☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
(Didn't Like It)
Netflix Synopsis: The nightmares never end for a young woman -- memories of her father's skinned corpse, her uncle's reanimated body -- but the worst is yet to come.
The Peeps: Tony Randal (director); Peter Atkins (writer); Kenneth Cranham, Ashley Laurence, Clare Higgins
Quick Run Down: Convoluted, Emotionless, Laughable
Worth the Watch?: Skip It
Hellbound: Hellraiser II picks up exactly where
Hellraiser leaves off. Kirsty (Ashley Laurence reprising her role) is in a psychiatric ward, being questioned for the bodies found in her father's house. Kirsty gives her Cenobite story, and people think she's nuts. Her doctor, Dr. Channard (Kenneth Cranham), is not so quick to judge, though. In fact, he knows she's telling the truth because he owns several of the boxes Kirsty is raving about, and he wants to experience this incredible venture of the pain, pleasure, and sadomasochistic creatures the box conjures . So, he takes the proper measures and makes things happen using items left over from Kirsty's father's house. This process summons Julia (Clare Higgins, once again), now in the same position we found Frank in in the original
Hellraiser - returned from the pain dimension of the Cenobites, fleshless, and in need of victims to draw skin from. Dr. Channard provides this, which gives Julia her skin, and, in return for his services, Julia provides Channard with the chance to finally visit the Cenobite dimension. Meanwhile, Kirsty is visited by visions of her skinless father suffering in Hell, and she is determined to set him free. In the room next to hers is a mute girl that is great at solving puzzles, so this girl is... I'll just stop there.
This installment in the
Hellraiser franchise is the worst yet. Granted, I've only see this and the first one (and the intention is to watch all nine of them), but, still, #2 just isn't very good. The film was made in 1988, so it follows right on the heels of the original. Despite this closeness, though, it starts off using footage from number one and pretty much recaps the entire first
Hellraiser in the first 15 minutes. The following scenes with Channard and his obsession with the box (or the strangely named Lament Configuration) and its abilities are good (mostly because there's a consistent story line and Channard does a good acting job) are lost because, once the box is used to open the other dimension, the film goes downhill. Pretty soon, the script gets very convoluted, as you are following three different characters, and the directing style is mostly passionless, amateurish, and entirely devoid of emotion or tone. Randal definitely doesn't have the grace or patience Barker did behind the camera in #1, and Atkins can't decide which character he wants to focus on. On Atkins behalf, though, that last part is probably explainable - #2 was predicted to be the last film for Pinhead (Doug Bradley), as Julia (Higgins) was planned to become the new poster head for the franchise. Higgins told the studio that she didn't want to be in any of the films to follow, though, so changes had to be made. Regardless, the script remains unfocused, and it threads the story nearly too thin. And, besides:
VS.
For a horror franchise? Come on, guys!
The creature design in #2 pulls primarily from #1, and the new creatures to emerge are interesting but lack the ingenuity and sincerity the first one did. The whole thing feels less sinister and more comic book-ish. In fact, there is an early motif of fairy tales in the film, and I think that's the angle Randal was trying to work in the film. Unfortunately, it fails because it leaves the film feeling glossy and silly. I hate to say it, but there's one particular sequence that's just stupid and utterly out of place. From about that point on, the flick becomes laughable. Also, some animation-like effects are used for a creature in the film, and they just don't work. They're choppy, almost stop-motion like, and appear very cheap. They really do a disservice to the film.
There are a few scenes that are cool, but, as a whole,
Hellbound: Hellraiser II isn't worth the watch. I'm about to tackle
Hellraiser III: Hell On Earth, and, though I don't think it's going to necessarily be good, it'll be better than 2, which will leave this installment in the franchise mostly skippable.
So, if you wanna watch a poor sequel with weak, fairy tale imaginings, almost no emotion or tension, and nothing new to offer in regards to the
Hellraiser story or idea,
Hellbound: Hellraiser II is the film for you. And you can check it out on Netflix!
"We have eternity to know your flesh."
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