Just a year after the original “Hellraiser,” the series returns with “Hellbound: Hellraiser II” (1988), and again it’s a pleasure-fest for gore effects hounds and practical effects enthusiasts in general. The story and characters are a step down from the original. But the main reason why my give-a-crap level gradually decreased is that I’m just not that into Cenobite lore.
Character continuity
It’s definitely a plus that Ashley Laurence – reminding me of “Nightmare on Elm Street’s” Heather Langenkamp after a while – returns as protagonist Kirsty, the crazy girl whom no one believes until the Hell-beings return and kill them. Also back is Clare Higgins as Julia, looking 10 years younger now that she has ditched the extreme Eighties look. Higgins enjoys chewing on more scenery this time.
In the screenplay by Peter Atkins (working from a story by series creator Clive Barker), Kirsty aims to rescue her dad’s tortured soul from Hell, but that idea is casually brushed aside as the story goes forward. The notion of eternal torture is the “Hellraiser” series’ ace in the hole if it wants to play as psychological horror, and it tosses that card away.
“Hellbound: Hellraiser II” (1988)
Director: Tony Randel
Writers: Peter Atkins (screenplay), Clive Barker (story)
Stars: Doug Bradley, Ashley Laurence, Clare Higgins
The thing about the puzzle boxes being the key to entering Hell is also treated casually. The Cenobites – again led by Pinhead (Doug Bradley) – almost make fun of the very notion when they keep appearing before Kirsty even though she herself has done nothing with a puzzle box. On the other hand, if you are into the Cenobite backstory, “Hellbound” delivers a big revelation.
A quick turnaround
I feel like the driving force of “Hellbound” is cool stuff to see rather than a next chapter to tell. For a sequel that went from concept to theaters in a year, the ambition on the technical side is remarkable, and the execution isn’t bad considering the budget probably wasn’t blockbuster-level.
We see an overhead shot of the Hellscape mazes Kirsty and autistic co-heroine Tiffany (Imogen Boorman) run through. Even cooler are the serpentine tendrils that shoot from the hands of villainous doctor Channard (Kenneth Cranham). I think these are composited effects. And once again, the skinless beings (Frank and Julia) are impressive, with skinnier actors playing the roles so prosthetics can be applied on them for a believable look.
“Hellbound” doesn’t exactly believe in the adage that viewers only need a sense of the effects in order to buy them. Director Tony Randel takes his time showing off skinless Julia crawling after her first victim after emerging from a haunted bloody mattress, and then later apparently seducing Channard by prancing around skinless.
Less suspenseful
The effects totally hold up, but the suspense does not. Part of this is simply because it’s a sequel, and we now know the general operations of the Cenobites.
Of course, some viewers may want to revel in this world, and the pacing allows them plenty of time to do so. Those folks might like “Hellbound” more than the original, as – after a first act establishes Kirsty in a mental hospital and recaps the original film — the real world opens into the Hell dimension even more effortlessly than the dream world encroaches on reality in the later “Elm Street” pictures.
“Hellbound: Hellraiser II” is dumber than the original, with less sense of dread and blander location stylings (a posh new house replaces the rundown one). But the special effects staffers are masters of their craft, and that’s the level at which to appreciate this movie.