Rating: 
Summary: Pinhead is so exquisitely empty
Review: When I first watched this movie, I felt the director was quite justified in choosing the Alan Smithee moniker for himself. After a second viewing, I find myself much more favorably inclined toward this fourth film in the Hellraiser series. It's still somewhat disappointing, but it is not unwatchable; if nothing else, Pinhead gets more great lines than ever before. Long before Jason journeyed into space, Pinhead was there. Bloodlines opens in the year 2127; Dr. Merchant, descendant of the man who created the diabolical puzzle box, has hijacked the space station he designed and has just summoned Pinhead and his diabolical minions into his trap when the station is boarded by the military and the doctor taken prisoner. With demons roaming free on the station and time running out for Merchant to complete his plans, he tells the story of his family to a young female soldier named Rimmer in an effort to convince her to let him finish his work. We are transported back to what I assume to be 18th century France, where a toy maker named L'Merchant has been commissioned to design a puzzle box for famed magician/occultist M. de L'isle. The toy maker watches from outside as de L'isle and an assistant kill and skin a young woman and use her, in conjunction with the powerful box, to summon a demon. Realizing that he is responsible for creating a means of opening the gates of hell, L'Merchant sets about designing a machine to destroy demons such as the beguilingly beautiful enchantress Angelique. He does not live long enough to succeed, but the curse and the memories of what he has done are imbedded in his bloodline. The story then jumps to 1996, where architect John Merchant has designed a huge room intriguingly similar to the puzzle box. Angelique soon arrives and summons Pinhead. The Merchant bloodline is doubly important to the Cenobites-while it holds the danger of building a machine to defeat the demons, it also holds the secret for opening a permanent doorway to hell. Now things start to get interesting, as Pinhead soon tires of Angelique's reliance on temptation; to him human acquiescence is much more easily obtained by terror. The culmination of this part of the history is quite satisfying; declaring that "I am pain," Pinhead goes about proving the deep truth of his assertion. Finally, we return back to the future space station and watch the ultimate culmination of events set in motion hundreds of years earlier, the final showdown between the L'Merchant bloodline and the demons the family unwittingly invoked. Although the story has multiple weak spots, some delectable gore somewhat offsets it. One of the two decapitations here is particularly impressive, as is the blood that flows freely in the home of the mad M. de L'isle. The demon princess Angelique is a captivating counterpart to the familiar Pinhead, although I agree with Pinhead that terror is much more effective (not to mention entertaining) than temptation. Bruce Ramsey plays three members of the Merchant family, but I think the roles would have been better played by three actors. Doug Bradley is, of course, wonderful as Pinhead, and I was quite glad to see him get so many lines this time around. His musings on suffering and pain are music to my horror-attuned ears, none more so than his impassioned reaction to the pitiful pleas for divine mercy of ridiculously cast and incredibly annoying identical twin security guards: "Do I look like someone who cares what God thinks?" One almost feels compelled to applaud when Pinhead states the obvious fact that "I am so exquisitely empty." This movie is much less carnally gripping than the first two Hellraiser films, but do not dismiss it out of hand. I actually find it more enjoyable than Hellraiser 3. What initially seemed to me to be quite awful has now become a film I appreciate and take delight in. Just don't take this movie too seriously; after all, it is just a game, and it is most definitely time to play.
Rating:
Summary: hellraiser origins
Review: I liked this movie alot! Even though clive barker moved from director to producer he still put the effort forth for the 4th installment of hellraiser. This movie goes into how the box came about, and it's origins. If you are a horror fan, you might like this movie. If you're an initial clive barler fan, you might not like it. It's not his imagination you see, it's Kevin Yagher, and Joe Chappelle's. Rent it, before deciding to buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Why Hellraiser:Bloodline is better than you'd think
Review: A lot of people don't like this movie,but I am not amoung them. This was the first Hellraiser I saw,so obviously I found it a little hard to follow,ok I found it damn near impossible to follow,but that's just coz I hadn't seen the rest of them.But strange as it may be this is an amazing concept for a horror movie,it's no routine slasher.As Bloodline takes place in three different timezones it really gives us a chance to lern more about the Merchant family and the Lament Configuration.But I think what I liked most about this movie are the killer one liners. As I'm sure most hellraiser fans know,Pinhead can't be on the screen more than two seconds without starting to prattle on about something profound.Some people find this tedeious,but I don't. The way I see it is that he's just making up for the killers who don't say anything at all, like Micheal Myers. Another thing I liked about this movie is the acting. It was actually really great,and I was happy to see Kim Myers whom I knew from Freddy's revenge.But I must say Doug Bradley does an excellant job as Pinhead and stops the movie dragging.Introducing Angelique was a great idea coz she adds some competion. Now if your a goreHOUND you'll DIG this movie,(get it..hound,dig,ha,ha)coz there's plenty of messy stuff.Although there's loads of gore,however the movie manages to steer away from becoming a total splatfestival.So that's why I liked it,and who doesn't love horror in space? The si-fi fans that's who!But anyway, good movie,good acting,one of the best of the series,But part3 rocks the most!This was Deathgirl telling you why Hellraiser:Bloodline is better than you'd think.(...)
