Pranzo Oltranzista
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Movies: Hellraiser 2022 (reboot) - Everything Hellraiser
- Thread starter Pranzo Oltranzista
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shadow1
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- Nov 29, 2008
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shadow1
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- Nov 29, 2008
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Hellraiser: Judgement (2018) - 5/10
Three detectives hunt for a serial killer who murders victims based on The Ten Commandments. Meanwhile, members of various underworld sects work together to find alternative lures of corrupted souls due to the sinking popularity of puzzle boxes.
The 10th entry in the series, Hellraiser: Judgement is a passion project by Gary J. Tunnicliffe. Tunnicliffe has an extensive history with the series, working on makeup effects and special effects on several Hellraiser entries dating back to Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992). He also worked as a second unit director in the series, and wrote Hellraiser: Revelations.
In Hellraiser: Judgement, Tunnicliffe wears almost every hat possible. He wrote, directed, and associate produced this film, along with creating props and working in the make-up department. Additionally, he co-stars as the character "The Auditor", easily the best character in the film. I am seriously impressed.
The film itself is somewhat of a mixed bag. The movie opens with a creepy (albeit a bit torture porn-ish) opening sequence that looks reminiscent of a Silent Hill video game. This scene features the aforementioned Auditor, an underworld figure from the Stygian Inquisition - a different sect than the Cenobites - who audits the crimes his captors, allowing their fates to be determined by a creepy jury. This opening is gross at times, but is also disturbing in a good way, and feels fresh within the Hellraiser series.
However, the film then shifts to - and mostly focuses on - a rather generic murder mystery. Damon Carney and Randy Wayne star as two brother detectives who're joined by a specialist (Alexandra Harris) in an attempt to stop a killer known as The Preceptor. The detective hunt isn't too bad, and the acting is overall good, but I'd have rather seen more of the underworld in the middle of the movie.
Pinhead plays a more prominent role in this movie compared to previous entires. Here, he's played by Paul T. Taylor, who does a pretty good job as the iconic character. The Pinhead make-up is the best it's been in decades too, which helps this film's credibility. Tunnicliffe did take some creative liberties with the character though, adding a heaven-and-hell element to the movie (there's even an angel character). I was fine with this because the continuity of this series has been screwed up/irrelevant for a while, but your mileage may vary.
Without spoiling things, the movie somewhat falls apart at the end. It's not the worst ending I've ever seen (cough... Revelations), but every plot thread feels like it comes to an underwhelming conclusion, to the point where a lot of the movie seems pointless in retrospect. At least there was a good use of gore in the climax, and this movie even has a post-credit scene!
Overall, Hellraiser: Judgement is one of the better entries in the series, and is a good direct-to-video movie. However, some of my praise for it is because I've subjected myself to watching the entire (generally bad) Hellraiser series in a very condensed period of time. Judging the movie on its own merits, it's a flawed film, but there is still entertainment value to be found. At the very least, I definitely think it is much better than IMDB's current 4.3 rating.
Next week Hellraiser (2022) launches on Hulu and the trailer looks promising. Good or bad, at least this next film appears to be a serious attempt at restoring some credibility to the series.
Three detectives hunt for a serial killer who murders victims based on The Ten Commandments. Meanwhile, members of various underworld sects work together to find alternative lures of corrupted souls due to the sinking popularity of puzzle boxes.
The 10th entry in the series, Hellraiser: Judgement is a passion project by Gary J. Tunnicliffe. Tunnicliffe has an extensive history with the series, working on makeup effects and special effects on several Hellraiser entries dating back to Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992). He also worked as a second unit director in the series, and wrote Hellraiser: Revelations.
In Hellraiser: Judgement, Tunnicliffe wears almost every hat possible. He wrote, directed, and associate produced this film, along with creating props and working in the make-up department. Additionally, he co-stars as the character "The Auditor", easily the best character in the film. I am seriously impressed.
The film itself is somewhat of a mixed bag. The movie opens with a creepy (albeit a bit torture porn-ish) opening sequence that looks reminiscent of a Silent Hill video game. This scene features the aforementioned Auditor, an underworld figure from the Stygian Inquisition - a different sect than the Cenobites - who audits the crimes his captors, allowing their fates to be determined by a creepy jury. This opening is gross at times, but is also disturbing in a good way, and feels fresh within the Hellraiser series.
However, the film then shifts to - and mostly focuses on - a rather generic murder mystery. Damon Carney and Randy Wayne star as two brother detectives who're joined by a specialist (Alexandra Harris) in an attempt to stop a killer known as The Preceptor. The detective hunt isn't too bad, and the acting is overall good, but I'd have rather seen more of the underworld in the middle of the movie.
