Rating: Summary: Hellraiser III on DVD Finally! Review: First, the DVD, it's not the greatest in the world, No Dolby 5.1 Surround, not letterboxed, but nice to complete the series on DVD at last. This is technically the unrated version of the film, 2 added minutes, which is mostly extended gore...Great stuff! There are NO extras either, oh well. It's available, I guess that's what counts and as originally a Paramount Pictures release I wouldn't look for a Collector's Edition any time soon. As for the movie itself, I loved it. With the introduction of new Cenobites, CD head the coolest of them all, gave us a fresh perspective of Pinhead's abilities to replace his former troup. Unfortunately they didn't give his new cohorts a lot time to explore. Pinhead does get more screen time (unlike Hellraiser Inferno) and finally Doug Bradley (not Doug Stewart as mentioned in another review) gets screen time without makeup, gives us a broader view of his backstory and how he became this monstrosity. ("Bloodline" gives us the Lament Configuration Box history). All in all a pretty good film except for some cheesy effects, the melding of Pinhead and Elliott at the end is a good example. Here's hoping for Hellraiser six, although when I met Doug Bradley he told me not to hold my breath for number 5, but I think he needs to redeem himself after "Inferno". To me Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth was Heaven on Earth.
Rating: Summary: An Different Sequel to Hellraiser. Review: An Ambitious T.V. Reporter Joey Summerskill (Terry Farrell) come across with the Story of a Life-Time, which a Club Owner-J.P. Monroe (Kevin Bernhardt) bought a large sculpture, which there`s a Puzzle Box stuck inside. Once someone has Open the Puzzle Box, the leader of the Cenebities-named Pinhead (Doug Bradley) comes out of the Sculpture by needing blood. Then he`s going to roam the Earth in a Rampage of Death and Destruction. Only Joey has learned the secert and she will try to sent Pinhead back to Hell forever.Directed by Anthony Hickox (Full Eclipse) made a entertaining Sequel to the Cult Series-Hellraiser, which this one is very different that the another two films. This was a modest success in theaters and this has great Special Make-Up/Visual Effects. Farrell and Paula Marshall are the attractive woman in the film. Farrell is best know for the Hit T.V. Show-CBS`s Becker. DVD`s has an good Pan & Scan (1.33:1) transfer and an fine Dolby Stereo 2.0 Surround Sound. This film is exective produced by Clive Barker (Hellraiser, Lord of Illusions, Night Breed). Written by Peter Atkins (Hellbound:Hellraiser, Wishmaster). Hickox and Atkins also appears in Cameos. Grade:A-.
Rating: Summary: Bah... Review: My problem with this movie isn't the hokey cenobites...in fact, I dont mind them at all. My problem is that this movie was nothing more than an attempt to expoit the slasher genre, thus cheapening Pinhead and the gang. Its actually kind of a fun movie to watch. Ive noticed with the first two (that have Clive Barker written all over it) you need to be in a specific mood to watch. Hellraiser 3 can be watched under any mood since it isnt necessarily to be taken seriously. Still, not one of the best in the series. The 4th gets more back to the series' roots
Rating: Summary: Turn in series gets appalling DVD release Review: Hellraiser III was necessary following the events of Hellbound, but I can see why this film isn't popular with a lot of fans. Paramount took over the franchise (New World Pictures folded) and turned Hellraiser into something more akin to a slasher movie. They keep Pinhead on the screen far too long, which in a horror movie is a no-no. He suffers from Freddy Kruegerc Syndrome, where instead of finding the character creepy, you become familiar with him until he starts injecting humor into the whole thing. This is not a good entry point to the series. The franchise comes across as plain cheesy at times in this entry. Yet, it seems like they had all of the elements in place. Clive Barker is producing, Tony Randle and Peter Atkins (who were involved with Hellbound) return to pen the story, and you've got the always-game Doug Bradley as Pinhead. Yet it is an unfortunate departure from the tone of the first two films. Pinhead starts the movie trapped inside the Pillar of Souls, which is purchased by nightclub owner JP Monroe for his own collection. Meanwhile, the mysterious and head bursting death of a young man by way of hooks and chains in the ER one night leads intrepid reporter Joey Summerskill on the trail of the Lament Configuration. This movie rounds out the origin of Pinhead that was touched on in Hellbound. Following the