Rating: 
Summary: Worthy Addition the the Hellraiser Mythos
Review: Bloodline is the fourth installment in the Hellraiser saga created by Clive Barker. This film is unique in that it traces the origin of the puzzle box that opens the gateway in which the cenobites travel. The movie spans generations of the bloodline of the box's creator. The bloodline begins with LaMerchant, a toymaker in old France who makes the box for a wealthy client. The client uses black magic to transform the simple toy into Hell's gateway. The present day descendant of "the toymaker" is a gifted architect who designed the building we see at the end of Hellraiser III. The bloodline concludes in the future where LaMerchant's descendant devises a plan to rid the world of the box once and for all. Overall the movie is well crafted, but not without fault. For starters, there are times when the viewer is left wanting more detail. I would have like to have seen more time spent with the story of the box's creation for example. I have read that the director was unhappy about the edits made to reduce the running time of the film. Perhaps we'll get a director's cut at some point. The special effects are good, but much of the gore seems more gratuitous than necessary. In fact, unlike the horror effect it has in the first two movies, it becomes more distracting here. Doug Bradley is once again brilliant as Pinhead. As has become customary, we are introduced to new cenobites including a pretty cool dog-like creature called the chatter beast. The movie is presented in widescreen and the picture and sound quality of the DVD are very good. Unfortunately there are no extras on the DVD making the price rather stiff for a bare bones disc. However, if you are a fan of the Hellraiser saga or an aficionado of modern horror, it is a worthy addition to your library. Perhaps some of these later films will get the "Anchor Bay" treatment in the future.
Rating:
Summary: better than the third one
Review: it is alot better than the third one and isnt quite as good as the first one.
This one still has some sillyness in it though.
Rating:
Summary: Pinhead: He's Forever
Review: You know there's trouble a-brewin' not when Pinhead's on the box, but when you see "Directed by Alan Smithee". This is basically a pseudonym that directors use when they don't want their real name associated with a film due to some creative disagreement, producer changes that offended the director, or if the film is just [not good]. In this case director Kevin Yagher (a respected makeup effects artist) disowned the film after Dimension made cuts to it. Hellraiser creator and original Hellraiser director Clive Barker has pretty much been written out of the series by now. You only see Clive Barker Presents (since they're his characters) but
that's it. Apparently Barker is too expensive and he has his own ideas of where the Hellraiser mythos should be going. That said, Hellraiser: Bloodline is a weaker effort than the previous three appearances of The Box. (I actually liked Part III a lot). This is an ambitious story, as far as horror series go, and certainly as far as Part IVs go in any series. While the first three eventually led to more insight into Pinhead and his origin, including the separation of his human and demon side in Part III, Bloodline tries to trace the history of the famous box. The Lament Configuration, as its known, was designed by a toymaker named Merchant in 18th century France. It was commissioned by a particularly crazy Duke (or Duc) who somehow is able to raise hell with the thing. (It's never made clear why the box has these powers, or, for that matter, what the heck is going on with his Latin incantations and skinning at the beginning). The film opens in the year 2127 on a giant spaceship (yes, folks, Pinhead in space). The ship is, in fact, a giant trap designed by Merchant's last descendant in an effort to finally summon Pinhead and destroy him. Then the film flashes back to the 18th century, then forward to 1996 Paris, then to 1996 New York where the Merchant of 2127's father is an architect. Throughout we see a stunning Frenchwoman named Angelique who becomes some kind of demon (I think), though this, like many things in Bloodline, is never made clear. If you're a Hellraiser fan, you'll enjoy more Hellraising action. However, you'll be disappointed by the fact that much of the plot makes very little sense. Who is Angelique? Is she a Cenobite? Can you really kill Pinhead? How many boxes are there? As for the gore, well, we do get some quality bits. However, this is easily the weakest film as far as Cenobites go. Pinhead takes 2 twin brothers and does something involving drills and twisting their faces together and a lot of blood and screaming and they're joined at the head. Then there's a Cenobite dog, or
whatever that thing is, which is resigned to only brief shots of it's front or teeth or in shadows since, frankly, the thing looks downright low-budget. And I think that's Angelique in space at the end with her skull exposed under pinned scalp-flesh, which actually looks great, but she's given precious little time in that bloody form. There's a lot owed to the Alien films here, including a group of Marines who exist for the sole reason to get whacked out by Pinhead. And speaking of Pinhead, I'm not crazy about him either in this installment. For one, we almost get too much of him(!) We see him brightly lit and walking around and spouting some almost overwhelming Pinhead-isms about human acquiesence, blah blah blah and stroking a pigeon(!). In the earlier films he was resigned to dark, shadowy sets and was, of course, a creepier character. But, give a movie maniac too many sequels and soon enough he'll be the hero, cracking jokes and making far too many appearances (see: Freddy Krueger). However, the film is photographed well, and the makeup in general is very good. (I give credit for at least trying something new with the dog). All in all, this isn't terrible. I'm a huge fan of the series, so I welcome new additions. I just wish that with the scope of the story and the playing around with the mythos so much that they would have done a better job. I wish we could get a director's cut--the film runs a scant 86 minutes(!) Wonder how much was cut, given that this movie spans a few centuries. What else do we get on this DVD? Nothing. Not even a trailer. The picture and sound are both good. Nothing incredible, but certainly fine. Wish they could get a decent transfer of Part III out. Recommended for Hellraiser fans simply because it's Hellraiser, and Pinhead, and the Box. But as for others, this is definitely NOT a good starting point for the series and is not indicative of the gothic horror of the original story and 2 films.
