Directed by:
Tony RandelScreenplay:
Peter AtkinsCinematography:
Robin VidgeonComposer:
Christopher YoungCast:
Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence, Kenneth Cranham, Imogen Boorman, Sean Chapman, Doug Bradley, Oliver Parker, William Hope, Robert Hines (a.f.), Angus MacInnes (more)Plots(1)
"What is your pleasure, sir?" So echoes the evil enticement of Clive Barker's continuing blood stained pathway through the realm of darkness and into the furnaces of Hell. Following on from the original nightmare, young heroine Kirsty (Ashley Laurence) is institutionalised, battling with the unspeakable horror that destroyed her family. When investigating police uncover a blood soaked mattress, her occult-obsessive psychiatrist Dr. Channard (Kenneth Cranham), becomes drawn to the intrigue - raising the ghoulish remains of Kirsty's murderous stepmother, Julia (Clare Higgins) in the process. Simultaneously lured by shady Uncle Frank (Sean Chapman) and haunted by visions of her mutilated father suffering in hell, Kirsty is persuaded by Dr. Channard and puzzle solving mute Tiffany (Imogen Boorman) to venture forth and rescue him from the Cenobites' torturous dimension. Gaining expert access to the portal, together they make the nightmarish journey through the labyrinth of hell. Entranced by the notorious Lament Configuration puzzle box, their death-defying partnership is destined to not only capture the attention of the blood-thirsty Cenobites but release Pinhead's (Doug Bradley) infinite horrors and the ultimate pleasures of Hell. (Umbrella Entertainment)
(more)Reviews (4)
In a way, Hellraiser II is the answer to all the "buts" from the first film. There's more mythology around the cube, and slightly more action-packed Cenobites, but they still don't overdo it... There's also a hell labyrinth and some very nice ideas. I appreciate the expansion of the insane asylum plot, the fact that the sequel takes place just moments after the first film, the storyline, and the crazy doctor. The main protagonists have even almost become beautiful, as if they were completely different actresses. I'm downright happy with the Bride of Frankenstein/Mummyvariation, it was incredibly romantic. The third girl in the bunch is also a good screenwriting investment. But then there are also a number of dead ends and proper WTF moments. Where did Kirstyn's boyfriend go? Wouldn't it be easiest to revive her father as Juls and then have his skin regenerated? Humiliating Pinhead with a photo? Killing a trio of his henchmen so conveniently? And what about all the hell stuff? No one has explained the pterodactyl to me! Unfortunately, the build-up to the third film doesn't really work out and the third film is a proper mess. This is the order in which I like the films overall: Hellraiser 8, Hellraiser 5, Hellraiser 4, Hellraiser 7, Hellraiser 2, Hellraiser 6, Hellraiser 1, Hellraiser 3, Hellraiser 9.
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Much worse than the first part. The special effects are on the same level, the performances are similarly wanting, there is less atmosphere and the script is quite confusing at times, but the worst for me is how little Pinhead and his Cenobites show up. After the thrilling first part, Hellbound was quite a disappointment, especially because of the second half (the first half is better than good) – I didn’t like how hell looked and the special effects were bad (all the atmosphere is lost when they enter hell), and not even the climax was very good. Weak three stars. My ranking: H1, H5, H2, H7, H3, H4, H6, H8
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This sequel isn't as consistent as the original, but it certainly doesn't lack creativity and atmosphere. Some scenes were even more impressive than in the first film, so despite some weaker moments in the second half, I'll still give it a 75% overall impression, just like the original. It's once again an older, but classic horror spectacle.
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Hellbound: Hellraiser II is a good sequel to the first film, but also a sequel that didn't impress me in any major way. It's good, it still maintains the strong atmosphere that can really plunge you into a deep depression, but you can see the effort to dial it back a bit and not capture the absolute depths of horror that could be presented here. It's a fact that if the creators went down that path, the film would be very difficult to watch.
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