Sunday, September 9, 2012

HELLRAISER: HELLWORLD (2005)

When the film starts and they started talking about a Hellraiser video game I had a sudden fear that it was going to go the FREDDY'S DEAD video game route, but no Pinhead goes the teenage slasher route instead...kinda. A group of nerds go to the Leviathan House for a "secret" party hosted by the online Hellworld video game. The usual teen slasher party shenanigans happens, but this time you got Pinhead creepin' around and at one point even killing somebody with a knife! I think that was a series first, but things might not be exactly as they seem.

For a one time watch I enjoyed the movie, I would never voluntarily watch it again. Less screen time for Pinhead than I would like, attractive Final Girl, Lance Henriksen phoning it in, entertaining 90's looking fashions even though this film was released in 2005, zero nudity, old cell phones, very little blood, zero gore. Not bad, but not good either. For HELLRAISER series completists only.

Part 1 - Hellraiser (1987)
Part 2 - Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988)
Part 3 - Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992)
Part 4 - Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996)
Part 5 - Hellraiser: Inferno (2000)
Part 6 - Hellraiser: Hellseeker (2002)
Part 7 - Hellraiser: Deader (2005)
Part 9 - Hellraiser: Revelations (2011)
Part 10 - Hellraiser: Judgement (2018)
Remake - Hellraiser (2022)

HELLRAISER: DEADER (2005)

Another HELLRAISER movie, another story about a poor schmuck seeing weird visions and tries to figure out what's going on.  This time around it's investigative reporter Kari Wuhrer who's in Romania to investigate a nerd cult of dorks who call themselves "Deaders". According to a videotape (what the hell?! I thought this movie was released in 2005!), the Deaders can commit suicide and then through some special power of their leader...come back to life. Somehow, Pinhead is involved in all of this. I could explain it, but it really not important.  Mild violence we've already seen before, medium to slow pace, Kari Wuhrer in unflattering clothes, totally forgettable cult leader (who kinda looks like FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper from Twin Peaks), mild blood, zero gore and Pinhead is only onscreen for like 5 minutes total.

Not a horrible watch, but boring and unoriginal.

Part 1 - Hellraiser (1987)
Part 2 - Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988)
Part 3 - Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992)
Part 4 - Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996)
Part 5 - Hellraiser: Inferno (2000)
Part 6 - Hellraiser: Hellseeker (2002)
Part 8 - Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005)
Part 9 - Hellraiser: Revelations (2011)
Part 10 - Hellraiser: Judgement (2018)
Remake - Hellraiser (2022)

Saturday, September 8, 2012

HELLRAISER: HELLSEEKER (2002)

Kirsty (from the original film) and her husband are in a car accident.  They went off a bridge and into a river, but when he wakes up in the hospital, he discovers that...her body was never found!  Ooohhhh!  How exciting!  So, for the next 70 minutes or so, he stumbles around grabbing his head and seeing all kinds of weird shit like cenobites, a VIDEODROME-style snuff film and occasionally Pinhead himself.  He even pukes up a giant fish at one point.  That might sound thrilling, but it's not.

As far as JACOB'S LADDER/HELLRAISER crossover films go, HELLRAISER: HELLSEEKER is alright.  It's not really a horror film, more of a psychological thriller with some horror visuals and a brief appearance by Pinhead and pals.  Worth a watch, if you're trying to make it through the entire series, but other than that, it's pretty lame.

Also, what the hell does "hellseeker" mean? This dude wasn't looking to go to Hell. Nobody in the movie was.

Part 1 - Hellraiser (1987)
Part 2 - Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988)
Part 3 - Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992)
Part 4 - Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996)
Part 5 - Hellraiser: Inferno (2000)
Part 7 - Hellraiser: Deader (2005)
Part 8 - Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005)
Part 9 - Hellraiser: Revelations (2011)
Part 10 - Hellraiser: Judgement (2018)
Remake - Hellraiser (2022)