter the mind of Kurohane and attempt to see what has driven her to where she is in life (and we get to find out how she came across the curse idea). The acting is about what you would expect in this film, though Airi Suzuki does turn in an impressive performance as Yuka. As is standard with this form of Japanese horror there is not a lot of blood or gore, but this film really didn't need it. The story isn't terribly original, but the presentation is slick, and the writing and dialogue are impressive--it comes across almost like a campfire story. You will find yourself questioning the actions of many of the characters, but this is only a little distracting. If you have the patience to sit through a ton of dialogue and slow build you will be rewarded by a fantastic ending--and be sure you stick around for one of the best post-credits scenes you are likely to ever see. Ring of Curse is not a fantastic film, and is not particularly scary, but it is a really well made film--I recommend it.

On A Scale Of One To Ten: 7



Ring of Curse Movie Trailer (in Japanese)