HELLRAISER; JUDGEMENT

By now you've probably noticed a lot of people making scathing, misspelled diatribes against FX artist/writer/director Gary Tunnicliffe in regards to the announcement that he is helming a new Hellraiser film. Also Doug Bradley will once again not be Pinhead. Take a deep breath. Filming has just started and there has been no footage to pass judgement over. (By the way, the new subtitle for this tenth entry is Judgement.)
Every time I see a post about the new Hellraiser film on social media it's followed by comments seething with anger, people convinced without a shred of evidence that this will be the worst sequel of all. I ask myself, why, children, why are you so angry? Yes, Revelations sucked. It was a hack job to keep the Hellraiser rights within Dimension's control. And Hellworld was almost as bad, but to say the franchise hasn't been good since the first or second film is at best a matter of a opinion and at worst a lie.
Considering that about half of the sequels were based on non-Hellraiser scripts with Pinhead plugged in and they still wound up watchable, dare I say enjoyable, is somewhat miraculous. Story wise, everything post Bloodlines and up to Hellworld mostly suffered from low budgets. There were some story flaws, true, and the films did little to advance the actual story that began with the first film. Hellraiser is not the first franchise to be guilty of such sin though. Look at every Friday the 13th film after Jason Lives. As much as I love F13, most Hellraisers after Bloodlines are better than most Fridays after Jason Lives. Strangely though, a steaming pile of dung like Jason Takes Manhattan gets more love than Deader. Has Hellraiser simply become fandom's punching bag?
Let's compare Hellraiser with some other big franchises; Halloween lost it's way after part six and Texas Chainsaw after part three. A Nightmare On Elm Street reached it's peak with The Dream Warriors and while it kept the story intact for three more sequels it suffered from the law of diminishing returns. All five of the franchises have suffered from bad sequels and/or remakes of wildly varying quality. They all also suffer from a case of arrested development. None of them have ever really taken a chance with a major reinvention of the franchise or ever evolved the story. (Wes Craven's A New Nightmare took a stab at this, but didn't recharge the franchise so much as it gave fans a chance to see Nancy [Heather Langenkamp] take on Freddy one more time.)
Some of the comments that have been echoed the most have been "No Doug Bradley, no Hellraiser" or "No Clive Barker, no Hellraisr". That's as silly as "No Ian Fleming, no Bond", or "No Bob Kane, no Batman", or worse, "No Michael Keaton, no Batman". Sometimes a franchise outgrows it's creator and sometimes the creator has better things to do than churn out sequel after sequel. These childish temper tantrums at writers and directors are as unhealthy as cigarettes for horror as a genre. What is a director? An artist. A director creates. No director sets out to make a bad film (ok, most don't). Even if it's for a pay day more than a creative impetus, no director wants to be associated with a bad film.
I don't expect Judgement to outshine the first two Hellraisers, but I also don't expect it to suck. After everything I've read from or about Gary Tunnicliffe I believe he has embarked on a journey to create a really good Hellraiser film. He's not just a hired gun keeping the rights in Dimension's hands, he's a fan and has worked on the FX for more than half the films in the franchise. So instead of throwing Gary under the bus for attempting what none of us could get done, lets be supportive and send a message to Dimension that we care about Hellraiser and demand quality films from them.   

MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN MONSTERS PART 42 (PART 2); HELLRAISER 5-8 (and a bit about 3)

So in the last chapter I was expressing my undying love of the first two Hellraiser films and a strong like of part 4. I wasn't shy about how much I hated part 3 and wasn't planning on revisiting it, but my wife wanted to rewatch it, since neither of us had watched it since we were in high school. So what the hell? After 5-8 we played 3 and...I have to apologize for all the negative hyperbole. I actually really

