Opening The Door To Hell Part Five

The weekend is here at last. I have no real plans for it, but it is nice not to be at work for once. Reviews are still a little slow, but I did manage to get more than one in this week. Considering I haven't done that in a good while, it felt nice. First thing I thought of this morning was getting this review going, so maybe I will be getting reviews out a little more often now. Yesterday I managed to get my review of The Loved Ones in. Check it out when you get the chance. For here I watched Hellraiser: Inferno (2000), the fifth film in the series. I had not watched this one before, and I believe the rest of the series will be new for me as well.

Detective Joseph Thorne (Craig Sheffer) has been called in on a murder investigation. Along with his partner Tony Nenonen (Nicholas Turturro), they discover body parts, chains, and a strange box. Thorne also discovers a severed finger inside a candle. Back at the station, Thorne goes through the evidence from the scene that includes a wallet, which he takes most of the money. He goes home where we learn he is separated from his wife, and his daughter would like to have him home more. Then he picks up a prostitute, which he pays for with the cash he took. The next morning he starts to play around with the box and manages to open it. Pinhead (Doug Bradley) and the other Cenobites don't do their usual thing though. This time they decide to mess with Thonre's head for a while.

I was a little confused with Hellraiser: Inferno while watching it. Not because of the plot mind you. This one was four years removed from the last film, which the studio basically took the film and edited it the way they thought it should be because they wanted Pinhead to be shown earlier. In this film Pinhead shows up for a very short scene somewhat early in the film and then isn't seen again until after the hour mark. I was a little shocked by this, but a lot changed in those four years. Hellraiser: Bloodline was the last in the series to see the big screen. Maybe for that reason, knowing this will be a direct to DVD film, the studio decided to allow director/co-writer Scott Derrickson and co-writer Paul Harris Boardman to do what they wanted.

Some fans don't believe that Hellraiser: Inferno was intended to be a Hellraiser film. I think this is because Pinhead and his Cenobites barely show up at all. This mainly has to do with the fact that Pinhead shows up more as a judge for Thorne more than anything else. Instead of having the Cenobites showing up a lot, this story is more about Thorne and the things he does. At first I didn't like this change, but as the story went, the more interesting it became. I didn't find the movie to be a great one, but it kept me interested in it. I also liked that it was messing with my mind more than being about the gore. Not that there wasn't plenty of that too. It would have been nice if the Cenobites had shown up a bit more often, maybe have someone else play with the box or something like that. The more it showed Thorne being a bad guy, the more I got into the story.

The effects are pretty good. There are a couple of places where I thought they could have been better, but this was mostly when they dipped into the CGI pot. There are several severed fingers along with a head and some other body parts. These effects, and more, are pretty good. I do wish they had left the CGI out, but I understand why it was used. The Cenobites rubbing theirs hands under someones skin was probably my favorite effect out the bunch, even if it didn't look right some of the time. The acting wasn't too bad either. I didn't really care for Craig Sheffer or his character at first, but they both grew on me as the movie went on. One thing that was missing from this film was a female lead. I guess we can't have one in every film though.

I can't complain too much about Hellraiser: Inferno. I have to agree a little bit with the people that felt this one didn't have the feel of a Hellraiser film. I know the first film in the series didn't have the Cenobites show up much either, but the difference for me there was the Cenobites had presence about them that this film failed to have. I appreciate that they made this more of a psychological film, but still kept some of the horror elements at least. Hellraiser: Inferno is a stand alone film, so if you haven't watched the other four films, you don't need to worry about being confused by plot lines that carry over. Not a great film, but I did like it better than part four at least.
3 out of 5 Wondering just how many Cenobites there are

Opening The Door To Hell Part Four

Over the weekend I did manage to get out to see The Cabin In The Woods.  It took a week longer than I had intended and a day longer to get the review in, but at least I did get it done. I have been in a little bit more of a writing mood lately, which I see as a good thing. How long that will last is the big question. If all goes well, I will get one more review in over at Top Horror Movies Club before the weekend gets here. For here I managed to watch Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996), which as it turns out, was the Hellraiser film I remembered watching, but didn't know which one it was. As I just found out, finding out things like this isn't always a good thing.

