Hellraiser - Bloodline
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Movie Reviews of Hellraiser - Bloodline
Movie Review: "I...AM...PAIN"
Summary: 3 Stars
The Hellraiser franchise holds a special place in my heart. I will never forget the first time I saw the opening chapter in the series of films inspired by Clive Barker's nightmarish visions. Watching the original "Hellraiser" now is a mixed bag-some of those special effects look a bit hokey, but others still come across as chillingly effective. Who can forget the glistening visage of Uncle Frank? The lascivious Julia? Or the first appearance of the ominous and verbose Pinhead? The second installment improved on the first, as the film whisked the viewer away to the abode of Pinhead and the Cenobites. A gruesome, perverse picture, "Hellbound: Hellraiser 2" raised the expectations about future entries to a fever pitch. Up next came "Hellraiser 3," a personal favorite of mine even though legions of fans have subsequently disowned it. The series moved into the latter stages of its career from this point forward, taking bold steps in an attempt to expand far beyond what viewers had come to expect. The series continues today with at least two further sequels in the works. Will they find an audience or will the new arrivals fall flat on their faces? Fans will probably grumble even as they queue up to watch."Hellraiser: Bloodline" took the risky step of moving the storyline into space, a cringe inducing idea at first until you actually watch the movie. Who can forget the nightmare that was "Leprechaun 4"? Fortunately, only certain segments take place on a spaceship. The majority of the film heads back to the past to explain the origins of the Lament Configuration, that dreaded box which hundreds of seekers have opened only to find the Cenobites waiting for them. Dr. Paul Merchant (Bruce Ramsey) locked himself away on the spaceship because he wants to destroy this infernal device once and for all. A group of marines arrives on the ship to take the "mad" doctor into custody. During his detainment he tells a dark story about his family's history, about how his ancestor Phillipe Merchant designed the box in the eighteenth century for a decadent French nobleman who wished to plumb the dark depths. The box does its job, horribly so, conjuring up a demon named Angelique (Valentina Vargas) who promptly carves up people left and right. Unfortunately for Merchant, the box somehow curses his bloodline. Every one of his descendants will suffer because of the Lament Configuration.
The movie moves to the modern day-our modern day, not the year 2127 on the spaceship-to focus on John Merchant (again, Bruce Ramsey; he plays all three Merchants), an architect fascinated with the drawings passed down through the family from Phillipe Merchant. Again, Angelique turns up. But this time so does good old Pinhead, and he's bringing along some reinforcements. A huge battle ensues over the Lament Configuration, with the underworld's minions seemingly banished for good. We, having seen the events on that spaceship, laugh at such optimistic thinking. The finale to "Hellraiser: Bloodline" moves us back to the ship for a final showdown between Merchant, the marines, and the Cenobites. More gooey gore shows up to turn the stomach before the film slides quietly into the credits. Even if you end up hating this movie, you have to admit that the gore quotient reaches nauseating new heights.
"Hellraiser: Bloodline" is an uneven film anyway you slice it. Director Kevin Yagher withdrew from the production after his studio heavily interfered in the project. Thus, the film carries the dreaded "Alan Smithee" label, a moniker all too familiar to moviegoers in the know. The result of this turmoil behind the scenes set the movie adrift, so someone decided to just slap the whole thing together and dump the final result in the video stores. That's a real shame as "Bloodlines" has at its center an interesting premise for fans of the series: how the box came about and how it was first used to conjure up evil. The movie boasts a few new Cenobites in the form of a clacking toothed dog and a fused pair of security guards (Watch and see how this comes about. Gross.). Pinhead even turns up to toss off a few new witticisms. I especially enjoyed the line that goes something like "Do I look like someone who cares what God thinks?" You can always rely on Pinhead to say something memorable. Unfortunately, he doesn't show up in this movie nearly as much as we would like, a problem that only gets worse in parts five and six. Still, some Pinhead is better than no Pinhead at all, don't you think?
