The Hellraiser movies have been bad since the 1990s, when the last two theatrical productions were released. A total of ten films have been made in the franchise, but only the first two have been embraced by fans and critics alike.
When Hellraiser was released in 1987, it was a surprise hit in the U.S. Author Clive Barker’s directorial debut, based on his novella The Hellbound Heart, struck a chord with teen audiences tired of slasher films. Revolving around a puzzle box that opens the doorway to hell, the production ignited Barker’s directorial career – and solidified his popularity in the literary field. Due to its popularity, a sequel was rushed into production and released the following year. Made by most of the original team, Hellbound: Hellraiser II enjoyed similar commercial and critical success.
The first two Hellraiser films were both visually and narratively cohesive – and made a potential franchise seem like a smart idea. While Barker did not direct Hellbound, he wrote the original treatment and chose director Tony Randel, who had edited the original. The author’s involvement in the follow-up ensured a true connection to the original film and the source material. Even before the release of Hellbound, Barker and his production company were in talks with New World Pictures for a third film. Several problems helped shape what would eventually become the third Hellraiser movie, including the bankruptcy of New World Pictures, Barker’s contentious post-production of his film Nightbreed and various shakeups in ownership of the franchise.
Hellraiser Movies Have Been Disappointing Since The Third Film
When Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth was finally released in 1992, it was a decidedly different film than the previous two. Tony Randel, director of Hellbound, was Barker’s choice to oversee the follow-up. Randel helped co-write the script with Peter Atkins (Waxwork) was eventually chosen to direct and gave the film a slick, efficient look – one markedly different from the first two. Essential to the success was the participation of actor Doug Bradley who played iconic bad guy, cenobite Pinhead.
While the third film made more money at the box office than Hellbound, and gave Bradley more screen time as his character’s former self, the film was divisive among fans. The franchise eventually found its way to Miramax/Dimension films which was the death knell for horror films in the 90s. When the troubled Hellraiser IV: Bloodline was eventually completed in 1996, the ambitious but heavily edited film received a truncated release and middling box office. For the next two decades, several direct-to-video sequels would be released, some of them birthed from unrelated scripts retrofitted into awkward follow-ups.
There were ultimately nine sequels to the original hit, and only three were given budgets of any consequence. As far as franchise continuity, the lone factor connecting the direct-to-video titles was Pinhead, though Hellseeker did feature the return of actress Ashley Laurence reprising her role of Kirsty from the first two. With the recent announcement of a Hellraiser reboot, fans are hopeful that a quality production true to Barker’s original vision will come to fruition. Until then, Hellraiser fans will have to be content with the first two 80s installments, which both are exciting cinematic trips into the darkness.
