[ImmortalSlasher]

Some late mini reviews of movies that I watched during the Halloween month. It was a first for everything except for Hellraiser and Halloween H20. I put all the Hellraiser movies here since they start in the 80s and continue up to almost now.


Hellraiser -

I didn't remember as much of this movie as I thought. I did remember the Cenobite with the teeth. He's just a freaky character. This movie is crazy. The practical effects are impressive and the ending way out there. It reminded me of The Golden Child. I read the wiki on Hellraiser and the notes about the book. I think I might read the book as the movie doesn't make it clear why Frank is looking for that cube puzzle. It's kind of funny that if the wiki is correct and he's looking for wild sex and these Cenobites show up, that's messed up. Kind of like the ultimate form of what might happen if you go looking for hookers or those "To Catch a Predator" episodes when the weirdos show up looking for underage girls and find the reporter and cops. It's funny how they call them "predators." Like they are The Predator but they are just a bunch of sick people.

Anyway, this is the only movie in the series I saw before and it got me excited for the rest this time around. It's one of those don't get involved with the wrong woman type of stories. I look forward to the remake now because if Clive Barker is doing it, there shouldn't be a major problem. It could be awesome using someone who would be a modern day Frank. Have him cheating, lying, stealing, committing crimes, etc. Bring in the wild stuff you can find online without even trying. The remake could be crazy good. The idea that a guy that's not all there or under the influence could think that there is a box that could open up new fantasies. It's like hearing about a new drug or the real existence of a lamp that grants three wishes. It's sounds crazy but what's the harm in trying?

I don't see the remake turning out to be a Platinum Dunes type of remake. But I do believe that the original is the best in the series after watching almost all of the movies. There is something in the look and feel of the movie that makes it an old school horror movie. A gritty realism to it. Very classic. The soundtrack is good too. I'm listening to it as I type these reviews. I like Ashley Laurence as the daughter. She's very pretty. Her style in the movie is very 80s and familiar. But I can't place it. Overall I like this one a lot. It's a real dark horror movie.

Hellraiser 2 -

I didn't like this one as much as the first. And after watching all of them, either here or really with Hellrasier 3 is where the series starts a downward slide. I thought this sequel pushed the horror fantasy a bit more. The hospital was way too dirty. I something that I didn't like about the original. And the ending twist with the new Cenobite wasn't that good. I do think the story of the puzzle box lends itself to many other stories. But perhaps these stories should be like Friday the 13th type stories. What happens when people break the rules or go too far, in the example of Hellraiser, which lead to Pinhead showing up. But l like the continuation with Kirsty Cotton. She's a character that you are attached to from the minute you see her in the first movie.


Hellraiser 3 -

Here's where things go bad. The lead actress is one of the women from Star Trek Deep Space Nine. I thought she was fine in that TV show. But her acting here seems more like model who just became an actress. Maybe that's kind of what it's supposed to be though. As her apartment seems pretty luxurious for someone who isn't getting that many news stories. Also, I had to look up the date of this movie. I don't watch the news much but when I used to at times I realized that something was wrong with it. That the lower networks usually had more women leg shots. It's funny that it's mentioned here and the movie is from the early 90s.

I will say that the sex while smoking a cigarette scene is just so seedy awesome that it's cool. And what Pinhead does to that club crowd at one time tops anything from Jason, Freddy, or Michael Myers. But then it's also out of character even though they kind of give a reason for it. Yet Pinhead to me isn't really a slasher type character. He's a punishment character. Similar to Jason in a sense but darker. Once Pinhead and his gang shows up there should be no escape if you've gone down that route. And in this movie the humanizing and slasher stuff seemed to get away from the original intent of the first movie. And the new Cenobites just like in Part 2 were lame.


Hellraiser 4 -

It seems like Pinhead beat Jason to space. I didn't really like this one much. It was cool seeing the origin of the puzzle box and how the story continued. But yet more new uninspired Cenobites and a surprising conclusion made this one seem a bit like a cash grab sequel.


Hellraiser 5 -

I was surprised that this one has no reference to Part 4. I guess it's supposed to be in the time between. But the movie feels like a 90s serial killer B movie right down to the ending credits music. Which isn't bad but just goes to the whole feel of the movie. At one point it got so crazy that I felt like I was watching a David Lynch movie. The movie has one of those ending twists I talked about in a review from a month or so ago but it's ok here because we are dealing with demons. Yet still it's a odd movie coming after Part 4. You would think they would have gone for a full reboot.


Hellraiser 6 -

This movie has one of the better twists that I've seen. I thought I was ahead of the movie and was upset through the majority of it. The movie felt like a repeat of Part 5 too just with a different tone and from the perspective of an office worker instead of cop. The main character also somehow lives in a rundown apartment with high end or replicas of high end furniture. Go figure. But I did like this one because of the return of a main character from the first two movies.


Hellraiser 7 -

I didn't get the ending to this one or how the one character was doing what he was doing using the puzzle box. It was kind of sad though because at least you care about the main character and her journey. I read on the wiki that this movie and the previous two were turned into Hellraiser movies. That they weren't originally written as Hellraiser movies. I guess that's ok as long as you make a good reason for Pinhead to be in the movie. Part 6 wasn't that bad. But with this one, it doesn't have a good explanation for what's happening. Or how Pinhead allowed it to happen. The ending didn't make much sense either.


Hellraiser 8 -

Easily the worst of the series. I wanted to like it too but the twist is terrible. So is the storytelling. I saw a few reviews mentioning how bad this one is. But I thought maybe they were wrong. But they aren't. The Hellraiser videogame is bad too. I think if you don't have the budget or creativity to design something resembling a computer interface or videogame that's supposed to be popular you probably shouldn't even try. Totally unbelievable.


Hellraiser 9 -

I didn't see this one. It's not up on Comcast. From what I understand it's crap and the guy who played Pinhead in every other movie declined to be in this one. I watched the trailer and it looks to be the lowest quality one. Maybe I'll check it out one day. But I'm not going to go out of my way to see it.