In the year 2127, Merchant (Bruce Ramsay) things he has a way to close the gate way to hell forever. Using a robot, he uses the puzzle box to open the gateway, but before he can do anything else, a group of soldiers comes barging in. Merchant has a sit down with one of them to try and explain about Pinhead (Doug Bradley) and the other Cenobites, as well as giving the short version of the history of the Lament Configuration. The first story takes us back to the 18th century where the puzzle box, also known as the Lament Configuration in case I confused you, has been created by another Merchant (also played by Ramsay). Realizing what the box can do, Merchant vows to destroy it, which of course he doesn't. This then leads to a story that takes place in 1996, and apparently sort of picks up the story from the third film. Another Merchant (again played by Ramsay) has to go up against Pinhead this time but the box is different which interests Pinhead. Will Merchant be able to close the gateway once and for all?

Like some other films in a franchise, this one has a bit of a space twist to it. I was a bit disappointed by this when I first watched it, which I believe was on a cable movie network. Apparently, Hellraiser: Bloodline was intended to wrap up the series, which we know that didn't work out too well. Director Kevin Yagher didn't put his name in the credits since he disowned the film once it was ready to be released. Yagher filmed it the way he wanted except for some final scenes, according to IMDb trivia, but the studio wanted Pinhead to show up earlier in the film. Yagher and writer Peter Atkins had Pinhead showing up around the 40 minute mark. Joe Chappelle was brought in to finish the film, which included some re-writes.

To my surprise, average rating on Netflix has this one just slightly above average and IMDb has it slightly below. Some fans really stick up for Hellraiser: Bloodline, and I admire them for that. For me though, it doesn't work well. The story line that goes through three time periods wasn't a big deal to me, but could have been done better I thought. The main story line, the one in space, was the worse one for me. It wasn't so much the plot that bugged me, but the fact that none of this was really even hinted at in the other three films that came before it. I know the other films weren't about the box at all, but it still would have been nice if Pinhead had thrown the name of the maker out there. It sort of makes everything in this film sounds made up, within the Hellraiser universe I mean, without it being at least mentioned in passing before this. Not to say that the history isn't interesting though. I did enjoy the first story of the maker and all. The second and main stories...not so much.

The special effects was also something that was hit and miss. At times they looked amazing, and other times it was very obvious CGI effects. I could be wrong but the main story seemed to use mostly CGI effects, the first story seemed to use mostly practical effects, and the second story used a combination of the two. I didn't care for any of the CGI effects really. They weren't too bad in the second story, but so very obvious in the main story. There are some cool effects to be found though. One person losing their head in a pretty cool way, and how one of the Cenobites was made also looked very good.

I can't say that the acting was bad here, but no one really stood out to me. Maybe it was because I was feeling a little bored with the film in general though. Some people seemed to really like Valentina Vargas as Angelique. Outside of some interesting conversations with Pinhead, I didn't care much for the character. Doug Bradley does his usual good job at being evil when he needs to be. Bruce Ramsey was fine in the lead role, but I don't really get why they cast him in all three parts for each story line. Did the guy get reincarnated every so often?

I know people love Pinhead, and he does look very cool, but I think this is where the studio missed the mark. The Hellraiser universe isn't just about Pinhead. There is a lot of other things going on as well, but a movie studio can be single minded. Once fans latch onto something, the movie studios try to milk it for all it is worth. It was a nice try by Atkins and Yagher to try and take things in a slightly different direction, and still include Pinhead eventually. It is just too bad that the studio felt they had to step in and change things around. I have a hard time calling Hellraiser: Bloodline a bad film since all I really found bad was the CGI effects. The story, especially the one set in 1996, didn't really work for me all that well. Maybe it was the tinkering that the studio did, at least I like to think that. Unless you have watched the other films, and feel you want to watch the rest, I wouldn't go out of my way to catch this one. Then again, I didn't like it as much as the average ratings show, so what do I know?
2 out of 5 I know space is the final frontier, but come on!

