Not a bad movie. Hellbound: Hellraiser 2 makes for an awesome sequel. Expanding on the lore that came across in the first film. I really only like a couple of Hellrasier movies. It's hard to get into the crappy follow-ups to this. However, Pinhead is among my favorite horror movie foes. So I might be kind of biased. Whatever, it's my blog.
Like I said above the movie expands on the lore that we learned in the first movie. Pinhead and his Cenobites return. This time brought back by a crazed doctor. We get a glimpse into the process of becoming a cenobite as well as the backstory for Pinhead. It's all quite interesting.
Kenneth Cranham plays Dr. Channard, an obsessed psychiatrist that runs a mental facility. His obsession is focused on the Lament Configuration. A device in which he can open a gateway to hell. He decides to let his patients work on opening the box, so that he can watch from afar. Ashley Laurence returns as Kirsty is being admitted to the very same facility. Channard collects various items and "Boxes" and he becomes the proud owner of the very same bloody mattress that Julia was killed on. One thing leads to another and Julia gets resurrected taking Channard to Hell along with Kirsty and her newly found friend Tiffany. Channard becomes a Cenobite himself and the terror begins.
This movie was such a good sequel. Sure it had some scenes that didn't make sense but that is all inconsequential. Most critics pan this movie for trying to over embellish. I cherish it. Without that embellishment we wouldn't have that fantastic look at who the Cenobites are. We wouldn't have a look at a very Expressionistic Hell. I felt that Doug Bradley gets some good face time here too. You get a better look at the man behind the pins. Very cool.
There is no shortage of gore. Buckets of blood that coat the screen nearly from beginning to end. It's really fun to watch and it really can hold your attention. There are tons of plot holes and the acting is sub-par. For some reason there is really bad dubbing on this "American" movie too. I don't really get that. However, this is truly the last great Hellraiser movie!
Whats your Pleasure?
- The horn sound that is continually made by Leviathan is Morse code for "God".
- Clive Barker had developed elaborate back-stories for the Cenobites in the first film, though their origins were never explored. In this film, he wanted to make sure that, at the very least, the audience understood that the Cenobites were once human, and that their own vices lead to their becoming demons. This element was meant to underline the story of Frank (Oliver Smith) and Julia (Clare Higgins) and their corruption by lust, with the latter intended to become the ultimate villain of the series. Pinhead, however, proved much more popular with audiences, and thus became the center point in further sequels.
- New World Cinema green lit this sequel while the first film was in post production.
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