Hellraiser – 1987, UK/US, 94m. Director: Clive Barker.
Hellbound: Hellraiser II – 1988, UK, 97m. Director: Tony Randel.
Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth – 1992, UK/US, 97m. Director: Anthony Hickox.
Hellraiser: Bloodline – 1996, UK/US, 85m. Director: Alan Smithee (Kevin Yagher, Joe Chappelle).
HELLRAISER (1987) Horror writer extraordinaire, Clive Barker, made his directorial debut with this audacious adaptation of his own story, The Hellbound Heart, which not only launched a franchise, but created one of horror cinema’s most iconic villains—Pinhead. As portrayed by Doug Bradley, Pinhead (one of many demons called Cenobites, summoned by those who wish to experience pain as pleasure) is different from other movie monsters of the eighties in the sense that he’s smart—and actually scary. But while Pinhead might be Hellraiser‘s most memorable character, he’s not the film’s main antagonist. That role would go to the diabolical (and very human) Frank (Sean Chapman), a dead man who manipulates his brother’s wife, Julia (Clare Higgins), into murdering men so he can steal their life force and be reborn in flesh and blood in order to escape the Cenobites. Bob Keen handled the makeup and other bloody effects and they’re first-rate—including a skinless Frank that gives new meaning to disgusting; a fitting aspect, as Hellraiser is as gruesome as it is good. The movie’s financial success and pop culture status led to multiple sequels, comic books, video games, and an ill-conceived reboot in 2022 that failed to reignite the franchise…for now, at least. B+
HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II (1988) If any horror film of the 1980s warranted a sequel it was Hellraiser, Clive Barker’s film adaptation of his own novella that introduced such an interesting (albeit gross) world that one movie couldn’t possibly have contained the whole story. Hellbound sees the return of Julia (Clare Higgins), who after being betrayed and dispatched by her lover in the first film, is brought back from the dead by a brain surgeon (Kenneth Cranham) obsessed with finding the Cenobites. Kirsty (Ashley Laurence), survivor of Part 1, goes after Julia by following her into Hell and, in a clever twist, enlisting the help of Pinhead (Doug Bradley) and his army of demonic minions. We get more of a backstory on Pinhead, and how, once a human, he was transformed into a monster. Although he remained an executive producer on Hellbound, Barker handed over the directing reins to Tony Randel who, in all fairness, does just as good (if not better) a job as the author. Maybe not as cutting-edge as the first Hellraiser, Hellbound is nonetheless a wild ride of splattery, black-humored mayhem done efficiently, and—most importantly—grotesquely. A bloody good sequel. B+
HELLRAISER III: HELL ON EARTH (1992) Four years after being (theoretically) killed off in Hellraiser II, everyone’s favorite leather-clad nail enthusiast, Pinhead (Doug Bradley), is back, and this time he’s created a new army of colorful Cenobites. Trapped inside the Hell sculpture that emerged from Julia’s literal deathbed at the end of the last film, Pinhead springs back to life via a splatter of blood, and manipulates a douchebag club owner (Kevin Bernhardt) into bringing him fresh victims so he can enter our plane of existence. A TV journalist (Terry Farrell) investigating the bizarre murders is contacted from another dimension by the human version of Pinhead—an early 20th century British soldier by the name of Elliot Spencer—and told the only way to get rid of his alter ego for good is to destroy the puzzle box that is used to open the gates to Hell (although Hellraiser III seems to have forgotten there were multiple boxes, not just the one, in Part 2). Hellraiser III might not offer a lot in terms of fresh ideas, but it’s got some inventive makeup FX, likable characters, and energetic direction from Waxwork‘s Anthony Hickox. Plus, Pinhead gets more screen time here than he did in the previous two films. More on the cheesy side, but Hellraiser III is a solid entry in the series. B–
HELLRAISER: BLOODLINE (1996) As with any long-running franchise, the makers of the Hellraiser series had written themselves into a corner. What can the series’s central character, Pinhead, do in No. 4 that he hasn’t done many times over in the previous installments? The writers of Bloodline answered this question by offering a story that (unsuccessfully) juggles three plotlines—past, present, and future—in dealing with the origin of the Lament Configuration, and how the maker of the puzzle box forever cursed his family with his invention. Created for a hedonistic 18th Century French aristocrat, the box unleashes a demon by the name of Angelique (Valentina Vargas), who’s kept prisoner by the box’s owner until she can destroy the creator (Bruce Ramsay) and return to Hell. Angelique enlists the help of Pinhead (Doug Bradley) in present-day when she finds the creator’s descendant living in New York City. He’s in possession of his ancestor’s plans of reversing the box’s powers and exterminating Angelique and Pinhead forever—and this is told in flashback via another relative of Ramsay in futuristic 2127! The overly complicated script is really just fodder for Pinhead to do what he does best: ripping people apart, or turning them into Cenobites—something Hell on Earth handled much better. Yet Bloodline isn’t all bad. Bradley is in good form, the special effects are adequate, and there’s even a hell-hound! But it’s clear the series was running out of steam well before the rushed end credits. C