The Worst Film Ever

People are voting emotionally.

A Disappointing Continuation

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Best of the many (and mostly bad) sequels to Clive Barker's original film. This was also the last of the Hellriaser films that Barker had a significant hand in the creative process, staying on to write the story as well as producing. I remember watching this film way back in the day when it first came out on VHS and the one scene that had burned itself into my memory was still as horrifying now as it was then. This sequel picks up right after the events of the first film, with Kristy being brought to a mental institution after the death of her dad and stepmom after encountering Pinhead and the Cenobites (not a boy band). Unbeknownst to Kristy, the head doctor of the hospital, an excellent Kenneth Cranham as Dr. Channard, is darkly interested in the occult and has been searching for the Lament Configuration for years. He listens to Kristy's account of what happened to her and instead of destroying the bloody mattress she's pleaded with him to destroy, he decides he wants to resurrect Kristy's evil stepmother, Julia. As with the first film, a resurrection requires massive amounts of blood for a body to reform, which brings us to the aforementioned horrific scenes that was burned into my teenage memory. In order to resurrect Julia, Dr. Channard takes one of his mentally ill patients who believes he has bugs crawling all over his body and who has to wear a straight-jacket at all times to prevent digging at himself, places the patient on the mattress, removes his straight-jacket, and hands him a straight razor to slice at his imagined bugs crawling over his skin. That scene was just as unsettling now as it was 30 years ago, which is saying something in a post Takashi Miike and "Hostel" horror film world. Beyond that one shocking scene, the story involves Channard seeking the Hellraiser puzzle box and Kristy tying to again escape Channard, Pinhead, the other Cenobites, and hell itself. Without spoiling anything, this film reveals more about the Cenobites history and origin, which is interesting and also feels canon since Barker was part of the story (more was told in the subsequent sequel, but Barker had little to no part in those films). Although his film lacks the interesting visual style Barker brought to the first film, with it's dichotomy of beauty and blood, director Tony Randal does and effective job of building suspense, horror, and a fair amount of visual style to the film. Similar to the first film, both good and bad, the gory practical special effects are top notch and wonderfully (and horrifically) executed, but the other special effects look like they were done with Magic Marker. The super imposed images of Hell are visually striking, but not even close to looking as if the characters are really in this location (it's super fakey looking). Despite those shortcomings and although "Hellbound: Hellraiser II" is not a classic horror film, it is a worthy sequel to the original Clive Barker classic. On a side note, rewatching this film mostly made me wish that Barker can somehow regain the film rights to his creating and have the opportunity to reboot the franchise, just as James Cameron is getting to do with his Terminator franchise.

Kirsty is brought to an institution after the death of her family, where the occult-obsessive head resurrects Julia and unleashes the Cenobites once again. Hellbound: Hellraiser II was suprisingly not only better than what i was expecting but also better than the original film plus can we just admit the fact that this movie was very freaky and creepy? I mean the scene where the Cenobites die and turn into their human forms or that guy cuts himself and then Julia appears with no flesh? Were just spooky to say the least and definitely a great sequel. (7.5/10)

I don't know why it took me so long to invest in and review Hellraiser II. I've been a fan of Chris Young's score for years now but never actually seen the movie itself until now. Perhaps this is for the better, as I have a feeling that I would have misjudged this movie in my youth.Immediately after the events of the first movie Kirsty Cotton is institutionalised by the evil Dr. Channard. She's babbling about the Cenobites and the Lament Configuration and Channard not only believes her but has extensive research into the artefact and wants to see hell for himself. With the mattress that Julia died on in his possession he sacrifices one of his mentally ill patients to bring her back, albeit without her skin, in a brutally unpleasant scene that had me hiding behind the cushion. Soon, Julia is fully human again (and looking like a LOT like Emma Stone thanks to a far sexier haircut) and ready to grant him his morbid wish. Channard gives the Lament Configuration to Tiffany, a mute savant with a knack for solving puzzles. Pinhead and his cronies come forth, as expected, but allow Kirsty and Tiffany to run free in hell so they can stop Channard before he reaches the Leviathan, the unexplained (and probably inexplicable) God of Hell.While I did enjoy this movie a lot, it really does come across as an over-the-top mish-mash of The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and Dungeons and Dragons (all relatively new at the time). The script is a little hokier but still convincingly expands this mysterious universe. What I wasn't expecting, however, was how much I would like Pinhead.The image of this character is iconic and often used to sell, or perhaps oversell, the franchise. I didn't think I would be able to accept him a movie monster and it might be the reason why I kept this series at a distance for so long. But Pinhead is REALLY likable here. He's no hero, no villain, and nowhere in between, just an impartial observer who is as much a victim as the people he tears apart. Doug Bradley nails this character (haha) and his place in horror movie history is rightfully deserved.As I said, Chris Young's beautiful, operatic score is a leviathan in it's own right and some of his best work. I would argue that the first two Hellraiser movies have the best horror scores of all time and an absolute must-have for anyone who enjoys and appreciates good music.A sequel that falls short of the original in some ways but matches and exceeds it in others.

If you're considering watching 'Hellraiser 2: Hellbound' you should probably ask yourself if you're really into seeing skinless corpses ripping each other apart with hooks and chains. If this doesn't sound like something you'd observe over dinner then you should probably steer clear of any film with a man whose face is covered with pins is plastered all over the marketing. However, if you're one of those weirdos (and I include myself in that term!) who actually enjoyed the first 'Hellraiser' film and wants to explore that dark and depraved world a little more, then you can't go far wrong with the sequel.Yes, I know that sequels are usually inferior to the original and almost unheard of in horror terms for one to outdo its first incarnation. Now, I'm not saying that 'Part 2' is as shocking and original as 'Part 1,' simply because by definition it can't capture the shock value of witnessing the Cenobites for the first time. However, it does give more of what Hellraiser's audience wanted, plus it explores this terrible universe and expands on all the major themes from the original. And, for a sequel, that does kind of mean it ticks all boxes you'd want.Most of the original's cast return, we have the girl who survived the initial encounter with those flesh-hungry monsters, the Cenobites, Kirsty come back for more. Or rather she's been chucked in a mental institution due to repeated rants regarding how an escaped prisoner from hell seduced her stepmother into killing her father to satisfy demons who live in a puzzle box (to be fair, you can't blame the authorities for not believing her on that one!). And her torment isn't over, for, from the confines of her padded cell, she repeatedly sees images of her dead father, now trapped and skinless in hell and begging for help. However, it doesn't seem to just be her dad who's trying to get out of having their flesh torn from their body. Her wicked stepmother and sadistic doctor also have an interest in what secrets the puzzle box has in store. Enter the Cenobites.Again, 'Hellraiser 2: Hellbound' isn't for the faint-hearted. You need a strong stomach, as the film-makers seem to delight in coming up with new and varied ways to remove and violate body parts using a variety of sharp implements. I won't go into too much detail regarding the rest of the plot, but I will say that I actually prefer this one to the previous Hellraiser movie. This is because my one main criticism of the first film as that the Cenobites weren't in it enough. Here, however, they're back for good and in it for a much longer period of time – no bad thing when you see that practical make-up is a million times more disgusting than today's overused CGI gore. Overall, whether you prefer the first or the second, I think most horror-lovers will agree that this is at least a fair sequel to the original and they do go together well as a pair. The third instalment takes the franchise in a bit of a new direction and some felt that that was the point when it started to lose momentum. However, these two films go together well, so if you have a strong stomach, give them a go with the lights turned out.