Opening The Door To Hell Part Three

Sorry I have been off the radar for so long. I didn't really expect to wait so long to get my last review in for the second movie in this series. I had started the review, and then didn't finish it until much later. I could blame work a little bit, since I have been tired from work and taking some of it home with me, but that would be a cheap way out. Truth is I just didn't feel like writing at all. I kept telling myself I needed to get the review done, but then time flies when not doing anything after work. One minute it is 4pm, and seemingly the next minute it is 8pm and I'm wondering where those four hours went. Anyway, I hope to hit the theater this weekend for a review, and I did reach 950 posts with this review. It took way longer than it used to, but that is my own fault. As usual, I'm not really doing a review this time around, but instead will try and just talk about Hellraiser 3: Hell On Earth (1992), since I did consider it to be a favorite.

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.

Opening The Door To Hell Part Two

I got another review for Top Horror Movies Club done. If you are interested in reading about Apartment 1303, then head on over there and check it out. While you are there, check out the other convention film reviews I did as well. None of them really stood out to me in a big way, but maybe some will for all of you. For here I got started on the next film in the series review with Hellbound: Hellraiser 2 (1988). Out of the series I know I have watched the first three films before, and one other one. I don't recall which one it was though. I guess I will find out when I get back around to it! I noticed that Netflix is about to dump almost ten more films out of my instant watch queue. They always seem to to that when I'm in the middle of something. I added them all to my DVD queue so will get around to them when I can.

Hellbound picks up pretty much where the first film leaves off. A little bit of time has passed, but it doesn't appear too much has. Kristy (Ashley Laurence) wakes up in a mental institution with a cop near by. She was sent to the institution, along with the boyfriend who never shows back up again, once the police heard her story. This is good luck for Kristy though as the head doctor, Channard (Kenneth Cranham), has been trying to figure out the puzzle box that opens the door to the Cenobites world. Spurred on by hearing Kristy yelling at everyone that will listen to destroy the bed that Julia (Clare Higgins) died on, Channard manages to bring Julia back to life. She says she struck a deal with the Cenobites to return, but Channard and Julia seem to have their own plans. With the help of Tiffany (Imogen Boorman), a girl who excels at puzzles, they open the door and fine their way into the Cenobites world with Kristy, who hopes to rescue her father, close behind.

It was great that director Tony Randel and writer Peter Atkins picks up right where Clive Barker left things in the first movie. It was also great to see that the cast that is shown from the first movie are the same actors. From what I was reading about Hellbound, the script was including Andrew Robinson, who played Kristy's dad, but just before filming began, he refused to come back for the role. There was a quick rewrite, which is supposed to explain why the plot doesn't always make sense in some scenes. I didn't have a problem with the plot not making much sense, so this was apparently a minor thing. It was pretty cool to see what the Cenobites realm looks like. In case you are wondering without seeing the film, it looks maze like and leads to all kinds of different hells. As cool as these things were though, I still didn't enjoy this one as much as the first film. I think it was partly because the plot wasn't as interesting this time around. Sure it was very cool to see the Cenobites realm, but for the longest time it was just people running around, with not a whole lot happening. It does get better at least. Another problem was that Julia and Channard just didn't make very interesting villains. Julia was fine in the first film since she wasn't completely a villain there, close to one at times, but was just doing what she was told more or less. Again, this gets a little better towards the end when something happens to Channard, but it still didn't completely save the film, just made it a little better.

If you watched the first Hellraiser film, then you have a good idea of what you will get as far as effects go. Not much changed in this area, with the exception of showing a new Cenobite being made. The acting was again pretty good. All of the returning cast did a nice job with their roles once again. New actors also did well. I remember seeing Kenneth Cranham before, but I can't place him without looking it up. Imogen Boorman also does a good job, even though she barely has any speaking lines.

Another cool thing was seeing what the Cenobites looked like before they became Cenobites. The Cenobites are the same as the first film, with the exception of the one we see being made. It was neat to see this, and provided a nice surprise in there. I can't say at all that I hated Hellbound: Hellraiser 2, but I didn't love it either. Kristy wasn't really the same this time around I didn't think. But then again, after the events in the first film, I wouldn't be the same either. A good film if you liked the original film, just not as good. If you didn't like the first film, no sense in watching this one then since it isn't far off from the first one.
3 out of 5 Wonder what kind of Cenobite I would be made into

Opening The Door To Hell Part One

After a string of reviews over at Top Horror Movies Club, I have made it back home to start a series review. Since I had planned this series review along with my post count, I had to do most of my convention reviews at THMC. I didn't want to wait until after I did this series review since there are nine films in the series. That is a bit too long to wait. That resulted in a low post count for the month of March, which is nothing new around my blog lately, but between here and THMC, I got into double digits at least. My buddy Aaron over at The Death Rattle sort of suggested that I give the Hellraiser films a go. Since I didn't have anything planned, outside of my 950th post, I figured now is as good of a time as any. So lets kick things off with the first film, obviously, Hellraiser (1987).

