HELLRAISER/HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER 2 DVD Review

Anchor Bay Entertainment's Limited-Edition Collectors Tin is burdened by the inclusion of the sequel.

By Jason Bovberg     December 05, 2000

'We have such sights to show you!' That's a memorable line from Clive Barker's Hellraiser that you'll hear repeated to much lesser effect in Tony Randel's Hellbound: Hellraiser 2. It's creepily effective in the first film, but yawn-inducing in the second. Those descriptions might as well describe the films themselves. Anchor Bay Entertainment's Clive Barker's Hellraiser limited-edition tin contains both films but probably should've stuck to just the first.

THE FILMS

The original Hellraiser, though dated by its hairstyles and its special effects, remains a powerful horror flick that boasts some truly memorable images. We're all familiar with the plot [and if you're not, click here to read a review in our Horror Fandomain], so I'll stick to the essentials. This film's power lies in its contradictionspain and pleasure, temptation and revulsion, love and hate, heaven and hell. The images and ideas that stick with you are the barely glimpsed Cenobites (particularly the 'Lead Cenobite' who in later films would be nicknamed 'Pinhead'), the wickedly cool Lament Configuration puzzle box, the nasty incestuous undertones, the wetly distinctive Barker 'look,' and Christopher Young's haunting score. All these components added up to a visionary and disturbing piece of cinema.

The sequel, though it boasts some nice effects scenes early on, is just ridiculous. Not only does Hellbound add nothing to the mythology of the first film; it betrays Barker's original vision. The first film's skin-usurping here becomes a banal and unlikely plot device, and the sequel's resurrection of Julia doesn't bother to follow the rules set up by the first film. Most offensively, the sequel introduces an unintentionally hilarious new Cenobitea hovering moron with stop-motion snakes flailing from his palmswho has the audacity to dispatch with all our favorite demons! I get angry just thinking about Hellbound, so let's move on.

THE DVDS
The first screen you see after you pop in either disc lets you choose the full-frame or widescreen presentation of the film. Anchor Bay, which originally released these films in bare-bones editions in the late 20th century, has given each movie a pristine new THX-certified anamorphic-widescreen transfer (so you needn't ever glance at the useless full-frame picture.). I saw no evidence of artifacting and only minor instances of grain and edge enhancement. The colors were so vivid that they practically popped off the screen (although if you want to see amazing colors and deep blacks, check out the new Criterion edition of The Blob.)

Both films sport creative main menus that incorporate puzzle-box imagery and creepy sound bytes. Both films have been re-mixed in 5.1 Dolby Digital surround, and Christopher Young's influential score (think Batman) has never sounded better. Unfortunately, no foreign language tracks are offered, so we'll have to wait a while to hear Pinhead spouting German epithets.

A major drawback to the limited tin is that you don't get typical keepcase packaging, so you might encounter problems cramming this baby onto your shelf. Instead, the DVDs are packaged in a featureless CD jewel case, almost as an afterthought. Inside the tin, you'll also find reproductions of early Hellraiser and Hellbound theatrical posters, as well as a 50-page booklet of fuzzy production stills. Unfortunately, the booklet is pure fluff. When I picked up that fat little book, I expected a good half-hour read, but instead flipped through it in a few minutes. To be fair, some of the photos are amusing. In general, however, when you open up that impressive tin, you can't help being disappointed by the meager contents.

THE SUPPLEMENTS

'This is the last time I will talk about this son-of-a-bitch movie,' Barker groans, opening the featurette 'Hellraiser: Resurrection,' which you'll find on the Hellraiser disc. This fairly informative behind-the-scenes retrospective traces the film's development, its reception, and even the growth of its cult following. The horrific segment about body mutilation had me crying out for my mommy. Three highlights of the featurette: a fast-motion look at Barker drawing a charcoal likeness of Pinhead, the humorous reminiscences of the men behind the Cenobites, and the timeless beauty of Ashley Laurence (who strikes me as a blissful cross between Winona Ryder and Drew Barrymore).

Barker, Laurence, and Peter Atkins (the screenwriter of Hellbound, damn his black soul) provide a lively commentary track over the original film. And although Barker seriously needs to clear his throat, his memories of the production are entertaining. We learn that the film was dubbed into American English to make it less British. We also learn that when Barker first beheld the lead Cenobite (Pinhead) on the set, he thought the character looked corny and that audiences would laugh. I myself laughed when an embarrassed Barker revealed the movie's first title: Sadomasochists from Beyond the Grave. Atkins' role here is to moderate the discussion, and he does a great job.

The still gallery is fun to click through, but you get only one or two behind-the-scenes photographs. The rest are professional-quality still frames from the production. You also get the original trailer (in anamorphic widescreen) and a THX Optimode screen to help you calibrate your sound and video levels.

The Hellbound disc provides a similar range of supplements. In the featurette, 'Lost in the Labyrinth,' Barker grudgingly admits that he likes some aspects of the sequel, but that's about all we hear from him. As in the first film's featurette, the cast and crew have surprisingly vivid memories of the production. Surprisingly, the featurettes for both films are presented in anamorphic widescreen.

The Hellbound commentarywhich features Randel, Atkins, and Laurenceis mostly an exercise in futility, hitting bottom as Randel suggests splicing his film with the original to create one epic work that contains the whole of Hellraiser's mythological scope. The track does have its high points, however, as when Atkins remarks about the young girl 'playing with her box.' I also got a kick out of Atkins and Randel speaking fondly of the cringe-worthy stop-motion effects, which they found 'charming.' All in all, Laurence sounds as if she'd rather be talking about the first film some more.

PARTING THOUGHTS

Although it's nice to finally see the special edition that Hellraiser so richly deserved, I'm disappointed to see the film packaged with a dud. (Incidentally, this new edition of Hellbound is available only as a part of this tin.) I can't help wondering how much more comprehensive Hellraiser's treatment might have been had Anchor Bay focused solely on the original film. At the very least, perhaps the contents of the tin would've been more memorable. Unless you're a serious collector, I recommend picking up the single Hellraiser disc.

DVD Extras

Full Frame and Widescreen Presentation enhanced for 16x9 TVs

Audio Commentary by Clive Barker, Ashley Laurence, Tony Randel, and Peter Aitkins

'Resurrection' and 'Lost in the Labyrinth' featurettes produced by Clive Barker

Theatrical Trailers

THX, Dolby 5.1 Stereo

Still Gallery

Closed Captions

5' x 7' Theatrical Poster Replica

48 page, full color booklet, with behind-the-scenes photos

Individually Numbered Collectors Tin Case