end of that film, Pinhead is free of his human half and comes to earth as a truly dark and unmerciful figure. Hell on Earth has a high body count, including the massacre of an entire club full of people. There is also the unforgivable sin of several bad one-liners following grisly deaths, namely by the Camerahead Cenobite. Speaking of Cenobites, Pinhead now seems capable of creating them at the drop of a hat for his own purposes. They cheapify the whole thing by giving us a CD-Cenobite who throws deadly discs, the aforementioned Camera Head guy with the awful lines, and a cool-looking but equally pointless Bartender Cenobite who mixes fiery drinks. Cripes. Bring back the Chatterer! Overall, the film just fudges with the Hellraiser mythos that made the first two films stand out from the rest of the horror movie pack of the time. Not a slasher series, Hellraiser is given a working over in Hell on Earth for some cheap thrills. At the end of the day, I don't hate the movie as many fans do. I sat back and had some fun. I found the follow-up, Bloodline, to be an ambitious failure. I think the series returned to the spirit of Barker's original story with the later Inferno and Hellseeker, both released straight to DVD following the bad taste left by Hell on Earth and Bloodline. The DVD is awful, one of the worst I've seen. It says Special Edition, but that's a complete joke. This looks like a VHS copy of the film. We get no widescreen, we get no extras, no sound work over, no nothing. The cheapest, barest bones DVD I've seen in a long time. This movie needs a proper release with some extras in the hope of some redemption. Recommended for fans of the series, as you'll want to see them all. Otherwise this might satisfy genre fans on a slow night.
Rating: Summary: rubbish!!!!! Review: this is one of the worst films ever! its childish and full of silly ideas that no one could possibly find scary. is it just me or do the hellraisers just get more and more dumber? its a complete waste of money, but still buy it if you want to....
Rating: Summary: Embarassing Follow-up To Two Incredible Movies Review: I hate to be one of those people that gripes endlessly when a horror sequel changes things up and doesn't stick to the formula/rules that the original set-up, but this is ridiculous. Following up two mind-blowing and unique horror movies, "Hellraiser III: Hell On Earth" is limp on all accounts. In this installment, the film-makers opted to turn Pinhead into the star of the movie. These movies were never supposed to focus on Pinhead, rather, they revolved around ordinary people and how their decisions and lifestyles affect and destroy the lives of themselves and those around them. The story of Frank and Julia was compelling, because their severe selfishness and evil basically unleashed Hell on half a dozen innocent people. But I digress. Here, Pinhead is pushed into the spotlight and comes across as a Freddy Krueger clone. Obviously with the success of films like "A Nightmare On Elm Street" and "Friday The 13th" and their notorious villains, the people behind this flick had the mindset that they could do the same for Pinhead. Well folks, I have to say, it just did not work. For starters, Pinhead isn't funny, and shouldn't be funny. And don't even get me started on the mindless, droning speeches he would give throughout the film. Very frustrating and obnoxious to watch. And should I even bring up the CD spitting cenobite? The characters are way too cartoony and have no life in them. I didn't feel convinced or sympathic towards anyone. Whenever a plot-point would be presented that was supposed to enhance certain characters, it was never built upon correctly and was just presented very clumsily. A major slide from the first two flicks, which gave you colorful characters to love and hate as you wished. Another point that the movie fails on is it relies to heavily on gore. And I don't mind gore. I'm obsessed with horror movies, but gore is useless if it isn't accompained by suspense. Here, it just seems gratuitous and the effects themselves leave much to be desired. Towards the end, I started to fall asleep and didn't care too much to see how the movie ended up, the sign of a truly bad horror movie. "Hellraiser III: Hell On Earth" can be enjoyed on a somewhat superficial level. As a fan of slasher movies, I found this to be somewhat entertaining in bits, but overall, it's an utter failure. The DVD is pathetic. Special Edition? Hardly. There is not a single extra to be found on here. No trailer, no production notes, nothing. The only thing "Special" about this "Edition" is that it is hard to track down -- my copy is a Canadian import.