Rating:
Summary: "I...AM...PAIN"
Review: The Hellraiser franchise holds a special place in my heart. I will never forget the first time I saw the opening chapter in the series of films inspired by Clive Barker's nightmarish visions. Watching the original "Hellraiser" now is a mixed bag-some of those special effects look a bit hokey, but others still come across as chillingly effective. Who can forget the glistening visage of Uncle Frank? The lascivious Julia? Or the first appearance of the ominous and verbose Pinhead? The second installment improved on the first, as the film whisked the viewer away to the abode of Pinhead and the Cenobites. A gruesome, perverse picture, "Hellbound: Hellraiser 2" raised the expectations about future entries to a fever pitch. Up next came "Hellraiser 3," a personal favorite of mine even though legions of fans have subsequently disowned it. The series moved into the latter stages of its career from this point forward, taking bold steps in an attempt to expand far beyond what viewers had come to expect. The series continues today with at least two further sequels in the works. Will they find an audience or will the new arrivals fall flat on their faces? Fans will probably grumble even as they queue up to watch. "Hellraiser: Bloodline" took the risky step of moving the storyline into space, a cringe inducing idea at first until you actually watch the movie. Who can forget the nightmare that was "Leprechaun 4"? Fortunately, only certain segments take place on a spaceship. The majority of the film heads back to the past to explain the origins of the Lament Configuration, that dreaded box which hundreds of seekers have opened only to find the Cenobites waiting for them. Dr. Paul Merchant (Bruce Ramsey) locked himself away on the spaceship because he wants to destroy this infernal device once and for all. A group of marines arrives on the ship to take the "mad" doctor into custody. During his detainment he tells a dark story about his family's history, about how his ancestor Phillipe Merchant designed the box in the eighteenth century for a decadent French nobleman who wished to plumb the dark depths. The box does its job, horribly so, conjuring up a demon named Angelique (Valentina Vargas) who promptly carves up people left and right. Unfortunately for Merchant, the box somehow curses his bloodline. Every one of his descendants will suffer because of the Lament Configuration. The movie moves to the modern day-our modern day, not the year 2127 on the spaceship-to focus on John Merchant (again, Bruce Ramsey; he plays all three Merchants), an architect fascinated with the drawings passed down through the family from Phillipe Merchant. Again, Angelique turns up. But this time so does good old Pinhead, and he's bringing along some reinforcements. A huge battle ensues over the Lament Configuration, with the underworld's minions seemingly banished for good. We, having seen the events on that spaceship, laugh at such optimistic thinking. The finale to "Hellraiser: Bloodline" moves us back to the ship for a final showdown between Merchant, the marines, and the Cenobites. More gooey gore shows up to turn the stomach before the film slides quietly into the credits. Even if you end up hating this movie, you have to admit that the gore quotient reaches nauseating new heights. "Hellraiser: Bloodline" is an uneven film anyway you slice it. Director Kevin Yagher withdrew from the production after his studio heavily interfered in the project. Thus, the film carries the dreaded "Alan Smithee" label, a moniker all too familiar to moviegoers in the know. The result of this turmoil behind the scenes set the movie adrift, so someone decided to just slap the whole thing together and dump the final result in the video stores. That's a real shame as "Bloodlines" has at its center an interesting premise for fans of the series: how the box came about and how it was first used to conjure up evil. The movie boasts a few new Cenobites in the form of a clacking toothed dog and a fused pair of security guards (Watch and see how this comes about. Gross.). Pinhead even turns up to toss off a few new witticisms. I especially enjoyed the line that goes something like "Do I look like someone who cares what God thinks?" You can always rely on Pinhead to say something memorable. Unfortunately, he doesn't show up in this movie nearly as much as we would like, a problem that only gets worse in parts five and six. Still, some Pinhead is better than no Pinhead at all, don't you think? Give up on the idea of the series ever returning to the original themes so eloquently portrayed in the first and second films. Those days are gone forever as sequel mania long ago destroyed any hope of maintaining Barker's original inspiration. I generally watch new Hellraiser films for the glimpses of Pinhead and the jaw dropping gore effects. I found the "Bloodline" DVD a bit disappointing in the extras department. There aren't any, actually, beyond a trailer for "Children of the Corn 666" (yet another horror series deteriorating into utter banality) and a promo for the "Scream" box set. An Alan Smithee commentary track would have been nice-we could have finally heard from this mysterious man after all these years! Seriously, give "Bloodline" a chance. It's not great cinema, but it sure beats a lot of the dreck floating around out there.
