Directed by:
Tony RandelScreenplay:
Peter AtkinsCinematography:
Robin VidgeonComposer:
Christopher YoungCast:
Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence, Kenneth Cranham, Imogen Boorman, Sean Chapman, Doug Bradley, Oliver Parker, William Hope, Robert Hines (a.f.), Angus MacInnes (more)VOD (4)
Plots(1)
Return to the domain of pleasure and pain as Kirsty Cotton (Ashley Laurence) is committed to a psychiatric hospital run by the strange Dr. Channard. But when the doctor uncovers the secret of the Lament Configuration, he resurrects the skinless corpse of Kirsty's evil stepmother (Claire Higgins) and calls forth the legions of the damned led by Pinhead (Doug Bradley). Now, the doorway to Hell has been re-opened, the brutal Cenobites again walk the earth and the sweet suffering of evil has only just begun. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Videos (1)
Reviews (4)
Much worse than the first part. The special effects are on the same level, the performances are similarly wanting, there is less atmosphere and the script is quite confusing at times, but the worst for me is how little Pinhead and his Cenobites show up. After the thrilling first part, Hellbound was quite a disappointment, especially because of the second half (the first half is better than good) – I didn’t like how hell looked and the special effects were bad (all the atmosphere is lost when they enter hell), and not even the climax was very good. Weak three stars. My ranking: H1, H5, H2, H7, H3, H4, H6, H8
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In a way, Hellraiser II is the answer to all the "buts" from the first film. There's more mythology around the cube, and slightly more action-packed Cenobites, but they still don't overdo it... There's also a hell labyrinth and some very nice ideas. I appreciate the expansion of the insane asylum plot, the fact that the sequel takes place just moments after the first film, the storyline, and the crazy doctor. The main protagonists have even almost become beautiful, as if they were completely different actresses. I'm downright happy with the Bride of Frankenstein/Mummyvariation, it was incredibly romantic. The third girl in the bunch is also a good screenwriting investment. But then there are also a number of dead ends and proper WTF moments. Where did Kirstyn's boyfriend go? Wouldn't it be easiest to revive her father as Juls and then have his skin regenerated? Humiliating Pinhead with a photo? Killing a trio of his henchmen so conveniently? And what about all the hell stuff? No one has explained the pterodactyl to me! Unfortunately, the build-up to the third film doesn't really work out and the third film is a proper mess. This is the order in which I like the films overall: Hellraiser 8, Hellraiser 5, Hellraiser 4, Hellraiser 7, Hellraiser 2, Hellraiser 6, Hellraiser 1, Hellraiser 3, Hellraiser 9.
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This sequel isn't as consistent as the original, but it certainly doesn't lack creativity and atmosphere. Some scenes were even more impressive than in the first film, so despite some weaker moments in the second half, I'll still give it a 75% overall impression, just like the original. It's once again an older, but classic horror spectacle.
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Hellbound: Hellraiser II is a good sequel to the first film, but also a sequel that didn't impress me in any major way. It's good, it still maintains the strong atmosphere that can really plunge you into a deep depression, but you can see the effort to dial it back a bit and not capture the absolute depths of horror that could be presented here. It's a fact that if the creators went down that path, the film would be very difficult to watch.
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