Rating: Summary: Great Character, Crap Movie Review: I love Hellraiser, I love the Lead Cenobite/Pinhead, I love Clive Barker and the work he influences, I love the mythology of the Hellraiser series....I hate this movie. Mind you the intentions behind it were clearly good. Pete Atkins wrote it so you know the guy was in it for fun and love of horror...but the ultimate carryout is terrible. THe acting is by far the worst of the entire series...I mean, yikes did they even try to get a good cast? The Cenobites have crap conceptualization behind them (the Terry Cenobite burns people with her cigarettes ...pointless, the Camerahead Cenobite has a ....camera...head...and sucks because of it). The effects are shoddy and the whole picture looks like it was staged and carried out in a matter of days. Amateur work at best. Its a shame to say it but this is not a good picture. Hellraiser gave us solid story and characters and a creepy concept of a hell taken over by this new breed of demons. The Cenobites (the aforementioned demons) are geniunely creepy and awe-inspiring. Overall a geniune masterpiece of horror. Hellbound: Hellraiser 2 gave us an expanded mythology of hell and the elements within it, a history of the Cenobites, a study of an infatuation with the occult and strange visuals that despite their "eighties" feel still work wonderfully in context to the picture. Part Three...stunk and ruined the concept. I suspect its mostly due to inappropriate budget, bad actors, and the fact that the franchise had moved on to another studio. Add to that overuse of the Cenobites, a plot for those afflicted with ADD, and just laughable production values and you get this tripe. Mind you i have been known to love cheesy movies also..but not when they are supposed to continue a serious and weird vein of films. Bad movie with a good heart, buy it if you a fan of Hellraiser. STEER clear is you are not!
Rating: Summary: Really fun horror film Review: Pinhead is back! After escaping the Pillar of Souls he heads to a happening nightclud where the ole chains & hooks come out to play! Terry Farrell is great as Joey the TV news reporter. After having his cenobite army destroyed in the last film, it is time for some friends to play with. Here we get Barbie the arsonist bartender, CD Spinner the mechanical cenobite who can throw CDs into your skull, the TV News Guy who shoots his camera into your skull, teh Club Owner who has weird things going in & out of hsi head, and my favorite...Terry the Smoker. The Smoker is awesome cause she has a lit cigarette hanging out of her exposed larynx and burns you with another lit cancer stick! Smokin' will kill ya!
Rating: Summary: I THOUGHT IT WAS PRETTY GOOD. Review: Even though this was not the best sequel of the bunch,it's still pretty good when you think about it.The script was some what simplistic but the action and gore really grab you by your feet.The special effects are good and the acting is decent.I really like the different cenobites in this movie because they are really original looking.Over all,I would recommend this to any fan of the series.I WILL TEAR YOUR SOUL APART!!!
Rating: Summary: PROBABLY THE BEST OF THE SEQUELS Review: THIS TIME, A CLUB OWNER BUYS A SCULPTURE THAT HAS THE FACE OF THE PINHEAD ON IT. SOON, PINHEAD BREAKS FREE FROM THE SCULPTURE AND GOES ON A RAMPAGE AND THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN STOP HIM IS A NEWS REPORTER WHO HOLDS THE BOX THAT CAN SEND HIM BACK TO HELL. WELL, THIS IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT FROM THE FIRST TWO, BUT THIS WAS AN OK SEQUEL AND THIS MAY BE THE BEST HELLRAISER SEQUEL OF THEM ALL. THE LAST 30 MINUTES OF THIS FILM IS INCREDIBLE.
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