liked 3 this time around. There are still problems, but its no where near as bad as I remembered. It was just a strange experience; I remembered most everything, but I saw it in a new light and the film played better than I recalled. My take on 3 was that it was too commercial, not an artistic triumph like the first two, probably just a cash in, and finally, I wanted a Hellraiser film not a Nightmare On Elm Street knock off. I suppose I had unreasonably high expectations and possibly influenced by other fans of the series taking a dump on it. I treated Hell On Earth like it was the Star Wars Christmas Special and I retract that statement. It's at least as good as 4.
Right, deep breath, moving on. I plan to be vague in talking about these next four movies to avoid spoilers, except where absolutely necessary.
Hellraiser 5; Inferno was directed by Scott Derrickson, who also directed The Exorcism Of Emily Rose, Sinister, and will be directing the upcoming Dr Strange(!!!!!!!!!) film. It stars Craig Sheffer (he played Boone in the great Nightbreed) as a corrupt homicide detective who comes in contact with the puzzle box...and wackiness ensues! In a way, it's Bad Lieutenant vs. Pinhead (actually The Engineer, but I'll say no more). It's a strong film, despite a few flaws. Compared to the first four films it's quite a

departure in tone and focus, but the role of the Cenobites seems more in line with the fist film, than with Pinhead's world domination aspirations in 3 and 4. Inferno is a smaller, more personal film and sets the tone for the rest of the series. It's not very gory, but has some good scares and Derrickson does an admirable job of bringing a new take to the series instead of just a retread of the previous entries.
Rick Bota (House On Haunted Hill remake, Tales From The Crypt) directed the next three installments; Hellseeker, Deader, and Hellworld. If anything, Bota shows how a Hellraiser tv series could be a strong show and a lot of fun. My overall complaint about Bota's three films is that I wish they were hour long episodes of a series. While I enjoyed each (and I'll get into details in a moment) I feel like they each went on just a bit too long. Hellworld in particular could have used about ten minutes shaved off.
Hellseeker brought us Ashley Laurence's return to the franchise as Kirsty Cotton, but geez, blink and you'll miss her! Same with Pinhead. Like Inferno, Hellseeker is a hallucinogenic mystery about a man (Dean Winters) who's lost part of his memory after the death of his wife in a car accident. While it's a

fine film, I'm confused by which story Bota chose to focus on. When Heather Langenkamp returned to the Nightmare On Elm Street series in Dream Warriors and New Nightmare, she was all over those films. Ashley Laurence is at least as important to Hellraiser as Langenkamp is to NOES, but she takes a backseat to Winters. When the credits rolled I was left as dismayed by her lack of screen time as I was entertained by the film overall. Hellseeker could have used a bit more streamlining or maybe I'm just not a huge fan of how Bota shoots his films, because I have the same complaint about the next two films.
Bota followed up with Deader, starring Kari Wuhrer (Swamp Thing the series, Remote Control, childhood crush) as an investigative journalist who travels to Romania to report on a death cult. Deader is a stronger film than Hellseeker, more focused with a few better scares. Though the ending seems

tossed off, like everyone shrugged their shoulders and said "I don't know...chains?" "Sure, whatever." Considering Hellworld came out the same year as Deader, I get the impression these films were rushed on the cheap just to get product on the market.
Hellworld is the one I shake my fist at. Though it features Lance Hendrickson (Aliens, Pumpkinhead) it  doesn't have much else going for it, except a good idea that doesn't get utilized. The idea is that Hellworld is an online role playing game based on the Hellraiser franchise. Players have a tendency to become obsessed with the game and the friend of the main characters commits suicide at the beginning of the movie. Having Hellrasier as a film within a film is interesting, but the logic leaps and annoying cast tank the overall product. Not even young Superman, Henry Cavill adds any interest. But Hellworld does boast some cool set pieces, some good scares, and some decent gore. Hendrickson is fun to watch, and of course when the Cenobites finally show up it's sweet, but woefully short.
Inferno is by far the strongest of the second half of the Hellraiser series. I get the strong sense that
Bota's three films would have been much better had he been given a better budget and more time to develop the scripts. Which is not to say 6-8 aren't worth watching, they certainly are, just adjust your expectations accordingly.      

MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN MONSTERS PART 42; HELLRAISER 1-4

It starts with a scum bag named Frank Cotton seeking a puzzle box that is supposed to unlock the secrets of the flesh, instead it opens a door that lets in four perverted explorers in the extremes of pleasure and pain from an alternate dimension that may or may not be the Biblical Hell. These explorers, known as the Cenobites, quickly decimate Frank's body, literally ripping it to shreds. Welcome to Clive Barker's Hellraiser.

