Plot: What’s it about?
Kirsty Cotton (Ashley Laurence) has just had her own family demolished by hellish fiends, but of course, no one believes her. As she tells of a hideous creature and his minions, the authorities laugh it off and in the end, she is sent to a psychiatric hospital. The institution is run by the strange Dr. Channard (Kenneth Cranham), who has an intense interest in the supernatural, as he has searched for a portal to another dimension for years. Of course, when he hears her story he is most intrigued, to the point that he decides to look into it, in most unusual ways. Dr. Channard uses the information given to by him by Kirsty to retrace her steps, in an effort to make contact with the other side. At the same time, one of Channard’s assistants Kyle (William Hope) has formed a bond with Kirsty, as he likes her and believes her story, even if it sounds insane. Soon, Channard has re-animated Kirsty’s vicious step-mother (Clare Higgins) and with her help, he plans to open the gates to Hell, which could be a bad idea. Kirsty has been exposed to the Cenobites and their leader Pinhead (Doug Bradley) before and survived, but can even she repeat that stroke of luck?
The first two Hellraiser films were released by Anchor Bay early on, but were less than impressive, in almost all respects. But now Anchor Bay has revisited them and in this case, Hellbound: Hellraiser II is given the red carpet treatment. As with most sequels, Hellraiser II isn’t quite as good as the original, but it is eons better than most sequels, if you ask me. I think it starts off kind of slow, but builds up very well and as the film heads toward the close, it turns into a real thrill ride and the final half hour alone is worth the price of admission. The eerie atmosphere is back from the original, as well as the dark visuals and of course, Pinhead and his hideous minions. Yes, the plot gets twisted up at times, but it is coherent enough most of the time and as far as horror movie sequels go, this one has a more than adequate storyline to work with. In addition, this film packs more than a few splashy gore scenes, especially some cool ones with razor blade and needles, both of which are used to very gruesome ends. If you’re a fan of the original or horror as a whole, then give this release a look, but make sure to get this new THX remastered edition, instead of the old bare bones disc.
While the original was written & directed by Clive Barker, he hands the directorial tasks over to Tony Randel with this sequel. Aside from some uncredited work on Def-Con 4, this was Randel’s first experience with directing a feature film and as such, I am sure the pressure was considerable, since the original had a rabid fanbase. But Randel seems to handle himself rather well and while he stumbles at times, for his first time out of the gate, I think he does a fine effort. Of course, I am unsure who to blame for how poorly the storyline is handled, but perhaps Randel could have made it better than it is. Even so, Randel’s direction is solid for a debut talent and as such, I can’t complain too much about his work. Other films directed by Randel include One Good Turn, Children of the Night, Assignment Berlin, Amityville: 1992, and of course, his work on Power Rangers in Space is worth mentioning also. The cast here included Doug Bradley (Nightbreed, Hellraiser), Clare Higgins (B. Monkey, The House of Mirth), Kenneth Cranham (The Boxer, Kevin and Perry Go Large), and Ashley Laurence (A Murder of Crows, Warlock III: End of Innocence).
Video: How does it look?
Hellbound: Hellraiser II is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, with a full frame edition also included on this dual layered disc. This THX approved edition offers a world of improvement over the prior release, to say the very least. The print used here looks cleaner than before, with much less grain and debris to be seen. In a dark film like this one, a clean source print is vital, as grain often muddies contrast and hides detail, which is bad news. The image here looks though, with bright colors and well balanced black levels, even if grain does surface at times to lessen some of the darker scenes’ impact. Even so, this is a very solid visual effort and while it has minor flaws, this is the best this movie has looked on home video.
Audio: How does it sound?
I had high hopes for this Dolby Digital 5.1 option, as Hellraiser was an audio treat, but the results here are not as impressive. I wouldn’t say this is a bad audio treatment by any means, but it seems like the same level of care simply wasn’t put into this mix, which is a let down. The surrounds are used at times to enhance atmosphere, but often remain silent and due to the source material, this never proves to be much of an issue. Yes, some scenes sound thin and could use an audio boost, but on the whole, this is an effective, if minimal audio experience. This disc also includes a 2.0 surround option, in case that better suits your needs.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc has also been given some nice supplements, including an audio commentary track with director Tony Randel, star Ashley Laurence, and writer Peter Atkins. I am usually entertained by these multiple speaker tracks and this one proved to be no exception, as between the three of them, there was seldom a silent moment. Atkins seem to take the lead most of the time, but all three chime in often and in the end, this is a more than solid session. This disc also includes a well made, but brief (15 minutes) behind the scenes featurette titled Lost in the Labyrinth (which was produced by Clive Barker), a selection of still photos, and the film’s theatrical trailer.
