I thought I swore the “Hellraiser” series off after watching the first film, and really not enjoying it. But after talking to my friend who is a die-hard Pinhead fan, she said I need to give this series more of a chance. She told me the series actually gets better.
And I’m here to write and find out if she is indeed correct.
So, I made a small dent in watching the seven film franchise and watched the second movie this past week.
I gotta say — it wasn’t half bad!
Usually the original movie in a horror series takes the bait in being the star of the show. They are just too hard to beat.
But that isn’t the case in the “Hellraiser” series. I think the second film was an upgrade from its predecessor for many reasons.
First off, the plot of the film has much more interesting elements going on that make the film riveting to watch. In “Hellbound: Hellraiser II”, Kristy is brought into a mental institution because of the crazy story she told about the Cenobites and the box that brings people to hell. Little does she know, the doctor at the hospital believes this all to be true and has his own little project where he brings Julia back to life — attempting to find answers to the Cenobites and Pinhead himself. But his curiousity takes over far too much and evil creeps into him making him the antagonist of this story. I think he is a good antagonist for the most part, but I do wish some of my questions were answered more as to how he got involved with the whole thing. Why did he have pictures of Pinhead as a human? Did he personally know him? I think that would have made the story go over the edge as a bit more enriching.
The main character, Kristy, isn’t completely useless in this film and actually fights back making her a more intriguing final girl. I really liked that about this character because I feel like she was kind of forgettable in the last movie.
I also liked the added character of Tiffany, but I wish we got to know more of her backstory. Why is she in the mental hospital? Why doesn’t she speak? Why does she like completing puzzles? Did they give her this quality simply for convenience effect?
I did enjoy how this film felt less nauseating to me, it more so felt strange and unusual. The rape part is set off to the side and is mentioned once in the entire film — which is good — they don’t need that being the entire vocal point of this storyline.
I also really like how they start to tell Pinhead’s story and give you a glimpse into who the Cenobites truly are. But, they get wiped out fairly easily in this film where I think they could have put up more of a fight. I wonder if the writers went this route because they were originally planning this franchise to be two movies and stop there. I think if they went that route, that would have made lots of sense since the story is tied up rather nicely in the end.
As far as small things about the movie I didn’t like, I think the special effects were a bit cheesy and reminded me more of Beetlejuice. I think those effects need to stay in Beetlejuice and not be in a film like “Hellraiser.” But maybe the film’s budget just wasn’t there. And for that, I can be a bit more understanding.
Overall I’m super curious where they take the franchise from here on out. I’m hoping to watch the third one rather soon, but seven films?! There’s a long road ahead of me…
What did you think of “Hellbound: Hellraiser II”? Do you think it was better than the first film or do you think it was a complete flop? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! And look out for more reviews coming soon on the “Hellraiser” franchise.
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