Pinhead plays a more prominent role in this movie compared to previous entires. Here, he's played by Paul T. Taylor, who does a pretty good job as the iconic character. The Pinhead make-up is the best it's been in decades too, which helps this film's credibility. Tunnicliffe did take some creative liberties with the character though, adding a heaven-and-hell element to the movie (there's even an angel character). I was fine with this because the continuity of this series has been screwed up/irrelevant for a while, but your mileage may vary.
Without spoiling things, the movie somewhat falls apart at the end. It's not the worst ending I've ever seen (cough... Revelations), but every plot thread feels like it comes to an underwhelming conclusion, to the point where a lot of the movie seems pointless in retrospect. At least there was a good use of gore in the climax, and this movie even has a post-credit scene!
Overall, Hellraiser: Judgement is one of the better entries in the series, and is a good direct-to-video movie. However, some of my praise for it is because I've subjected myself to watching the entire (generally bad) Hellraiser series in a very condensed period of time. Judging the movie on its own merits, it's a flawed film, but there is still entertainment value to be found. At the very least, I definitely think it is much better than IMDB's current 4.3 rating.
Next week Hellraiser (2022) launches on Hulu and the trailer looks promising. Good or bad, at least this next film appears to be a serious attempt at restoring some credibility to the series.
shadow1
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- Nov 29, 2008
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My body is ready... but mentally I still have PTSD from most the sequels.
Pranzo Oltranzista
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- Oct 18, 2017
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I'm so dumb, I almost went sleepless last night, so I'll be dead tired tonight and not sure I'll watch it right away. Might wait 'til tomorrow after my basketball game (I'm just coaching, too old and broken to play).
shadow1
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- Nov 29, 2008
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Dead tired is a feeling I often had while watching some of the sequels
, but I agree you should recover before watching this one, which could be decent.
Pranzo Oltranzista
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Looks like I'll have time enough to recover - I thought it would be available on Disney+ like Prey, but it seems I can't stream it up here...Dead tired is a feeling I often had while watching some of the sequels
I started the series a couple of weeks ago and made it through Inferno. I'm not sure that I want to go any further. I didn't even like the first one. I'm a little surprised that I made it through four more after that. I'll still watch the reboot, though, if only because I'm curious to see what a modern Hellraiser looks like.My body is ready... but mentally I still have PTSD from most the sequels.
shadow1
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You haven’t even made it to the really bad movies yet, if you stop now you’ll never experience the permanent scarring @Pranzo Oltranzista and I have experienced!
Pranzo Oltranzista
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- Oct 18, 2017
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Now I'm conflicted, should I block you or the finnish troll first?
You make it sound so tempting. The completionist in me wants to get the rest over with, but I have, what, 6 to go? Yikes.
You wouldn't be so conflicted if you saw what I wrote about it and erased.Now I'm conflicted, should I block you or the finnish troll first?
shadow1
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I just finished the reboot, here is my spoiler free review...
Hellraiser (2022) - 7/10
A recovering drug addict comes into possession of a puzzle box, and investigates its history in order to locate a missing person.
This stylish Hellraiser series reboot stars Odessa A'zion as Riley, a recovering addict living with her brother Matt (Brandon Flynn), his boyfriend Colin (Adam Faison), and their friend Nora (Aofie Hinds). Tensions arise in the group when Riley begins dating Trevor (Drew Starkey), who is seen as a bad influence. Those concerns are justified, as Riley and Trevor inadvertently come into possession of the famous Lament Configuration. After one of the group goes missing, Riley begins investigating anyone with connections to the puzzle box, unaware of its dark secrets...
Hellraiser (2022) is the first Hellraiser movie in four years, but is the first mainstream Hellraiser movie since 1996's Hellraiser: Bloodline. Like many recent reboots, Hellraiser '22 was conceived after witnessing the success of Blumhouse's 2018 Halloween reboot, which was a smash hit. The film was written by Ben Collins and Luke Piontrowski, with David Buckner directing; this trio previously collaborated together in 2020's The Night House.
After a sea of bad sequels, Hellraiser (2022) is fortunately a breath of fresh air for the franchise. The plot is coherent and the film overall has good pacing, though I thought the second half was better than the first. The gore is very restrained in this movie, but when we do see it, it's pretty good. I also liked the return of some of the musical themes from the original film, which were a welcome return to the series.
Jamie Clayton, in her first turn as the iconic Pinhead character, did a great job in my opinion. I was a little more mixed on some of the other cenobites however; I thought they mostly blended in the background, with one or two exceptions.
