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Hellbound: Hellraiser 2, 1988
After narrowly surviving a run-in with the hellish Cenobites and her even-more hellish pervy uncle Frank (Sean Chapman) and scheming stepmother Julia (Clare Higgins), Kirsty (Ashley Laurence) is recovering in a mental facility run by the brilliant Dr. Channard (Kenneth Cranham). Unfortunately for Kirsty, Channard is very interested in the hell that she just escaped, and has plans to resurrect Julia to make his dark dreams come true.
Absolutely bonkers in the best of ways, this is a sequel that builds on the original film while also taking the whole vibe in a different direction.
It’s always hard to know, especially factoring in childhood favorites, what movie you have seen the most times. But when it comes to adult viewings, this movie stands head and shoulders above all other films. There was a whole two years where I would sit in my living room, doing a puzzle or reading or cooking something . . . and also watching this movie. It’s the kind of movie you can half listen to, or give your full attention, and it’s rewarding and fun either way.
All of the strengths of the original film are on display here, and many of them built-upon. Laurence is such an engaging lead as Kirsty. She’s tough, but also very empathetic, something the film showcases in a relationship that Kirsty develops with fellow patient Tiffany (Imogen Boorman), a puzzle-solving prodigy who Channard takes advantage of to open the notorious puzzle box. When Kirsty ventures into hell, hoping to rescue her father, we understand why she makes that incredibly reckless decision.
There’s also plenty of potent imagery, grimy and bloody in both the real world and the hellscape. The Cenobites are very enjoyable monsters, with their various body modifications and mutilations. As an “origin story” prologue shows us, for these characters pain is pleasure. And much of the horror of the film comes from knowing that they operate in that zone. For some people, like Frank, this is a match made in . . . you know. But for someone like Kirsty, the invitation to “play” is all terror.
While it would slide away later in the series, I appreciate that in this film, there is some acknowledgement of consent. (I say some, as the movie has to keep the Cenobites a real threat). When Tiffany unwittingly opens a portal to hell, Pinhead stops the other Cenobites from harming the girl, noting that for all intents and purposes, she was not really the one who opened the box. This movie puts some focus on the fact that the Cenobites used to be human, and their perception of the pain/pleasure boundary has become warped through their time in hell. This remnant of humanity allows for some actual character development with Pinhead, creating an engaging dynamic between him and Kirsty, and later Channard. I really love “monsters” with their own internal sense of ethics/morals/rules, and I like this take on Pinhead.
The film also does a ton of world-building, putting most of the action in Hell itself, ruled over by the abstract god Leviathan. This Hell is an evolving labyrinth with doors and windows that peek into the real world. While characters have a certain degree of control or power over the landscape, it ultimately has its own purposes and drives. The setting is a mix of sets and paintings, and it’s really lovely with gray and blue tones and eerie lighting.
Finally, the film is packed to the gills with villains---Julia, Channard, Frank, Pinhead---each with their own objectives and particular intentions for Kirsty. Kirsty and Tiffany must fend off the assaults by these various antagonists, and even try to find ways to pit them against one another.
There is, honestly, nothing that I dislike about this movie. It’s a good time from beginning to end, with plenty of gore and clanking chains and ominous brass tones echoing through a lightning streaked hellscape.
Hellbound: Hellraiser 2, 1988
After narrowly surviving a run-in with the hellish Cenobites and her even-more hellish pervy uncle Frank (Sean Chapman) and scheming stepmother Julia (Clare Higgins), Kirsty (Ashley Laurence) is recovering in a mental facility run by the brilliant Dr. Channard (Kenneth Cranham). Unfortunately for Kirsty, Channard is very interested in the hell that she just escaped, and has plans to resurrect Julia to make his dark dreams come true.
Absolutely bonkers in the best of ways, this is a sequel that builds on the original film while also taking the whole vibe in a different direction.
It’s always hard to know, especially factoring in childhood favorites, what movie you have seen the most times. But when it comes to adult viewings, this movie stands head and shoulders above all other films. There was a whole two years where I would sit in my living room, doing a puzzle or reading or cooking something . . . and also watching this movie. It’s the kind of movie you can half listen to, or give your full attention, and it’s rewarding and fun either way.
All of the strengths of the original film are on display here, and many of them built-upon. Laurence is such an engaging lead as Kirsty. She’s tough, but also very empathetic, something the film showcases in a relationship that Kirsty develops with fellow patient Tiffany (Imogen Boorman), a puzzle-solving prodigy who Channard takes advantage of to open the notorious puzzle box. When Kirsty ventures into hell, hoping to rescue her father, we understand why she makes that incredibly reckless decision.
There’s also plenty of potent imagery, grimy and bloody in both the real world and the hellscape. The Cenobites are very enjoyable monsters, with their various body modifications and mutilations. As an “origin story” prologue shows us, for these characters pain is pleasure. And much of the horror of the film comes from knowing that they operate in that zone. For some people, like Frank, this is a match made in . . . you know. But for someone like Kirsty, the invitation to “play” is all terror.
While it would slide away later in the series, I appreciate that in this film, there is some acknowledgement of consent. (I say some, as the movie has to keep the Cenobites a real threat). When Tiffany unwittingly opens a portal to hell, Pinhead stops the other Cenobites from harming the girl, noting that for all intents and purposes, she was not really the one who opened the box. This movie puts some focus on the fact that the Cenobites used to be human, and their perception of the pain/pleasure boundary has become warped through their time in hell. This remnant of humanity allows for some actual character development with Pinhead, creating an engaging dynamic between him and Kirsty, and later Channard. I really love “monsters” with their own internal sense of ethics/morals/rules, and I like this take on Pinhead.
The film also does a ton of world-building, putting most of the action in Hell itself, ruled over by the abstract god Leviathan. This Hell is an evolving labyrinth with doors and windows that peek into the real world. While characters have a certain degree of control or power over the landscape, it ultimately has its own purposes and drives. The setting is a mix of sets and paintings, and it’s really lovely with gray and blue tones and eerie lighting.
Finally, the film is packed to the gills with villains---Julia, Channard, Frank, Pinhead---each with their own objectives and particular intentions for Kirsty. Kirsty and Tiffany must fend off the assaults by these various antagonists, and even try to find ways to pit them against one another.
There is, honestly, nothing that I dislike about this movie. It’s a good time from beginning to end, with plenty of gore and clanking chains and ominous brass tones echoing through a lightning streaked hellscape.