My first exposure to Hellraiser came from watching Siskel and Ebert savage Hellbound; Hellraiser II. Even at twelve I knew those guys were blowhards and didn't care for scary movies. The Cenobites, Pinhead, Female, Butterball, and Chatterer were like nothing I'd seen before. Dressed in kinky black leather with mutilated flesh, these guys went beyond the pale and made Freddy's striped sweater look quaint. Based on the footage shown, Hellbound looked amazing, but I'd be sixteen before I finally got see the first two Hellraiser films. By then part 3, Hell On Earth was coming out, so I got to watch all three in quick succession while reading the original novel, Hellbound Heart.
My first films based on Barker's work were Rawhead Rex and Nightbreed and I'd read those stories and the Thief of Always. So by the time I sat down to watch Hellraiser, I was already a fan of Barker. The Hellraiser and Nightbreed comics from Epic were also highly sought after items for me.
My expectations were quite high for Hellraiser and I went into the first one with almost no info. To say

the least, I was not let down. I'd call the first two works of art that hold up well today. The gore is still sick, most of the special effects are still effective. Part 3 was a massive let down, with no redeeming qualities.
Hellbound was a film I re-rented often. I loved it's epic nature and how it stood out from other horror films. I didn't return to the first Hellraiser as often, because at the time it just disturbed me too much. I think it still has the power to disturb the uninitiated, but I'm jaded enough now, that I can enjoy it on a technical level. The rebirth of Frank is one of my favorite sequences in horror.
After Hellraiser, much of my art was colored by Barker's influence, even as my disillusion with horror films started to build through the 90's. The image of the four original Cenobites, Pinhead, Female, Butterball, and Chatterer is so iconic and unparalleled. Barker raised the bar for horror artists. With Hellraiser, Nightbreed, and Rawhead Rex crossing over in the comics and creating a big shared universe, Barker had created a mythos as exciting as Lovecraft's Cthulu mythos.
When I had the chance to see Part 4, Bloodlines, I was less than excited after 3. I sat in my car at the drive in for the double feature with Tales From The Crypt; Bordello Of Blood. Which sucked.

Bloodlines did not. I know some people balked at Pinhead in space (not nearly as much as Jason in space, I know), but I really enjoyed how the film traced the history of the Lament Configuration (puzzle box) from 1700s France to a space station in 2127. New Cenobites are introduced and the scope of the film restored the epic feel of Part 2.
Even though there have been five more Hellraiser films and part 4 didn't let me down, I haven't had any interest in seeing them until now. I went back to the original two and 4. There is no reason to retry 3. So this weekend I'm watching Part 5 Inferno and will continue through Revelations where we'll pick up  MHHABM Part 43; Hellraiser 5-Revelations.
In the mean time, keep watching the sky, nerds. And leave those puzzle boxes alone!

Here's the only good thing from Part 3, Motorhead "Hellraiser"

NEW NIGHTBREED COMIC COMING FROM BOOM!

Coming from writers Clive Barker and Marc Andreyko and artist Piotr Kowlaski comes the new comic series based on Barker's novella Cabal and the 1990 film. Boom! Studios (Hellraiser, Adventure Time) will unleash the first issue this month.
I'm waiting to see if this is a continuation of the original story or a new adaptation. Either way, I'm in. Boom!'s Hellraiser books have been fantastic and have totally redeemed the franchise from the deplorable sequels. I'm an even bigger fan of Cabal/Nightbreed and loved the comics from the 90's and while eagerly awaiting the new Nightbreed Cabal Cut on Blu Ray to be released this is very welcome news.
Nightbreed is about a secret city of monsters that hide away from the world of man. Their secret is revealed when a psychiatrist with a twisted secret tricks one of his patients is a vicious serial killer, setting in motion a series of events that put the Nightbreed in a desperate situation.
Now if we can just get Rawhead Rex back into comics..!

