The original "Hellraiser" had its flaws, but overall it worked. "Hellbound" is an utter disaster, which may only appeal to the absolute biggest fans of the "Hellrasier" series. The story is not the least bit interesting, and lost me about halfway through. If this were a film I really cared about, I'd burn as many brain cells as possible to make sense of it, but this clunker wasn't worth the effort. The savvy gore f/x are still there, but that alone can't save this wreck. Sequels are supposed to shed more light on its predecessor, and this shed very little light. So we see Pinhead out of his makeup, as a human being. Big deal! The script even resorts to such cliched characters as the crazy girl, who's locked away in an asylum, doesn't talk to anyone and possesses the one power that can save the characters from eternal damnation. And as if this wasn't unpleasant enough to sit through, there's a disgustingly graphic scene in which a crazed mental patient scrapes maggots off his body with a razor blade, slicing himself left and right. I'm pretty jaded when it comes to violence on film, but I don't have a strong enough stomach to endure a scene of that nature. I guess it's because I react most negatively to violence I can relate to. I would never know what it feels like to be decapitated with a chainsaw, but I know what it feels like to cut myself with a razor. It's not something I do regularly, but I know the feeling. As I said before, hardcore "Hellraiser" fans may find merit in this sequel, but as for others--BEWARE!!!
My score: 4 (out of 10)
My score: 4 (out of 10)