Rating:
Summary: Highly Underated
Review: It is the infamous "Pinhead in Space" but other than that part the film is interesting. The best scenes involve the 1700s and the creation of the box. There is an awesome demoness named Angelique who plays a pivotal role. She is from Hell (before the cenobites take over) and manipulates each generation of the toymaker's lineage. Later she is turned into a wicked cenobite along with twin security guards (maybe they hooked up with the twins from Inferno).
Rating: 
Summary: Blood is Thicker than Water. Gory, Beautiful, flawed.
Review: First-time director Kevin Yagher pulled his name from this fourth Hellraiser installment and cursed it to the ignominy of being directed by "Alan Smithee" when studio chiefs brought in Joe Chappelle to fill in what they thought were gaps in the movie, and I think he acted prematurely. "Bloodline" is an entertaining little wallow in the ghoulish legendry of the hellish Cenobites, their tormented minions, and the earthly conjurers who hope to bring the Demons into the material world for gain and glory, and end up giving the term "body modification" an entirely new meaning. "Bloodline" feels like a film created by committee, which it is: it is uneven, and it's evident that Yagher's vision was unfulfilled and his contempt justified. The film begins on a space station, with Science Officer Dr. Paul Merchant (played by French Canadian actor Bruce Ramsay, who does a stellar turn with all of the Le Merchant/Merchant roles) interrupted by a security team while trying to summon the demonic Cenobites using a high-tech version of the infamous Lament Configuration. Interrogated by one of the marines (played by the lovely but underused Christine Harnos), Merchant reveals that he is the last in a bloodline of inventors and scientists, and that his ancestor Phillip Le Merchant was a fabled 18th century French toymaker who first created the hellish Lament Configuration. Here's my advice: while I bought "Bloodline" for its gaudy, gory imagery and style, I would rent it and watch the first 40 minutes, if only for the fact that Yagher commits to celluloid some of the most graphic, stylish, erotic and disturbing images ever filmed. The story of the toymaker's design and delivery of the wicked box to a French nobleman, hedonist and sadist (played to the wild-eyed feverish hilt by Mickey Cottrell) is both hellacious and eerily beautiful, shot in natural light, the candles and firelight glittering on a palette of flesh, bone and blood. It is beautiful stuff, and I can see why Yagher resigned in disgust when his vision was commandeered by Chapelle. Oh, and Chilean actress Valentina Vargas is glorious as the demoness Angelique, with or without skin: she can rend my flesh any day of the week. Other than that, "Bloodline" is forgettable: we move from Le Merchant to his 20th century architect descendant and a skyscraper crammed with Cenobites, and thence to the haunted space station. While some reviewers have complained that the sanguine sequence in which two hapless twin security guards are transformed is both gratuitous and brings the movie to a halt, I enjoyed it: it's a wickedly bloody, gory piece in prime Hellraiser style. Finally, Douglas Bradley is in fine form as Pinhead---but then again, when isn't he? For the hardcore Hellraiser fan, buy this DVD---if you don't have it in your collection already. For the casual gorehound, a rental might suffice, if only to savor the supple, gorgeous, haunting 18th century prologue.
Rating:
Summary: Not as bad as one would expect
Review: The director was so disappointed with the final version of the film, that he had his named removed and replaced with the notorious Alan Smithee. Considering that and that the film has enough going on in its plot for two Hellraiser sequels, the film didn't come out all that bad. It's story surrounds the origins of the puzzle box and how its creator's bloodline is cursed through the centuries. It hops form the 1800's, to modern times, and finally ends in the future on a space station. The acting ain't all that great, and more plot holes in Peter Atkins script, but fans will find something appealing about this film.
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