Before I get into the plot for this film, let me take you back roughly ten years or so. Back before the swim season kicked into full force in high school, we would have a party after the last practice before the meets began. Usually we would split off into smaller groups as the night went on. I would end up with the movie group more often than not. Most times we would each bring a movie and then vote on which ones to watch. Sometimes we made it through all the movies, but most times we simply tried before falling asleep. One year I took Hellrasier 3: Hell On Earth. It was the second or third movie we ended up watching that night if I remember right. I am pretty sure I had at least watched the first Hellraiser film before that night. Mostly I took this film there because it was the only one in the series that the store I got it from had in at the time. It was a good time watching this one with my friends. We weren't really scared from it, but some of the scenes stuck with us, and some still do to this day.
If you have never watched this one before, it does pick up after the second film. I don't think they ever say how long after the second film this one takes place in though. J.P. Monroe (Kevin Bernhardt) buys what he thinks is a piece of art. What it turns out to be is some sort of block that Pinhead (Doug Bradley) is currently stuck in. When J.P. gets some of his blood on it, Pinhead starts to come back to life. Using J.P. by promising him power, Pinhead sets about escaping the block. Meanwhile, Joanne (Terry Farrell) is a reporter looking for a big story. She is filming a story at a hospital but feels it is a waste of time once she starts doing the report. She sends her camera man off to another story while she takes her time leaving. About that time a guy with hooks connected to chains is wheeled in to the emergency room. A young woman, Terri (Paula Marshall), is seen as well but disappears once the guy's head explodes. Joanne is able to track her down again though, and begins to learn the truth about what is going on. This eventually leads to some new Cenobites and a show down between Joanne and Pinhead.
Even though Hellrasier 3 gets average ratings on both IMDb and Netflix, which is probably where I would put it now, fans seem pretty split on this one. You have your group that loved it, and your group that didn't care for it. It seems to center mostly around the new Cenobites. The film itself has a bit more action in it than the previous two films, and Pinhead is almost a main character as well. Pinhead sure does a lot more talking in this film, that is for sure. It is some of the scenes that involve Pinhead that have stuck with me through the years. Mainly the time when he skins some girl all at once and when Pinhead is at the alter of some church. As for the new Cenobites, we liked them. I could see where they were going with them, trying to update them and add a modern look to them by using things that most people have used or at least know about. Like a video camera, CD's and so on. Some got more screen time than others which was too bad. Having all new Cenobites raised a big question for me this last time that I watched it. Even if Pinhead is considered the leader, why is he able to come back but not the rest of the Cenobites?
While watching Hellraiser 3 a couple of days ago, I noticed that some of the effects were looking rather dated. There are still some in there that look just as good now as they did then though. It wasn't as gory as I remember it being, but I'm sure there are a lot of films that way. I think the reason I thought it was so gory was because of what happens in the club once Pinhead gets back to full health. Not to say that there isn't any gory parts, after all there is an exploding head in there, but it just wasn't as gory as I remembered it. The acting was pretty good. I liked to two female leads in Terry Farrell and Paula Marshall. I got a lot of ribbing while watching the film with my friends because my hair was about how Paula had hers in the film and my friends said I looked like her. I don't think I did, but whatever. It was cool to see Doug Bradley get to act more instead of just standing there yelling things out once in a while. He can be a good actor I think.
Hellraiser 3: Hell On Earth may not be my favorite in the series now, but it stands out to me the most because of the memories I have when I watched it for the first time. Even though I found the new Cenobites to be pretty cool back then, I see they could have used a little more work now. I still like them more than some people seem to do though. I would liked to have seen Ashley Laurence more. She is in some flashbacks and in some new scenes. The new scenes are just some video tapes that were apparently taken sometime after the events in the second film. Even if you haven't watched the first two films, I think you can come into this one without the other two films. There is places that might be a little confusing without seeing the other two films, but one can still get the story I think. It may not be the best in the series but it was still worth a watch to me.
1 comment:
I remember when it used to be "cool" to say that Hellraiser 3 was your favorite of the series because of how over the top it is compared to the first. I fell into that camp for years, but these days I appreciate the first and second so much more that it's hard to take this movie seriously, although I guess you're not really supposed to take it too seriously. I like how it's shot, though, and it's a lot of fun if you look at it as just a wacky supernatural slasher movie.
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