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Hell on Earth: The Story of Hellraiser III (2015)
Good Little Documentary on The Story of Hell On Earth but could with being Longer
The only disappointment with this section is the lack of interviews with Kevin Bernhardt, Lawrence Mortorff , Terry Farrell , Paula Marshall , Lawrence Kuppin , Brent Bolthouse , and Aimée Leigh.
Still it was Great to see Ken Carpenter A.K.A Daniel 'Doc' Fisher / The Camerahead Cenobite being interviewed and giving his time making the film.
Its still a detailed retrospective continuation of leviathan but could could do with a greater deal of exploration, hopefully one day in a longer cut if released on blu ray.
8/10 for effort
Hellraiser (1987)
Clive Barker's directorial debut Hellraiser
Clive Barker's directorial debut Hellraiser. Based on Mr. Barker's novella, A Hellbound Heart, Hellraiser first opened our eyes September 18th, 1987, in theaters both throughout the United States and the UK.Clive Barker's his debut film, he directs a horror befitting of his own truly twisted tale. The practical effects, despite the budget, are fantastic. The gruesome creations, including the now iconic Pinhead, are masterpieces of horror. Pinhead and the Hellraiser franchise would go on to stretch to nine films, a comic series and make a cult star of lead actor Doug Bradley. Whilst the Hellraiser franchise never matched the financial and mainstream popularity of bigger horror juggernauts like Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street or Friday the 13th the increasingly-iconic image of Pinhead has bled into the public consciousness and the pinned-being remains a titan of the genre to horror fans. Despite the immediate recognizability of main antagonist Pinhead to casual film fans - many of them have not seen Hellraiser film - let alone could not connect Pinhead to the Hellraiser series.Upon rewatching the later Hellraiser films, something bizarre struck me - and that was actually how little Pinhead and his fellow cenobites feature in the series. Whilst audiences thrive on seeing the chaos caused by Pinhead's genre counterparts like Michael Myers, The Tall Man and Freddy Krueger, Pinhead remains a little-used device in the Hellraiser world.These gruesome beings are villains you've never seen before. Barker has not regurgitated the hockey-mask baddie or the knife-wielding psycho. He has created sado-masochistic enemies that are creepy beyond hell. They chatter their teeth as if a constant breeze is blowing. One, nicknamed Pinhead, looks like an acupuncture session gone horribly wrong. Another one looks like a pile of gooey skin.
How the Cenobites fit into the movie is left a mystery. This is frustrating, but probably the right move on Barker's part. Knowing the chapter headings, rather than all of the details, keeps them scary and mysterious. Plus, there needs to be room for a sequel.
The performances are all fairly well conceived, with Higgins being the best of the bunch. Ashley Laurence's Kirsty, Larry's daughter from a previous marriage, is probably the worst of them, but then again her lines of dialogue are the cheesiest.
The special effects for a low-budget horror film from 1987 are impressive. They're not quite on par with John Carpenter's The Thing, but they rank as some of the best in the genre. Frank's reemergence from the zombie state is believable and gruesome.
Hellraiser, almost 29 years after its original release, hasn't aged much. It may not scare the socks off genre fans, but it will impress with its originality and dark, dark twists and turns.
Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988)
Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988) - 'Your suffering will be legendary, even in hell.'
The success of the first film meant that a sequel was quick to come to fruition. Ashley Laurence and Clare Higgins would reprise their roles, as would Doug Bradley who appears both as Pinhead and as Captain Elliot Spencer in a small origins tale within the film. Tony Randel directs this tale which follows Kirsty now living in a mental institution after the demise of her family - where, rather conveniently, the head Doctor (a wonderfully theatrical Kenneth Cranham) is a devoted occultist who resurrects Julia and unleashes the Cenobites once again.) Hellbound keeps things fresh by taking us to the Cenobite's labyrinthine world in its conclusion. It is a mostly-focused and competent companion piece to Barker's original, despite relying on far more genre conventions than its innovative and exciting predecessor. In hindsight it is a strong-sequel
Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992)
Now for my personal favourite, Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth.
think a Hellraiser movie should be about the Cenobites and that's what this movie does it finally releases Pinhead into our world which is a fascinating idea the embodiment of Hell being seen by the general population and not just someone who opens his forbidden box. If you haven't seen this movie yet you really should, this to me is a very competitive film as my favourite in the Hellraiser series.Hell on Earth is one of the most fun entries in the series. For fans who simply want to watch Pinhead and the Cenobites cause chaos on Earth, then director Anthony Hickox delivers on that front. Mythology is at the forefront here, An entertaining horror extravaganza.
Leviathan: The Story of Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II (2015)
Leviathan: The Story of Hellraiser and Hellbound Hellraiser II is a love letter to the Hellraiser horror franchise.
Leviathan: The Story of Hellraiser and Hellbound Hellraiser II is a love letter to the Hellraiser horror franchise.The exhaustive documentary covers primarily the first two films in the franchise , but there are extra features on Hell on Earth and its sequels.
Leviathan is an ambitious documentary that succeeds in detailing happenings and personalities off camera, beginning with the early history of Clive Barker, the Dog Company , and New World.
Two of the key players do not appear except in archival footage. The most notable omission is Clive Barker.
Leviathan is a fascinating documentary, steeped in the rich tradition of an iconic horror franchise and some of Britain's most memorable characters. The behind-the-scenes material is mixed with the right amount of insider gossip and smart editing, critical to documentaries of this nature. Featuring an appearance by most of the actors important to the series, it weaves a compelling spell for hours and is a cut above most documentaries.