Hellraiser (1987)
Dir. Clive Barker
There are a few minor changes in names and relationships. Frank is still Frank, with all his vices intact, but his brother Rory is renamed Larry. Kirsty, who was Larry's 'friend' in the text is made his daughter. (That makes Julia a kind of wicked step-mom, which is an amusing thought.)
The main story is almost identical to the novella, but with some extra content to make it fit a feature film length. The new additions don't add much to what was already in place, except for one notable instance: for a short time it improves upon the ending as written in the book, but then it doesn't and ultimately takes a one-way ticket to Stupid Town. Nevertheless, everything prior to that is as good today as it was back in 1987.
When I was younger I believed that Doug Bradley (Pinhead) was the star, because he was the most menacing and therefore memorable, but now I know it's really Clare Higgins who deserves top billing. Bradley is excellent, make no mistake, he does nothing wrong, the change came from recognising that Higgins had the most difficult role of any of the cast. As Julia, Larry's frustrated wife, she was called upon to portray a woman gripped by trepidation and desire, afraid of where her path may lead but unable to halt her advance. In any other story she might be seen as a classic tragic character, but in Barker's hands she's something much darker. Somehow Higgins channelled that essence and gave it life. She nailed it (no pun intended). Luckily for her, and us, film has a magical quality that enables it to capture for all time the energy of a performance, hold it permanently and release it with the same intensity every time it's viewed.
The Puzzle Box design is as iconic as the Lead Cenobite. The mystery surrounding it is never fully explained, but it doesn't need to be. It serves one purpose and it does so perfectly.
Christopher Young does everything right in the music department. His arrangements, when paired with the distant tolling of a bell that heralds a dangerous arrival, help the already excellent work of Barker become something timeless.
Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988)
Dir. Tony Randel
The writing on the back cover states that the screenplay is by Peter Atkins based on a story by Clive Barker. It's unclear if that means Barker constructed the events himself, or if it simply refers to the original novella/film script.
It brings back one of the strongest elements from the previous film, and also one of the weakest. It then gives the weakest the most to do and wastes the other one completely, tethering them to a clumsy, unrefined plot twist. I won't say what because of spoilers, but when you recognise it you'll maybe come to the same conclusion as I did: it's the one thing that could've helped tie the remainder of the film together. Half-assing it like they did means the end result is little more than a series of gory set pieces arranged one after another.
Of the set pieces mentioned, two are really spectacular: the bed scene is excellent work by all involved, and the Cenobites entrance is superb, helped immensely by a Christopher Young score that's even more dramatic than the previous film. Director Tony Randel plays around with depth of field a few times and deserves credit for it. All of which are highlights of a shitty film.
Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992)
Dir. Anthony Hickox
I'm not saying the first hour is great. It isn't. Terry Farrell would go on to be adored by many Star Trek fans for her role in DS9, but at that stage in her career she wasn't a great actress. Paula Marshall was better in her supporting role; if she'd been a few years older, she'd have made a more convincing lead.
With the exception of Doug Bradley, the male cast members are worse than the ladies. As Pinhead, desperate, cunning and angry, Bradley gets some excellent dialogue, some of his best so far. He also gets an opportunity to be more than just a painted (and nailed) villain and he does it well.
A new film means new Cenobites. Yay! Except, no, they're not good. They're like a parody parade, a leather-clad Cenoibite comedy troupe that can't even do black humour well.
Bloodline takes the franchise into space. Many people will shudder, but it's not the only horror sequel ever to have done so and it's only partly sci-fi. The story is told over three different time periods. It begins in 2127 and then flashes back to the late 18th Century (1796) before moving forward again to the late 20th (1996).
The peculiar structure was due to a hasty rewrite of certain scenes (see below), but the connection to the title is still there: Bloodline. It follows the descendants of the original puzzle box's creator, the French toymaker Philip LeMarchand, as they each struggle to undo the sins of the father through the ages that follow.
A good friend of mine said that we make our own canon when it comes to the media we love; he's rarely wrong about such things and I agree wholeheartedly with the statement. With that in mind I think it's fair to say that if you acknowledge the previous two films as part of the series then it makes sense to also acknowledge IV, because it continues the story of the puzzle box and those that use it as a gateway. Everything that comes after IV is a different matter, however.
Pinhead's appearance is subtly altered. The nails embedded in his head are more pin-like than before, in reference to the name he acquired. It still looks menacing but less so when in close-up. It's still Doug Bradley behind the mask, though, so his demeanour is unchanged.
For the most part the acting is better than Hell on Earth (1992), and for me the story is better than Hellbound (1988), despite having been butchered from the original script. (That explains the Alan Smithee moniker being used. Original director Kevin Yagher understandably quit before shooting ended, unhappy that parts of the story had to be cut in order to sate producers who wanted their money-shot sooner than was planned. Joe Chappelle finished the shooting. Both men reportedly hated it, so Smithee got another horror film added to his CV.)
In closing, I think Bloodline is unfairly hated by some fans because it chose to add sci-fi to the horror. It dared to go some place new and for that it gets punished. The feelings of disdain directed toward it are as much a reflection of the typical horror fan as they are of the film itself.
With the exception of Doug Bradley, the male cast members are worse than the ladies. As Pinhead, desperate, cunning and angry, Bradley gets some excellent dialogue, some of his best so far. He also gets an opportunity to be more than just a painted (and nailed) villain and he does it well.
A new film means new Cenobites. Yay! Except, no, they're not good. They're like a parody parade, a leather-clad Cenoibite comedy troupe that can't even do black humour well.
Hellraiser IV: Bloodline (1996)
Dir. Alan Smithee (Kevin Yagher + Joe Chappelle)
The peculiar structure was due to a hasty rewrite of certain scenes (see below), but the connection to the title is still there: Bloodline. It follows the descendants of the original puzzle box's creator, the French toymaker Philip LeMarchand, as they each struggle to undo the sins of the father through the ages that follow.
A good friend of mine said that we make our own canon when it comes to the media we love; he's rarely wrong about such things and I agree wholeheartedly with the statement. With that in mind I think it's fair to say that if you acknowledge the previous two films as part of the series then it makes sense to also acknowledge IV, because it continues the story of the puzzle box and those that use it as a gateway. Everything that comes after IV is a different matter, however.
Pinhead's appearance is subtly altered. The nails embedded in his head are more pin-like than before, in reference to the name he acquired. It still looks menacing but less so when in close-up. It's still Doug Bradley behind the mask, though, so his demeanour is unchanged.
For the most part the acting is better than Hell on Earth (1992), and for me the story is better than Hellbound (1988), despite having been butchered from the original script. (That explains the Alan Smithee moniker being used. Original director Kevin Yagher understandably quit before shooting ended, unhappy that parts of the story had to be cut in order to sate producers who wanted their money-shot sooner than was planned. Joe Chappelle finished the shooting. Both men reportedly hated it, so Smithee got another horror film added to his CV.)
In closing, I think Bloodline is unfairly hated by some fans because it chose to add sci-fi to the horror. It dared to go some place new and for that it gets punished. The feelings of disdain directed toward it are as much a reflection of the typical horror fan as they are of the film itself.
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