Give up on the idea of the series ever returning to the original themes so eloquently portrayed in the first and second films. Those days are gone forever as sequel mania long ago destroyed any hope of maintaining Barker's original inspiration. I generally watch new Hellraiser films for the glimpses of Pinhead and the jaw dropping gore effects. I found the "Bloodline" DVD a bit disappointing in the extras department. There aren't any, actually, beyond a trailer for "Children of the Corn 666" (yet another horror series deteriorating into utter banality) and a promo for the "Scream" box set. An Alan Smithee commentary track would have been nice-we could have finally heard from this mysterious man after all these years! Seriously, give "Bloodline" a chance. It's not great cinema, but it sure beats a lot of the dreck floating around out there.
Movie Review: Pinhead: He's Forever
Summary: 3 Stars
You know there's trouble a-brewin' not when Pinhead's on the box, but when you see "Directed by Alan Smithee". This is basically a pseudonym that directors use when they don't want their real name associated with a film due to some creative disagreement, producer changes that offended the director, or if the film is just [not good].In this case director Kevin Yagher (a respected makeup effects artist) disowned the film after Dimension made cuts to it. Hellraiser creator and original Hellraiser director Clive Barker has pretty much been written out of the series by now. You only see Clive Barker Presents (since they're his characters) but
that's it. Apparently Barker is too expensive and he has his own ideas of where the Hellraiser mythos should be going.
That said, Hellraiser: Bloodline is a weaker effort than the previous three appearances of The Box. (I actually liked Part III a lot).
This is an ambitious story, as far as horror series go, and certainly as far as Part IVs go in any series. While the first three eventually led to more insight into Pinhead and his origin, including the separation of his human and demon side in Part III, Bloodline tries to trace the history of the famous box. The Lament Configuration, as its known, was designed by a toymaker named Merchant in 18th century France. It was commissioned by a particularly crazy Duke (or Duc) who somehow is able to raise hell with the thing. (It's never made clear why the box has these powers, or, for that matter, what the heck is going on with his Latin incantations and skinning at the beginning).
The film opens in the year 2127 on a giant spaceship (yes, folks, Pinhead in space). The ship is, in fact, a giant trap designed by Merchant's last descendant in an effort to finally summon Pinhead and destroy him. Then the film flashes back to the 18th century, then forward to 1996 Paris, then to 1996 New York where the Merchant of 2127's father is an architect. Throughout we see a stunning Frenchwoman named Angelique who becomes some kind of demon (I think), though this, like many things in Bloodline, is never made clear.
If you're a Hellraiser fan, you'll enjoy more Hellraising action. However, you'll be disappointed by the fact that much of the plot makes very little sense. Who is Angelique? Is she a Cenobite? Can you really kill Pinhead? How many boxes are there?
As for the gore, well, we do get some quality bits. However, this is easily the weakest film as far as Cenobites go. Pinhead takes 2 twin brothers and does something involving drills and twisting their faces together and a lot of blood and screaming and they're joined at the head. Then there's a Cenobite dog, or
whatever that thing is, which is resigned to only brief shots of it's front or teeth or in shadows since, frankly, the thing looks downright low-budget. And I think that's Angelique in space at the end with her skull exposed under pinned scalp-flesh, which actually looks great, but she's given precious little time in that bloody form.
There's a lot owed to the Alien films here, including a group of Marines who exist for the sole reason to get whacked out by Pinhead. And speaking of Pinhead, I'm not crazy about him either in this installment. For one, we almost get too much of him(!) We see him brightly lit and walking around and spouting some almost overwhelming Pinhead-isms about human acquiesence, blah blah blah and stroking a pigeon(!). In the earlier films he was resigned to dark, shadowy sets and was, of course, a creepier character. But, give a movie maniac too many sequels and soon enough he'll be the hero, cracking jokes and making far too many appearances (see: Freddy Krueger).
However, the film is photographed well, and the makeup in general is very good. (I give credit for at least trying something new with the dog).
