Hellraiser

Hellraiser – 2022 – United States/Serbia

The Hellraiser series has so much potential. Most supernatural horror movies fall into two camps. They are about traditional monsters (i.e. vampires, werewolves, ghosts, etc.) or they are heavily influenced by H. P. Lovecraft. Hellraiser creates its own mythology that is divorced from existing horror folklore. Its demonic cenobites, their arcane bureaucracy, and the dark powers that control them are utterly mysterious and dreadful. Unfortunately, the Hellraiser movies never quite live up to their compelling premise. Hellraiser (2022) doesn’t either, but it comes a heck of a lot closer than any of the others.

This time, the story follows a recovering drug addict name Riley who steals a magical puzzle box while robbing a warehouse with her sleazy boyfriend. Solving the puzzle box involves sacrificing people to a group of demons known as the cenobites, and when all the box’s configurations are solved, the solver can make a wish. When Riley accidentally sacrifices her brother while experimenting with the box, she must discover the box’s secrets for a chance to bring him back to life.

Hellraiser: Judgment

Hellraiser: Judgment – 2018 – United States

I’ve only seen a few Hellraiser movies. I guess they’re okay. Pinhead and his sadomasochistic cenobite cohorts are an interesting twist on horror characters. I especially appreciate how mysterious and morally ambiguous they are, and their kinky outfits are pretty cool too. That being said, I don’t really understand why Pinhead does what he does. Obviously, he enjoys torturing sinful mortals, but it feels like his grand scheme is never clear. His inscrutability is probably intentional, but it’s a little unsatisfying to me.

Hellraiser: Judgment is the tenth installment in the Hellraiser series. Since it’s a late sequel in a horror series, I expected it to be crappy, but amazingly, I liked it! The plot follows three police detectives on the trail of a serial killer who commits murders based on the seven deadly sins. The murders are imaginatively disgusting and sadistic (you’ll see those words a lot in this review). For example, a dog is sewn into its owner’s stomach while both of them are still alive. The characters are generic but just interesting enough to keep the story moving. The cool part is still coming though. Keep reading.