Review of Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988) by Jesse O — 20 Oct 2014

If you were to rank horror movie 'monsters', it'd be: Michael Myers, Freddie Krueger, Jason (with those all hovering around in the top spot depending who you ask), Leatherface and, unfortunately, last Pinhead.

I know I reviewed a Nightmare on Elm Street 2 a couple of weeks ago and I said that Freddie was my favorite of the Big Three, if you will. That's not to say he's my favorite horror monster out of them all, but the discussion always boils down to Jason, Freddie, and Michael Myers.

They're the three most successful horror monsters of all time, so it's only natural that the discussion would boil down to those three. Personally, out of the big three, I've always preferred Freddie because of the fact that he speaks, so, therefore, he has infinitely more personality than either Jason or Michael.

But if you were to ask me which, out of every horror monster there is out there, I'd definitely have to go with Pinhead. What I like about Pinhead, and the franchise in general, is that while the others have embraced a more campy approach, Hellraiser was always all about the torture and abject suffering of its victims.

While each sequel got progressively worse, at the very least, this part of the series was still intact. This film is no different, it's probably more horrifically violent than anything you would've seen in a Jason, Freddie, or Michael movie at the same time.

While I lament the fact that Pinhead was made into a more sympathetic figure in this film, there's still more than enough grotesque violence, hellish creatures, nightmarish surroundings, etc, etc to satisfy the most jaded gorehounds.

The story is certainly a little lacking, which is why it gets this score. I like how the film continues with the story set-up in the original film, rather than doing away with all of that to use a cast full of fresh faces and telling a completely different story with them.

I appreciate that continuity and this does a good job at explaining the events of the original film, which I actually haven't finished watching. So there's that, but I wasn't particularly interested in this film's story either.

I wasn't really invested. What can you expect, however, from a horror sequel? They can't all be Evil Dead 2. But I do like the film's surrealist visuals and nightmarish portrayal of hell. It is exactly what it should've been.

I don't think many slashers are scary, or at least they don't intend to be, but I can find someone being absolutely terrified at the hellish sights. Because, believe it or not, a big chunk of American citizens believe that hell is an actual place that you get sent if you disobey god's rules.

Yes, the same god who made you in his/her image and the one who proclaims to love you no matter what you do will condemn you to an eternity of suffering if you break any of his rules, even the really stupid and arbitrary ones such as getting a haircut or eating shellfish.

So, because of that, I think a lot of religious, not exactly fanatical but not secular either, people might be scared by this film's representation of hell and the 'creatures' that oversee everything.

I think this film benefits from something that some people think is real and that, definitely, raises it past the typical horror franchise. Of course this is talking about the first two films in the franchise, as the series falls off after this, never to recover.

But I liked this movie, it might not set the world on fire as far as inventiveness, but it does have some really grotesque and gruesome scenes. Considering the darker subject matter, this is still a pretty fun horror movie.

And it's even better if you're doing a Halloween horror fest like I am. Acquired taste, but horror fans will be more than pleased.