Hellraiser VI - Hellseeker

Rating:
Summary: excellent
Review: This is an excellent film which takes things in a different direction than some of the other sequels but has a great plot and cast. Some fans wont like the direction this one takes the series in. I thought it was clever and I like the changing nature of the series. This is superb entertainment if you can accept it on it's own terms.

Rating:
Summary: Best in Series
Review: The Hellraiser series is rather sad. I mean, the first Hellraiser had the potential to be one of the scariest films of all time, but failed due to spotty dialouge and some bad/so-so acting. The second installment was a brilliant concept, but was not paced right, and became rather silly towards the end. The third one was rather bad. The fourth, Bloodlines, was actually rather swell, except the story sort of contradicted the previous installments.
"Inferno" gave a whole new look to Hellraiser (and was more in line with the novella, Hellbound Heart), in that it relied less on blood and guts, and more on charcter development and suspense.

"Hellseeker" is an improvement over "Inferno." The film is paced perfectly. The viewer is sucked into the protagonist's twisted personal hell, and is led along many strange encounters. I felt like I was watching an old Twilight Zone episode at times.
The acting is not bad, I thought Dean Winters played his role quite well, as Kirsty's husband and Doug Bradley is brilliant as the always captivating PINHEAD. The director did a fine job in creating a twisted universe, and complementing the characters' anguish with thoughtful camera work.

I'm led to believe, based on previous reviews, that the people who bash this film are the ones who lean more towards Freddy vs. Jason style horror, rather than a, not to sound condescending (I enjoy all types of horror), "deeper" film that explores one's soul (ok, ok, this isn't exactly "deep," but compared to most horror, it could be considered as such).

The only complaint I have is a two minute scene towards the end in which Pinhead and Kirsty exchange some dialouge which seemed very much out of charcter. But still, this is the best of the series thus far. Give it a chance.

Rating:
Summary: how many hellraiser movies is there??
Review: With each review I read, it seems that every Hellraiser fan hates Hellseeker. Well, I'm a big fan of the Hellraiser series and this is my third favorite (behind Parts 1 and 2 of course). The main reason why I believe this gets so much negative criticism is because the storyline is almost exactly like the previous Hellraiser movie, Inferno (Pinhead is barely in either movie as well). The first time I watched Hellseeker, I knew exactly what was going to happen after only 5 minutes in. Basically, if you've never seen either movie and have to decide which one to get, it comes down to this: Which actors do you like better? Craig Sheffer and Nicholas Turturro (Inferno) or Dean Winters and Ashley Laurence. Personally, I choose the latter.

This brings me to my next point, the acting. Many people hated Winter's performance and thought he was a terrible actor. While I'll admit that his acting wasn't the best in this film, he is an amazing actor. He did a great job on the show "Oz" and was the best actor in the film "Snipes". Also of note is the fact that Ashley Laurence (from the first three films) is back in the role of Kirsty Cotton. She looks absolutely stunning now and did well in her role.

If you don't over-analyze it, Hellseeker is just an entertaining film. There wasn't very much gore like the previous movies, but it's understandable due to the low budget and they did a good job with what they had. The DVD is nice too. It isn't loaded with special features or anything, but the menus look good, it has commentary with the director, and alternate/deleted scenes (also with optional commentary by the director). There's one deleted scene in particular that most fans of the old movies will like (It's one where Kirsty and Pinhead are alone, discussing the Cotton family). Overall, if you're looking for a nice psychological thriller that provides an original spin on the franchise, Hellseeker is well worth your time.