It's not all good though. The characters are a mixed bag, both in terms of acting and writing. They are constantly arguing or yelling at each other, and there is some serious melodrama going on at points in the movie. This problem became progressively annoying for me, and it felt like the tension was only there to fill screen time; it was pointless.
I also thought filmmakers took some liberties with the Cenobites and the puzzle box. On the surface, this may seem like a nitpick. However, one of the major changes they make has a significant impact on the events of this film, and it just felt a little "off" to me. Your milage may vary.
Overall though, Hellraiser (2022) is pretty good, and clearly one of the best films in the Hellraiser franchise. It's a stylized movie with an okay plot, overall good acting and gore, and no major crippling issues. Though I'm unsure if this film will be popular enough to fully reboot the franchise, it's easily the best entry this series has had in a very long time.
...and with that, I've finished the Hellraiser series (up to this point). I feel like I've been ripped apart by chains. Here's my tier list:
Hellraiser (2022) - 7/10
A recovering drug addict comes into possession of a puzzle box, and investigates its history in order to locate a missing person.
This stylish Hellraiser series reboot stars Odessa A'zion as Riley, a recovering addict living with her brother Matt (Brandon Flynn), his boyfriend Colin (Adam Faison), and their friend Nora (Aofie Hinds). Tensions arise in the group when Riley begins dating Trevor (Drew Starkey), who is seen as a bad influence. Those concerns are justified, as Riley and Trevor inadvertently come into possession of the famous Lament Configuration. After one of the group goes missing, Riley begins investigating anyone with connections to the puzzle box, unaware of its dark secrets...
Hellraiser (2022) is the first Hellraiser movie in four years, but is the first mainstream Hellraiser movie since 1996's Hellraiser: Bloodline. Like many recent reboots, Hellraiser '22 was conceived after witnessing the success of Blumhouse's 2018 Halloween reboot, which was a smash hit. The film was written by Ben Collins and Luke Piontrowski, with David Buckner directing; this trio previously collaborated together in 2020's The Night House.
After a sea of bad sequels, Hellraiser (2022) is fortunately a breath of fresh air for the franchise. The plot is coherent and the film overall has good pacing, though I thought the second half was better than the first. The gore is very restrained in this movie, but when we do see it, it's pretty good. I also liked the return of some of the musical themes from the original film, which were a welcome return to the series.
Jamie Clayton, in her first turn as the iconic Pinhead character, did a great job in my opinion. I was a little more mixed on some of the other cenobites however; I thought they mostly blended in the background, with one or two exceptions.
It's not all good though. The characters are a mixed bag, both in terms of acting and writing. They are constantly arguing or yelling at each other, and there is some serious melodrama going on at points in the movie. This problem became progressively annoying for me, and it felt like the tension was only there to fill screen time; it was pointless.
I also thought filmmakers took some liberties with the Cenobites and the puzzle box. On the surface, this may seem like a nitpick. However, one of the major changes they make has a significant impact on the events of this film, and it just felt a little "off" to me. Your milage may vary.
Overall though, Hellraiser (2022) is pretty good, and clearly one of the best films in the Hellraiser franchise. It's a stylized movie with an okay plot, overall good acting and gore, and no major crippling issues. Though I'm unsure if this film will be popular enough to fully reboot the franchise, it's easily the best entry this series has had in a very long time.
...and with that, I've finished the Hellraiser series (up to this point). I feel like I've been ripped apart by chains. Here's my tier list:
| Tier | Film |
|---|---|
| Masterpiece | |
| Great | Hellraiser (1987) |
| Above Average | Hellraiser: Inferno (2000) Hellraiser (2022) |
| Average/Okay | Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988) |
| Below Average/Mediocre | Hellraiser: Deader (2005) Hellraiser: Judgement (2018) |
| Bad | Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992) Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996) Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005) |
| Awful | Hellraiser: Hellseeker (2002) Hellraiser: Revelations (2011) |
Pranzo Oltranzista
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- Oct 18, 2017
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I know it's spoiler free, but I'm not reading it right now - I don't want to know anything. I'm just so jealous right now!
shadow1
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- Nov 29, 2008
- 16,597
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I know it's spoiler free, but I'm not reading it right now - I don't want to know anything. I'm just so jealous right now!
I hope Disney+ gets their act together soon…
I didn't like the reboot at all. I found the lead character too unlikable, the other characters uninteresting, their conflict annoying, the story thin, the atmosphere not scary or even unsettling and the whole thing way too long. It was a chore for me to get through, honestly.