All in all, this isn't terrible. I'm a huge fan of the series, so I welcome new additions. I just wish that with the scope of the story and the playing around with the mythos so much that they would have done a better job. I wish we could get a director's cut--the film runs a scant 86 minutes(!) Wonder how much was cut, given that this movie spans a few centuries.
What else do we get on this DVD? Nothing. Not even a trailer. The picture and sound are both good. Nothing incredible, but certainly fine. Wish they could get a decent transfer of Part III out.
Recommended for Hellraiser fans simply because it's Hellraiser, and Pinhead, and the Box. But as for others, this is definitely NOT a good starting point for the series and is not indicative of the gothic horror of the original story and 2 films.
Movie Review: Hooked again!
Summary: 3 Stars
It's funny how the third installment of any series usually kills the franchise. Part Three of 'Rambo' didn't just finish the Russian Army. Part Three of 'Beverly Hills Cop' was probably seen by 12 people from coast to coast (pity them). And the third try at 'Halloween'....well, let's not talk about that. Of course, in movies, and especially in horror movies, death is not the end, so despite the fact that "Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth" pretty much drove a stake through Cliver Barker's Hellbound hearts club,it didn't stop the sequel from beating along.And that's a good thing, because although 'Bloodline' isn't exactly gonna win any Oscars (unless you look closely and see that Oscar has nails driven through his face), it does a fair job of both washing the horrible taste of Part III out fans' mouths, telling a very inventive story, and both advancing and completing the mythos of the series. And it succeeds in spite of some horribly inconsistent effects, choppy editing and a bad performance by Bruce Ramsey, an actor who is not quite talented enough to play one role but somehow ends up getting three. Tell me, how easy IS it to get a casting director's job on a horror movie, anyway? Do ALL producers hire their idiot cousins from Debuth, or what?
Anyway, I won't get into the plot too much. The movie is essentially three stories which precede and follow the other Hellraiser movies in the 18th, 20th, and 23rd centuries. The first Ramsey character plays Lemarchand, a French toymaker who is conned into building the box for an evil, black-arts dabbling aristocrat who wants to open the gateway to hell. The subsequent stories follow the cursed Lemarchand descendents who each try to shut that gateway, with mixed success ("mixed" meaning one or more of them may end up as chum before the final credits). The story also follows the evolution of hell over the centuries (sexy siren demon Angelique versus hideously but stylistically disfigured demon Pinhead) as well as the tactics hell uses to lay claim to more souls (seduction versus dragging you in kicking and screaming via lots of fishhooks).
This is a pretty ambitious premise, and is not well served by the film's low budget (the French-revolution and modern sets are okay, and the exterior SPFX in the future are very good, but the interior of the space station looks like the access tunnel of an abandoned high school gym....HORRIBLY fake and shoddy, as if they ran out of money 2/3 of the way thru principal photography) or by Ramsey's bad acting. The truth is this guy looks a lot like Jean Claude Van Damme, and like Van Damme he can't emote to save his life....I kept expecting him to drop into a split and then bust Pinhead with a roundhouse to the jaw.
Furthermore, the device of telling 3 stories in one movie means none of them really get fleshed out. The most interesting part from the fan's POV is obviously the opening segment, where we see the box created and get a glimpse of the pre-Pinhead hell. Unfortunately, it seems there were some rather deep cuts made in the editing room, and it shows, since this part seems to stumble and leap along instead of flowing smoothly.
The new Cenobites, including the second version of Angelique, are the coolest designs since the first film. Unfortunately, there is a bit of carryover from Part III, where the producers tried very hard to turn Pinhead into a wisecracking Freddy Kreuger-type slasher instead of the deadly serious Grand Inquisitor. The character never really recovered from that treatment, which made him funny where he was supposed to be terrifying. In this outing he comes most of the way back, but is given too much screen time and too much dialogue (remember how little he was really in the first two films? This is just overkill) to be taken very seriously.
