The puzzle box strikes again! After her wild night with the Cenobites, Kirsty
(once again well-played by Ashley Lawrence) is taken to the Channard Institute,
a psychiatric hospital run by Dr. Channard, who wants nothing more than to help
cure Kirsty of her demented fantasies. Kirsty keeps telling anybody who’ll
listen about her run-in with Pinhead and the other Cenobites, and their demonic
lust for fresh meat. But even in her hospital room, Kirsty isn’t safe from
hellish visions. She witnesses an apparition of her deceased father, who writes
on the wall in blood that he is in hell and he needs her help.
Surprisingly, Dr. Channard (Kenneth Cranham) is very understanding towards
Kirsty’s story--in fact, he believes it all to be true, because he’s got
something of a nasty streak within him that had seeking out the very dark
pleasures that had long been held as taboo. Through years of research into the
occult, and thanks to a few blood-stained items from Kirsty's house, Channard
even manages to bring back Julia (Clare Higgins) back as his skinless bride
(ick!). But the lack of skin is no problem, thanks to Julia taking what she needs
from a hapless victim trussed up in Channard's attic. And if Julia is back and
ready to rumble, then can Pinhead and the other boys and girls be far behind?
Twenty years after its original release, Hellbound: Hellraiser II still remains
one of the better horror movie sequels. Unlike most sequels, it continues the
story laid out by the first film, using the came cast of superb actors, and it
actually expands on the mythology by showing us how Pinhead became what he is
now. The director this time out is Tony Randel, and he does a great job of
moving the story forward. Hellraiser II feels like one of the old school Hammer
films, whose luridness has been pushed to the grand extreme in terms of the gore
and violence. The only problem I had with it is that the movie is restrained in
how it handles Pinhead and the other Cenobites. A much anticipated
battle between Pinhead and his gang against a new threat is over almost before
it even begins.
The 20th Anniversary Edition DVD, released within just the last few days of 2008,
contains three brand new featurettes, in addition to the original features of
the earlier DVD release. The new stuff includes interviews with Tony Randel,
actor Kenneth Cranhem and the trio of actors who play the Cenobites. There’s an
audio commentary with Randel, writer Peter Atkins and Ashley Lawrence, as well
as a nifty little mini-poster. Fans of Aliens will enjoy seeing William Hope,
Lt. Gorman from that film, starring here as a doctor sympathetic to Kirsty. But
despite my complaints, Hellraiser fans in general will still enjoy seeing their favorite Cenobites back in
action once more. --SF
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