It felt more like a sequel than a reboot because not much is explained. It may appeal to existing fans, but I'm not sure that it'll make many new fans or kindle much new interest in the franchise.
It felt more like a sequel than a reboot because not much is explained. It may appeal to existing fans, but I'm not sure that it'll make many new fans or kindle much new interest in the franchise.
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I'm with you on not liking the first one, this series was the only major horror series left that I just never had watched anything from so I watched the first one last October and just didn't care for it at all. I'll still watch the reboot as well.
It was good, but a bit too long for such a movie.
The Priest does not come close to Bradley's Pinhead character, but given the overall "Hell" story they attempted to cover in this, the Cenobites seemed to take a back seat once again.
Considering the excrement served up in the previous movies, at least this was coherent and focused on the main story, and has cool visuals.
The Priest does not come close to Bradley's Pinhead character, but given the overall "Hell" story they attempted to cover in this, the Cenobites seemed to take a back seat once again.
Considering the excrement served up in the previous movies, at least this was coherent and focused on the main story, and has cool visuals.
BigBadBruins7708
Registered User
Enjoyed the reboot. The Cenobites look updated but still in line with the originals and are great.
Like others said the human characters are not that good or likable. Pretty much I spent the first part waiting for the Cenobites to come dish out some pleasure. I'll say I don't mind in a horror movie when the characters are cannon fodder if the "bad guys" are the main event
Like others said the human characters are not that good or likable. Pretty much I spent the first part waiting for the Cenobites to come dish out some pleasure. I'll say I don't mind in a horror movie when the characters are cannon fodder if the "bad guys" are the main event
Pranzo Oltranzista
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Hellraiser (Bruckner, 2022) – For some reason, I thought this reboot was a new adaptation mostly based on The Hellbound Heart – but it really has nothing to do with the original novella, and in fact denatures it in many ways (I'm kind of surprised Barker greenlighted this project). I'm sure I'll have more thoughts about it later on, but the main thing that threw me off was the whole Twilight Zonesque “be careful what you wish for” morale, which was never explicitly part of the quest for pleasures beyond the human experience that the Lemarchand puzzle box was leading to. I thought neo-Pinhead's dialogue was mostly in line with the first movies' dynamics, but then you get this mega-deal with Leviathan as the real incentive, pretty much canceling the whole idea of transgressive desires. It's still there in sexually-centered imagery, it's just not really part of the film anymore (there's nothing interesting in a villain that sacrifices other people in order to get what he wants). Apart from Voight, I didn't really mind the characters – I thought they made a lot of sense in the first half, but everything's ruined with the final twists, revivals and betrayals. There was also something in the “contemporary intensity” that just couldn't reproduce the dark serenity of the original cenobites, even though the new versions were overall pretty good (certainly better than what the sequels offered). Overall really didn't hate it, but it wasn't the movie I was hoping for. I will probably revisit this later, hopefully with a better rating, but for now I'll go with 4/10.
1000 thx to @Osprey for making this happen!
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This Christmas, give your children a gift that they'll never forget.
With this STEM toy, they'll develop hand-eye coordination, problem solving skills and confidence.
And once they solve the puzzle, the real pleasures begin.
With this STEM toy, they'll develop hand-eye coordination, problem solving skills and confidence.
And once they solve the puzzle, the real pleasures begin.
Shape Shifting Box - Hellraiser Puzzle Box Lemarchand Solid Wood Lament Le' Marchant Props Cube - Walmart.com
Arrives by Fri, Nov 25 Buy Shape Shifting Box - Hellraiser Puzzle Box Lemarchand Solid Wood Lament Le' Marchant Props Cube at Walmart.com
www.walmart.com
RobBrown4PM
Pringles?
- Oct 12, 2009
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By the 2nd or 3rd movie, isn't the box not just a push and solve one?This Christmas, give your children a gift that they'll never forget.
With this STEM toy, they'll develop hand-eye coordination, problem solving skills and confidence.
And once they solve the puzzle, the real pleasures begin.
Shape Shifting Box - Hellraiser Puzzle Box Lemarchand Solid Wood Lament Le' Marchant Props Cube - Walmart.com
Arrives by Fri, Nov 25 Buy Shape Shifting Box - Hellraiser Puzzle Box Lemarchand Solid Wood Lament Le' Marchant Props Cube at Walmart.comwww.walmart.com
shadow1
Registered User
- Nov 29, 2008
- 16,597
- 5,248
Pretty much. In Hellraiser: Bloodline (4th movie), there's a cenobite dog.
Fido must've been playing fetch...
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