Picking up where the first “Hellraiser” movie left off, sole survivor, Kirsty is sent to a mental hospital after trying to convince the law her father, Larry died from the hands of demonic creatures. Obviously, they don’t believe her. Meanwhile a doctor wants to use a mute girl, Tiffany to open a puzzle box in an attempt to open the gates of Hell. The doctor resurrects Larry’s girlfriend, Julia via blood soaked mattress. They form an alliance. Kirsty & Tiffany must put an end to their scheme by destroying the mattress and retrieve the puzzle box.
Released in 1988, (same year Child’s Play came out) “Hellbound: Hellraiser II” received mixed reviews from critics and was a modest box office hit. Followed by panned sequels and a remake/reminagining on Hulu. Anyway, Clive Barker’s “Hellraiser: Revival” is out in both physical and digital format. Reason why I wanna review the second entry? Well, the game is a direct follow up to the first two movies. Has zero connection to the Hulu remake. Another reason why I picked Hellbound: Hellraiser 2? It’s Halloween Month. I intended to watch and review spooky stuff throughout October.
Lifted & Cursed Aspects
Lifted: Doug Bradley reprises his role as Pinhead. He did a decent job for his performance.
Christopher Young (The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Sinister) orchestrated the soundtrack.
Death Scenes are brutal and not for the faint of heart.
Practical Effects were heavily involved crafting gruesome moments.
Prosthetic Makeup transformed Doug and the actors into demonic versions of themselves.
Opening Scene starts strong showing us Pinhead’s origin story. He was once a human named, Elliot Spencer. A British officer who opened the puzzle box.
The sequel expands a little on the lore. Leviathan the ruler of Hell created the Cenobites. Hell’s depicted as a massive labyrinth.
Cursed: Clive Barker didn’t do so well on the story. There’s some problems.
Chemistry between Kristy & Tiffany felt weak. They have less interactions with each other. That’s a cardinal sin. Not caring about the main characters who move the story forward.
At the 01:02:06 mark, Kirsty lies her back on a brick wall. Fabric vibrates.
Plot Holes/Inconsistencies
One inconsistency involving the rules of meddling with the puzzle box. the first movie whoever successfully solves the puzzle box will receive a fateful consequence. Frank ended up badly. Eh, he was a crook. Anyway, Tiffany solves the puzzle, but she doesn’t end up like Frank. She’s transported in a massive labyrinth. Pinhead stated, it’s not the Cenobites duty to torture whoever solves the puzzle. This contradicts their rule from the last movie.
Kirsty often calls Pinhead and his crew Cenobites. She never uttered out the word in the first entry. How the actual heck did she learn that?
Pinhead somehow protects Kirsty who reminded him about his past as a human. He and his crew go after Dr. Channard That’s way outta character. Pinhead doesn’t affiliate with anybody besides his fellow Cenobites.
Pinhead and his gang were done dirty. How did they get defeated? Dr. Channard turns into a monster. He kills everybody in a few seconds. Absolutely ridiculous. Pinhead has a higher power level than Channard. Pinhead never got a chance to unleash his full power. It’s like Human Torch/Johnny Storm using a banana peel causing Galactus to easily fall into a portal. So, Channard takes over Pinhead’s role as the main antagonist. Really? I have to Triple Down this flaw for wasting a golden opportunity for making Pinhead a weakling.
The Final Verdict: F, FOR FAKER!
Hellbound: Hellraiser II pales in comparison to the first movie. It failed to recapture what made its predecessor a horror classic. The series hasn’t been good since the first installment. I have yet to see the Hulu remake. Hopefully, Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival does justice.