Overall, this is a very flawed movie, but if you are into this series, it has enough going for it to recommend for at least a rental. Which is more than I can say for 'Part III.'
PS - I see used phrases like 'fleshed out', 'deep cuts' and 'overkill' in this review and wasn't even trying to be ironic. Scary.
Movie Review: Too little Pinhead
Summary: 3 Stars
When I first found out this movie had a space theme to it I cringed and refused to watch the movie. Jason X anyone? Leprechaun 4? Not to mention I hated Hellraiser 3 and vowed I would not torture myself by watching anymore of the series. I finally gave in and watched and turns out this movie is much better then anticipated. Only part of Bloodline takes part in space. The majority of the movie actually gives us the origin of the box. Dr. Paul Merchant is trying to destroy the box before it can cause more damage and continue to curse his bloodline. Some military board the ship to take Merchant into custody. Merchant starts to tell the story of how the box came to be and why he must destroy the box. Turns out this box has been a curse to his family and if the hands of time could be turned back the dreadful box would never had been created. Merchants ancestor Phillipe Merchant designed the box for a decadent of French nobleman who wished to use the box for evil. After the Frenchman does some kind of ceremony, a demon named Angelique appears and starts to kill people. This box becomes the curse of the Merchant bloodline and suffer each descendant of the clan will suffer the consequences.
As the movie progresses we meet John Merchant who is the next to be cursed by the box. Angelique shows up, but so does pinhead. When Angelique tries to showdown with Pinhead she looses and is turned into a cenobite. By the time the movies ends many of the soldiers that boarded the ship are murdered by a dog like cenobite and fused pair of security guards (this effect is amazing!!!) before the final showdown, but I won't give away what happens. Part of the appeal for me with the Hellraiser series is Pinhead and you don't get to see much of him in this film. Hellraiser and Hellraiser 2: Hellbound will always be the best in the series. The most you can hope for watching further installments of the Hellraiser series are peeks of Pinhead, some newer cenobites and the gore.
This movie is better than Hellraiser 3, but not better then Hellraiser or Hellbound. In my opinion Bloodline is a worth a rental, but should not be considered a title you add to your home collection.
Movie Review: I wanted to dislike this. In the end I couldn't. ***
Summary: 3 Stars
Hellraiser IV: Bloodline
As my subject line of my review states. Being a huge fan of I and II - I've looked upon later movies in the franchise with a leery eye. Too much of good thing spoils the flesh.
Pleasingly, this one isn't a hour and 20 some minutes wasted. The story at times is engaging and demands your attention. As in many of my reviews, I'll avoid the already reviewed ground of the plot and offer my insights.
The opening scenes of "Hellraiser in Space" at first, I almost turned the movie off. But then, something said give it a chance so off I went. I'm generally not a fan of flashback sequences. This one however was well done. The flashbacks provided pivotal backstory as to the events of 2127 and what lead to events on the space station.
I agree with the statements that the Merchant men should've been played by different actors. One face spanning the generations. Don't buy it. Different cast actors would've made it more believable.
Using seduction instead of pain in competing Demon styles was interesting. Although Pinhead gets the last line and laugh there. He was on target with terror vs. seduction.
My favorite scene when the one black man's skin on his face is completely torn off. Just gorgeously gorey. It was quick and brutal. Pinhead wasn't in the mood for a long play session. ;)
Overall the story holds my interest. However, with the removal of Pinhead which largely *is* the franchise these days. It becomes much weaker.
Thats where my criticism comes in. I've never been able to get past in II when Pinhead gets killed. The good doctor reduces him to a mortal, then offs him. I know he comes back in the end of II with the rotating column - translation sequel. However, after Pinhead's and the Cenobytes deaths in that film. That left an impression of finality.
To resurrect Pinhead for go around after go around. Its turned the Hellraiser franchise into too much of a good thing. It lost its special touch I and II had.
As a sequel its worth checking out if you enjoyed I and II. Just rent it first.