The movie opens with a guy being sold a box. He returns to his home where he manages to figure out how to open a portal with it. While we don't see what happens to the guy, we know that it involves chains with hooks on the end of them, and weird demon like creatures that we later learn are the Cenobites. They bring the person who opened the box what they most desire, which isn't very pretty. Then we meet Larry (Andrew Robinson) and his wife Julia (Clare Higgens). They are moving into Larry's old family home in order to get a fresh start together, even though Julia doesn't seem to thrilled about it. They figure out that Frank (Sean Chapman) has been staying there as well, but appears to have not been there for some time now. This excites Julia, as it seems she had a fling with Frank before getting married to Larry and still has a thing for him. While moving in, Larry cuts his hand on a nail. He finds Julia in the attic and gets blood all over the floor. Julia takes Larry to the hospital, and we see the blood has awoken something under the floor boards. It turns out to be Frank, the guy from the start of the film. He has escaped the Cenobites but needs help to get away completely.

In an era where the slasher film was gaining steam as a horror favorite, Clive Barker came out with Hellraiser. The story is based off one of his own stories, and it marks the debut of Barker as a director. I can see why Hellraiser became a fan favorite since it was so different at the time. I have watched Hellraiser a few times, but this is the first time writing about it for me. What I like about it the most, and seems to turn some people away, was that the story puts its characters first. Even though the pace is a little on the slow side, it was interesting to see how the relationships of the characters played out. It can feel more like a drama instead of a horror film, but certain scenes make sure it stays in the realm of horror. I did have to question Julia going to such lengths to help Frank, but Barker does his best to show the desire that Julia has for him. Still, I don't care how much I have the hots for a guy, or thought I loved him, if he showed up looking like Frank did, I would be out the door forever.

The effects can be found all through the film. Some people complain it isn't a gory film, which it is in spots, but the gore tends to go hand in hand with the story. Barker didn't go out of his way to have gore just for the sake of it. There are times when they effects look dated or just not very good. Even so, there are plenty of effects that make up for that. Hooks going into flesh was the worse to me, it didn't really look like skin at all to me. Barker admits that he ran out of money and time by the end of the film and knows the effects aren't up to par. Like when the Cenobites return to their realm, it could have been done a whole lot better. I didn't think they looked real bad, but they didn't look good either. The best effects come when Frank is reborn. The different stages he goes through always looks very cool, though I had to wonder more than once how he was actually alive.

The acting was also good. The three main actors all did a great job. I thought Sean Chapman and Oliver Smith, who played Frank while more as a "monster", made an okay villain in his own way. Hellraiser marked the debut of Ashley Laurence as the daughter to Larry. In the story the film is based on, she isn't related to Larry or Frank at all. I think I liked the character in the story a bit better than in the movie, but my making her related, it does add a certain creep factor to it all. It also marked the film debut of Doug Bradley, who apparently almost passed on being the lead Cenobite, who became known as Pinhead. I guess Clive Barker hates that name, and will revel Pinhead's true name at some point.

To be honest I was surprised to see that some people hate Hellraiser. I didn't find it to be a perfect film, but it is still highly entertaining. Even if one doesn't see it as the classic that I think most horror fans see it as now, I don't really see how someone can hate it. Not downing anyone that does feel that way though. There are films that I hated that everyone else seems to love, so in a way I guess I do get it. I honestly don't know of anyone that hasn't watched it yet, but if you haven't as of yet, now is as good a time as any...right? The entire series, including the newest installment is currently on Netflix's instant watch, if you have that. Well worth the watch for me, no matter how many times I have watched it now.
4 out of 5 Wonder what desires I could be shown