My Heroes Have Always Been Monsters Part 30

 

My buddy, Jase, and I made many a pilgrimage to Oak Ridge, Clinton, and Knoxville during high school searching for independent, mostly horror, comics. High on our lists were always Faust; Love of the Damned and Dead World. Kevin Eastman's Zombie War was always a major find since I was a big fan of the original TMNT. We were both Clive Barker fans, so any of the Nightbreed and Hellraiser books were important. Jase lucked out and found Barker and Steve Niles' Night of the Living Dead: London. He also found the only Spring Heeled Jack comics (Rebel Studios) I've ever seen.  

 

Comics have always been immeasurably important to me. Ever since I bought my first Detective Comics back in '87 I have been hooked. The late 80's/early 90's had a glut of splendid indies to choose from, but where we lived there were no comic shops, so we had to rely on the Knoxville Comic Con and the, maybe, one or two times a year I'd get to go to one of the comic shops in Knoxville or Clinton. Thank God for a drivers license! We'd take a Saturday and drive to every used book store and thrift shop we could find, digging through their shelves looking for treasure. Clinton Cards, Comics and Collectibles was a Mecca. I always found something surprising, like Razor (London Night Studio), Jason Vs. Leatherface (Topps I think?), Calibre Presents, Ashes (Calibre) or Evil Ernie.

 

 

 One of my favorite memories was tearing through one of our early comic cons at 13 or 14 and hitting up every table asking for Faust and having every vendor having a negative reaction to our queries. "Demon children!" and "Um...No. We wouldn't bring that book." were common statements. But there was ONE cool table and the dude sold us issues 1 and 6 like he was selling us porn. Which he kinda was. And fitting since I had to hide a lot of my non Marvel/DC comics with my porn!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I lost nearly all comics when I moved to Boston. I was leaving behind a girl who promised to take care of my comics until I could move them, but the relationship went south and I never saw my comics again. Lesson to you, dear readers; leave behind clothes, pictures, whatever, but NEVER leave behind your comics.











Keep watching the sky, nerds!

Hellraiser: The Dark Watch

Bloody Disgusting has this beauty; the new ongoing Hellraiser series "The Dark Watch" from creator Clive Barker, Witchdoctor writer Brandon Seifert, and artist Tom Garcia. Click the link for the details.
I've been an avid fan of the original book (Hellbound Heart) and the first two films since high school. I collected the old comics series (along with the Nightbreed comics, which crossed over). The film series lost it's way with part 3, though part 4 Bloodlines wasn't bad. Barker returning with Boom's new series has been a blast and it's a great relief that he'll be sticking with the new series.

My Heroes Have Always Been Monsters Part 19

from Wikipedia;
Rawhead Rex is a 1986 British/Irish horror film directed by George Pavlou and written by Clive Barker. The film is about a monstrouspagan god's bloody rampage through the Irish countryside, and based on the short story by Clive Barker that originally appeared in vol. 3 of his Books of Blood series. Pavlou and Barker had previously worked together on Transmutations (also known asUnderworld).

There was a tv series when I was a kid that played on USA, hosted by Robert Englund and later re-ran on MTV hosted by Stephen King, all about horror in cinema which is where I learned about Dario Argento, Clive Barker and many others. Rawhead Rex was featured on the program and the sight of that giant freak carrying a severed head through a trailer park put the movie at the top of my get list.

I wasn't disappointed when I got home from the video store! The movie was creepy, violent, and weird and I had little context for what I was seeing, which heightened the thrill. Unlike the slashers of the day, Rawhead reached back to pagan lore and delivered an earthy devil that brought down havoc on an Irish countryside that didn't look so dissimilar to my home in the Tennessee countryside.

By today's standards (and I guess by 1987's standards) Rawhead's look was a bit wonky up close, but the movie still holds up pretty well. Back in 2010 Barker had mentioned that he wanted to remake Rawhead, but I've never heard anything else about that.

Rawhead also showed up in the excellent Nightbreed comic from Epic.

Here's the trailer followed by the best scenes compiled by a fan...

Keep watching the sky, nerds!