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Directed by Written by Starring Presented by Rated R 97 minutes |
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HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II Review
With the success of Clive Barker’s groundbreaking HELLRAISER around the world, an immediate sequel was commissioned. In fact, a sequel was guaranteed even before the release of HELLRAISER, as the film’s producers knew they had something special. While Barker would step up to serve as executive producer, the film was given to Tony Randel, while the cast returned minus one player. Where the first one was an essay of pain versus pleasure, its sequel would give an actual glimpse into hell, providing a rare sequel on par with its predecessor. HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II opens literally hours after the first film, with survivor Kirsty Cotton (Ashley Laurence returning) at a hospital where she is questioned by police. That night, she gets a visitor from hell, a skinless man with the message “I am in hell… help me.” Kirsty’s doctor, Dr. Channard (Kenneth Cranham) learns of the box and where it was last; in the hands of Julia who died on a mattress. Channard uses his wit to get the mattress and uses the most insane bunch of the hospital to get what he wants, which results in the rebirth of Julia (Claire Higgins, also returning). With the help of Channard’s assistant (William Hope), Kirsty learns of Channard’s plans; to use a mute girl with a gift of solving puzzles (Imogen Boorman) to open the box and begin their journey into hell. The Cenobites, upon seeing the girl solve the puzzle, know she is an innocent and wait to see the events unfold, with surprising and extra gory results. The film does provide also an origin story for Pinhead, who due to the success of the first film had become wildly popular. He is really Elliot Spencer (Doug Bradley), a World War I veteran whose curiosity in opening the box leads him to becoming its biggest protector and lead Cenobite. While not as good as the first film, HELLBOUND does everything a sequel should do. It looks bigger than the first film as obviously a bigger budget was in play here, with hell looking very frightening. The Cenobites are shown more here but are still supporting players. The film mainly focuses on Channard and his transition from curious doctor to powerful Cenobite. Kirsty enters hell to search for her father while establishing a friendship with the mute girl, Tiffany. The film does suffer from the absence of Andrew Robinson, as his character is mentioned throughout the film but his lack of presence suffers, causing for some awkward moments. Everyone does return and are quite well, with Laurence proving a strong female lead in Kirsty. Claire Higgins is fine as Julia but isn’t given much to do, since most of the fun of HELLRAISER was her transformation from bored housewife to femme fatale. Kenneth Cranham is a good villain as Channard, though as the Cenobite, it’s mainly stuntman Bronco McLoughlin. It’s still Cranham by voice and he delivers. William Hope, so good in ALIENS, is wasted here, as is Sean Chapman, who returns as Frank in a decent scene where his relationship with Julia comes to a grisly end. Doug Bradley is again excellent as Pinhead and as Elliot, and his revelation that he remembers his past provides one of the film’s best moments. The fact that the Cenobites get taken out so quickly is surprising but also disappointing. The film is much gorier than the first film, with a disgusting scene involving the mattress, a razor, and an inmate who believes maggots are all over him. As he slices himself with a razor, Julia appears and sucks out his brain. It’s a scene I still can’t fully sit through without feeling nauseous, but very effective. While I do enjoy the film, I must admit it wears off a little each time I see it, as though it’s good, it’s not the masterpiece that HELLRAISER is. At points, the film does feel rushed and I wonder if they’ve given the film more time, would it be as memorable as the first film? I think it would, as there some very great moments here. In all, HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II is a worthy sequel that HELLRAISER fans love for sure. It’s also good as a stand-alone film that if you haven’t seen the first one, you will be entertained. It’s the last great film of the HELLRAISER universe though its muddled structure set the tone for the HELLRAISER films to follow. HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II: 8 Out Of 10 Maggots
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